Apparently, our hobby lost a great magazine this month.
“Woodwork” magazine, had been sold during 2008 to a new owner, and issued an excellent just-like-old-times “new” issue under its new owner a few months ago…but , NOW it is fully dead. A letter from the publisher indicates that unforeseen problems have occurred, and that the recently restarted publication has been permanently discontinued.
The letter further stated that my paid-up subscription to “Woodwork” has been converted to “American Woodworker” , a sister publication of the parent company. Yuck…
Woodwork had personality and depth of content. It was unique and worthwhile, and had content for woodworkers of all levels and styles. American Woodworker is an also-ran at best, and clearly targeted at beginning woodworkers. Not at all an equal substitution. Oh well, my subscription will run out soon. I’ll give it an issue or two to see if it improves or is influenced by the old Woodwork.
Over the years, I have subscribed to basically all of the major woodworking magazines and I have developed definite favorites.
Hands down, my favorite is Woodworking Magazine. No advertising, great content. Worth every penny.
Woodworking Magazine’s sister publication “Popular Woodworking“, is my second favorite. By far the best of the “general” woodworking magazines.
A distant third is “Fine Woodworking“…it is a very good publication, but seems to me to have lost its personality in recent years. It is a bit too polished, a bit too Martha-Stewart-perfect. It seems almost formulaic to me. But, I still like it, and learn from it.
All of the rest of the mainstream woodworking magazines, are only OK at best. I still get several of them, but usually can read them cover to cover in under an hour.
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About mattsanf
Matt Sanfilippo is the Chief Partnership Officer (CPO) for the College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and Co-Director of its Engineering Research Accelerator. In this role, Matt coordinates and enables strategic and sponsored research opportunities across the college, and stewards the development of proposals for major research opportunities along strategic themes. Additionally, he enables collaboration among the college's research institute/center executive directors, and industrial and government relations personnel in the pursuit of opportunities with industry, federal and state governments. Before becoming CPO for the College, Matt was the Senior Executive Director for Research Initiatives, the Executive Director of CMU's SII (Smart Infrastructure Institute) and ICES (Institute for Complex Engineered Systems), and Associate Director of PITA (Pennsylvania Infrastructure Technology Alliance) and RAMP (Research for Advanced Manufacturing in Pennsylvania).
Before CMU, Matt was Managing Director of Applied Technology for Michael Baker Corporation, an engineering and energy services firm. Matt managed Baker's technology division including Geographic Information System (GIS), software and web development, multimedia, virtual reality, visualization, Global Positioning System (GPS), mapping and surveying services. Before joining Baker, Matt was an Innovation Director for Redleaf Group, a Venture Capital/Operating Company focused on information security, supply chain and mobility solutions. While at Redleaf, Matt managed technical due diligence for seed-stage investments and coordinated relationships between Redleaf and their partner companies. Prior to Redleaf, Matt was CIO of GZA GeoEnvironmental Technologies, an infrastructure engineering firm, and operations manager for their Internet start-up that focused on web-technologies for health and safety and manufacturing metrics.
Matt is on the board of Larson Design Group (LDG), past Chairman of the Board for the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden, current board member of the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation (PHLF), current Vice President of the Sewickley Heights Gun Club (SHGC) and former member of the Information Sciences and Technology Advisory Board for the Pennsylvania State University Beaver. Matt is also former Vice President of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Association of Internet Professionals and former Vice President of the Board of Trustees for Baker Combined Charity of Pennsylvania.
A Learning Adventure in the Workshop 
I also miss Woodwork. My subscription never transferred over, apparently it ran out just as the sale was taking place, and the new publisher never bothered to send a renewal notice.
Sounds like I’m just as happy they didn’t, but it would be nice to have the old magazine back.
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I noticed this happening to other niche magazines, like a motorcycle magazine I read recently quit doing a Harley-Davidson only magazine and started concentrating on all motorcycles in one magazine.
Myself, I’m finding less and less use for magazines. When I can get a huge number of woodworking projects for less than the cost of years subscription to a magazine, it makes me think twice about subscribing.
Hi Matthew,
Are you aware that Woodwork is back? It’s now just an annual publication, but hopefully that will change. The last issue was “Winter 2010” and the next issue will be released in November.
Woodwork is by far my favourite magazine and I’m grateful that it is still in print, even if only once a year. I have all the back issues to read through still.
Oh, by the way, there will be an article by Darrell Peart (noted Greene & Greene furniture maker) in the next issue of Woodwork. I noticed you’ve made a Greene and Greene desk.
I didn’t know that. I’ll check it out.
Thanks for the tip!
I just ordered the 2010 issue based on your tip.
Thanks!
Matt
Glad I could help. Hopefully, enough of us will become aware and Woodwork will come back into regular print.
What college do I go to for carpentry?