• Beware of Counterfeit Woodturning Tools (click here for details)
  • Johnathan Silwones is starting a new AAW chapter, Southern Alleghenies Woodturners, in Johnstown, PA. (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Paul May for "Checkerboard (ver 3.0)" being selected as Turning of the Week for March 25, 2024 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

UK - Woodturning Magazine Q

Woodturning UK Subscriber Survey

  • Few ads with a lot of content

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • About the right balance between # of ads and amount of content

    Votes: 8 72.7%
  • Too many ads and not enough meat.

    Votes: 3 27.3%

  • Total voters
    11
  • Poll closed .
Joined
Oct 25, 2005
Messages
935
Likes
241
Location
Newberg, OR: 20mi SW of Portland: AAW #21058
I’ve been tempted for years to subscribe; I see that they now offer a digital subscription and the temptation is even stronger.

When you click on “Look Inside”, 8 images are shown, one of those being the cover. My concern is that of the remaining 7 pics, 4 of them are of advertisements!
Is this indicative that 60% of the content is advertising?

I really don’t want to spend money on something that is primarily an advertising vehicle rather than woodturning content. (Years ago, I dropped Fine Woodworking because it felt this way about its focus.)

Thoughts?
 

Bill Boehme

Administrator
Staff member
Beta Tester
TOTW Team
Joined
Jan 27, 2005
Messages
12,886
Likes
5,169
Location
Dalworthington Gardens, TX
Website
pbase.com
I’ve been tempted for years to subscribe; I see that they now offer a digital subscription and the temptation is even stronger.

When you click on “Look Inside”, 8 images are shown, one of those being the cover. My concern is that of the remaining 7 pics, 4 of them are of advertisements!
Is this indicative that 60% of the content is advertising?

I really don’t want to spend money on something that is primarily an advertising vehicle rather than woodturning content. (Years ago, I dropped Fine Woodworking because it felt this way about its focus.)

Thoughts?

The December issue is 109 pages including the back cover. There are 40 pages of ads which includes an ad on both sides of the back cover and the inside of the front cover. If you don't count the ads on the covers, there are 37 pages of ads. Several of the ads are for the magazine itself, so thirty something pages of ads for stuff that would be of interest to woodturners (sorry, no ads for Neiman Marcus, Macy's, Sears, pharmaceuticals for seniors, Franklin Mint limited edition Christmas ornaments, Tide laundry detergent, GEICO Insurance, and all the other stuff that fills up most magazines). There are also a few pages of standard boilerplate (Table of Contents, contributing authors, etc.) The rest is good content if you are into turning wood. I think that most magazines are 2/3 ads. If the advertising is relevant to your interests then it's a lot more tolerable than ads that aren't. It's a tough balancing act ... ads make magazines more affordable, but too many ads can be even worse.

I get the digital edition which is a lot cheaper than getting a hard copy. I can read it on my iPad or on my desktop computer. I am slowly being dragged into the digital media world. I read the newspaper, National Geographic, American Woodturner, QST, and a few others online. The good thing is that I don't have to deal with piles of magazines, but paper magazines are more convenient and there's no batteries to go dead. I can read the iPad in a dark room whereas reading a paper magazine requires good lighting ... so in reality reading paper copies requires more electricity than reading it on an iPad. :D
 

john lucas

AAW Forum Expert
Joined
Apr 26, 2004
Messages
8,321
Likes
3,576
Location
Cookeville, TN
I subscribed digitally this year. Still getting used to using a tablet, I still prefer flipping pages myself but it's just too expensive to do that. It is an excellent magazine and I always enjoy Mark Bakers comments at the beginning. For newer turners it's really excellent. For more experienced turners I still prefer American Woodturner because it often delves into the deeper topics concerning turning.
 
Joined
Apr 20, 2006
Messages
1,265
Likes
992
Location
Erie, PA
I'll agree with John here. You can if you want print out the articles a page at a time but it is best if you use A4 paper as not to cut off the last lines on the page.
 
Joined
Feb 6, 2011
Messages
42
Likes
7
Location
Orchard Hill, GA
Website
www.billbulloch.com
Bill, how do you print a page from the magazine? There is no option available to me to do that.. I use a snipping tool but that only lets you print the part that is on the screen.
 

Donna Banfield

TOTW Team
Joined
May 19, 2004
Messages
501
Likes
1,298
Location
Derry, NH
Like John Lucas, I subscribe digitally to Woodturning UK. But, I prefer the American Woodturner, overall, simply because of where I'm at in my woodturning journey. I no longer have an interest, or the time, to try a bunch of different projects, which is something that the UK magazine is very good at including every month. So for a woodturner that is just starting out, or someone with skills, looking for different ideas, this magazine is ideal. I did several of their projects a few years ago, and appreciated the articles - well written, with plenty of photos to follow each step in the process. The AAW's American Woodturner, (which is a Journal, not a magazine) has more content which piques my interest today, though. It's not the 'How' anymore, but the 'Who and Why'.
 
Joined
Oct 25, 2005
Messages
935
Likes
241
Location
Newberg, OR: 20mi SW of Portland: AAW #21058
The AAW's American Woodturner, (which is a Journal, not a magazine) has more content which piques my interest today, though.

Thank you for your observations on Woodturning mag; it’s a valuable comparison with the Journal.

I’m curious what the definition of journal means to you. Thinking I’ve had an incorrect notion of what a journal is I had to launch my dictionary widget ;). It says that it’s a newspaper or magazine that deals with a particular subject or professional activity. In other words, it’s not the published format but the content focus. It seems as though Woodturning magazine may be considered a journal too. Just curious.
 

Donna Banfield

TOTW Team
Joined
May 19, 2004
Messages
501
Likes
1,298
Location
Derry, NH
My understanding is a Journal is a publication devoted to an organization or group, and their activities, exclusively. For example, I belong to the Guild of NH Woodworkers, and they publish a journal, a very high quality publication that focuses on the activities and events of that group. There is some limited advertising, but the primary purpose of the publication is not profit, but more to exist for the benefit of it's members, and to inform, share and educate. The American Woodturner's primary purpose is similar; to inform, share and educate it's members of events associated with the AAW, and other woodturning things of interest to the membership.

Woodturning (UK) magazine, on the other hand is not a publication of the AWGB, or the Worshipful Company of Turners. While it may report about events on those two organizations, and others like them, the primary purpose of the magazine it make a profit. If it is not making money for the parent company, GMC Publications, it will cease to exist. Just like Woodturning Design folded, along with the rest of the 6 or so specialty magazines, that were all owned by a single company.
 

john lucas

AAW Forum Expert
Joined
Apr 26, 2004
Messages
8,321
Likes
3,576
Location
Cookeville, TN
Don't forget More Woodturning magazine. An excellent online magazine with a fairly wide variety of content. I don't necessarily find one magazine better than other, just different and the more variety I am exposed to the more I learn.
 

RichColvin

Super Moderator
Staff member
OTI Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2016
Messages
667
Likes
497
Location
Marysville, OH
Website
www.colvintools.com
Bill, how do you print a page from the magazine? There is no option available to me to do that.. I use a snipping tool but that only lets you print the part that is on the screen.

I read all three of these : Woodturner (UK), the AAW magazines, & More Woodturning. I like the digital approach as I can do screen captures on my iPad, & then save the pics to Evernote where I can easily find stuff later.

Rich
 
Joined
Oct 29, 2014
Messages
469
Likes
90
Location
nj
ears ago, I dropped Fine Woodworking because it felt this way about its focus.)
That and the never seemed to mature. That is the rag is targeted almost exclusively to people entering the hobby and after one gets past some stage it's just juvenile. How many times can they run the article "THE LAST WIPE ON FORMULA YOU WILL EVER NEED"??
 

john lucas

AAW Forum Expert
Joined
Apr 26, 2004
Messages
8,321
Likes
3,576
Location
Cookeville, TN
I used to subscribe to all the woodworking magazines. I have since dropped all but fine woodworking and Wood. That's mainly just to keep up on new tools and sometimes you get some great tips. I've seen all the articles on how to cut dovetails about 20 times over the years. Never helped. Apparently you actually have to practice to do those. :) Kind of like reading that you need to rub the bevel to be able to turn.
 
Joined
Oct 25, 2005
Messages
935
Likes
241
Location
Newberg, OR: 20mi SW of Portland: AAW #21058
That and the never seemed to mature. That is the rag is targeted almost exclusively to people entering the hobby and after one gets past some stage it's just juvenile. How many times can they run the article "THE LAST WIPE ON FORMULA YOU WILL EVER NEED"??

I think if you go back 15 years and longer, it was quite a different publication, kinda like the earlier years of This Old House. Now they both seemed focused on tool and product reviews and not the art and craftsmanship of either endeavor.
 

Emiliano Achaval

Administrator
Staff member
Beta Tester
TOTW Team
Joined
Dec 14, 2015
Messages
3,307
Likes
4,226
Location
Maui, Hawaii
Website
hawaiiankoaturner.com
I believe its difficult to please everyone. I have heard both sides, experienced turners don't want one more article on how to sharpen your gouge. Beginners dont want to see something that seems impossible to do or years ahead of them. I personally don't like too much the super artistic articles on pieces that don't even look that were started on a lathe. I told Mike Mahoney when he visited me that I was kind of stuck on bowls, plain work on the lathe. He told me, nothing wrong with that! Aloha
 
Joined
Mar 17, 2010
Messages
85
Likes
2
Location
Port Alberni BC
The December issue is 109 pages including the back cover. There are 40 pages of ads which includes an ad on both sides of the back cover and the inside of the front cover. If you don't count the ads on the covers, there are 37 pages of ads. Several of the ads are for the magazine itself, so thirty something pages of ads for stuff that would be of interest to woodturners (sorry, no ads for Neiman Marcus, Macy's, Sears, pharmaceuticals for seniors, Franklin Mint limited edition Christmas ornaments, Tide laundry detergent, GEICO Insurance, and all the other stuff that fills up most magazines). There are also a few pages of standard boilerplate (Table of Contents, contributing authors, etc.) The rest is good content if you are into turning wood. I think that most magazines are 2/3 ads. If the advertising is relevant to your interests then it's a lot more tolerable than ads that aren't. It's a tough balancing act ... ads make magazines more affordable, but too many ads can be even worse.

I get the digital edition which is a lot cheaper than getting a hard copy. I can read it on my iPad or on my desktop computer. I am slowly being dragged into the digital media world. I read the newspaper, National Geographic, American Woodturner, QST, and a few others online. The good thing is that I don't have to deal with piles of magazines, but paper magazines are more convenient and there's no batteries to go dead. I can read the iPad in a dark room whereas reading a paper magazine requires good lighting ... so in reality reading paper copies requires more electricity than reading it on an iPad. :D
You read QST! So you "ham" it up on the air as well. Ron. VE7RHR.
 
Joined
Mar 17, 2010
Messages
85
Likes
2
Location
Port Alberni BC
WA5SOE. Been licensed just over 50 years, but haven't been on the air in a long time. I've been a life member of ARRL for about 40 years.
I was licensed in June 1957 as Ve3ECP in ontario. 60 years this year! Haven't been active for a while Maybe soon again! Should be able to push the button on a mike. Sure could not operate a key with my arthritis. Actually sold my old bug about 4 years ago.Cheers.
 

Emiliano Achaval

Administrator
Staff member
Beta Tester
TOTW Team
Joined
Dec 14, 2015
Messages
3,307
Likes
4,226
Location
Maui, Hawaii
Website
hawaiiankoaturner.com
I remember spending hours with a friend of mine, talking to people from all over the word. He would exchange postcards with everyone, had a wall full of them, and a world map with pins with the cities he had made contact... Very impressive and fun...
 

Bill Boehme

Administrator
Staff member
Beta Tester
TOTW Team
Joined
Jan 27, 2005
Messages
12,886
Likes
5,169
Location
Dalworthington Gardens, TX
Website
pbase.com
I was licensed in June 1957 as Ve3ECP in ontario. 60 years this year! Haven't been active for a while Maybe soon again! Should be able to push the button on a mike. Sure could not operate a key with my arthritis. Actually sold my old bug about 4 years ago.Cheers.

Always wanted a bug, but couldn't afford one, but could operate a straight key over 20 WPM for a while until I could afford to spend $15 for a mike. Built much of my equipment ... my first receiver was a modified war surplus BC-454 which I believe I modified for the 20M band. A few years later moved up to a Heath SB-301 RCVR and DX-60 XMTR and operated poor man's grid modulation AM on 20M. Later, after getting out of the Army I discovered SSB had displaced AM so my wonderful DX-60 was useless for voice, but 2M FM repeater operation was now the "in thing", I built an early Heathkit XTAL controlled 2M XCVR. A few years later when they came out with the new exciting digital PLL synthesized 2M XCVR and I had an actual paying job, I just had to get one.
 

Bill Boehme

Administrator
Staff member
Beta Tester
TOTW Team
Joined
Jan 27, 2005
Messages
12,886
Likes
5,169
Location
Dalworthington Gardens, TX
Website
pbase.com
I remember spending hours with a friend of mine, talking to people from all over the word. He would exchange postcards with everyone, had a wall full of them, and a world map with pins with the cities he had made contact... Very impressive and fun...

They were called QSL cards. Postage was cheap then and collecting the cards was fun. They called it chasing rare DX (DX means distant stations). High sunspot activity increased the ionization of the E layer of the ionosphere so that stations could reflect signals off that layer and work over the horizon stations and sometimes even half way around the world if the conditions allowed multiple "skips" (reflections between the ionosphere and the earth. I had a very low power transmitter so my collection of QSL cards wasn't very impressive.
 
Joined
Apr 20, 2006
Messages
1,265
Likes
992
Location
Erie, PA
I use Pocketmags and when I bring up a monthly magazine on the right hand side of the screen there are 3 icons one of which is a printer. Click on the printer icon. I print a page then put the paper through manually to get the second side printed. I then use a thermal binding machine and thermal binders to make neat booklets for storage.
 
Joined
Oct 1, 2012
Messages
61
Likes
265
Location
UK
Website
www.facebook.com
I get the Woodturner mag here in the UK and have noticed that there are now quite a few adverts selling equipment and the like from the USA when I last spoke to Mark Baker he said that is because there are now many on your side of the pond that subscribe to the magazine.
I find the content good yes some is aimed at the beginner yet there are articles on some very interesting turners from around the world
 

Bill Boehme

Administrator
Staff member
Beta Tester
TOTW Team
Joined
Jan 27, 2005
Messages
12,886
Likes
5,169
Location
Dalworthington Gardens, TX
Website
pbase.com
I use Pocketmags and when I bring up a monthly magazine on the right hand side of the screen there are 3 icons one of which is a printer. Click on the printer icon. I print a page then put the paper through manually to get the second side printed. I then use a thermal binding machine and thermal binders to make neat booklets for storage.

The icons are there when viewed on a desktop computer, but not when viewed on my iPad. Maybe they've never heard of air printers and wi-fI printers.
 

Emiliano Achaval

Administrator
Staff member
Beta Tester
TOTW Team
Joined
Dec 14, 2015
Messages
3,307
Likes
4,226
Location
Maui, Hawaii
Website
hawaiiankoaturner.com
I get the Woodturner mag here in the UK and have noticed that there are now quite a few adverts selling equipment and the like from the USA when I last spoke to Mark Baker he said that is because there are now many on your side of the pond that subscribe to the magazine.
I find the content good yes some is aimed at the beginner yet there are articles on some very interesting turners from around the world
I hope you liked my articles... Aloha
 
Joined
Jun 1, 2006
Messages
326
Likes
154
Location
Freelton, ON
I have been a subscriber to Woodturning for almost 15 years. Enjoy the content, Mark's intro and rarely make a project from it. Also an AAW member for same length of time, paper + digital downloads. No argument with the content nor the association. Also read FWW from library, Wood Mag, Woodworkers Journal and Popular Woodworking through library access Apps on-line. If I see something useful, I snap a screeshot on my iPad, mail it to myself and archive in my database of woodturning information, organized in about 60 folders on Win 10 notebook. Have a wall covered in WW and WT magazines garnered over past 20 years.
 
Joined
Oct 25, 2005
Messages
935
Likes
241
Location
Newberg, OR: 20mi SW of Portland: AAW #21058
Perhaps I found the solution to not locating my wallet crowbar… Woodturning UK offers single issue downloads for $2.99. When all you folks are buzzing about an article, I will pop for the single download.

Thanks for the feedback!
 

Bill Boehme

Administrator
Staff member
Beta Tester
TOTW Team
Joined
Jan 27, 2005
Messages
12,886
Likes
5,169
Location
Dalworthington Gardens, TX
Website
pbase.com
Perhaps I found the solution to not locating my wallet crowbar… Woodturning UK offers single issue downloads for $2.99. When all you folks are buzzing about an article, I will pop for the single download.

Thanks for the feedback!

I'm not positive, but I think that might be £2.69.

That would be about $3.55. Might need a cheater bar on the crowbar. :D

UPDATE: I found that information on the PocketMags website contradicts the ad in the December issue for digital subscriptions. The PocketMags subscription rates are:
  • Annual subscription (13 issues) is $35.99 which is $2.77 per issue.
  • Six month subscription is $19.99 which is $3.08 per issue.
  • Monthly subscription is $2.99 which is $2.76 per issue (I'm just reporting what their website says, I can't explain it).
  • Single issue is $2.99.
It's a confusing pricing structure, but it's the best deal. However, there is a caveat -- they have fine print that says the prices shown are for illustration purposes only and the actual price may vary. :D :eek:
 

Bill Boehme

Administrator
Staff member
Beta Tester
TOTW Team
Joined
Jan 27, 2005
Messages
12,886
Likes
5,169
Location
Dalworthington Gardens, TX
Website
pbase.com
I have a Barnes & Noble nook which I rarely use since getting this iPad, but I checked their price for Woodturning magazine and found the following very confusing results:
  • Annual subscription is $39.99 which is $3.33 per issue.
  • Monthly subscription (whatever that means) is $2.99 per issue.
  • Single issue is $4.99.
I'm scratching my head trying to figure out what is a monthly subscription since there is only one issue per month ans why it costs less than an annual subscription. And, is a monthly subscription different from a single issue?

I noticed that nook apps are now available for just about every platform so no need to use my clunky really old nook tablet. This looks like a better deal than the official PocketMags subscription plan.

UPDATE: After seeing the PocketMags website, it's a better deal than this.
 
Joined
Oct 25, 2005
Messages
935
Likes
241
Location
Newberg, OR: 20mi SW of Portland: AAW #21058
I found that information on the PocketMags website contradicts the ad in the December issue for digital subscriptions. The PocketMags subscription rates are:
  • Annual subscription (13 issues) is $35.99 which is $2.77 per issue.
  • Six month subscription is $19.99 which is $3.08 per issue.
  • Monthly subscription is $2.99 which is $2.76 per issue (I'm just reporting what their website says, I can't explain it).
  • Single issue is $2.99.
It's a confusing pricing structure, but it's the best deal. However, there is a caveat -- they have fine print that says the prices shown are for illustration purposes only and the actual price may vary. :D :eek:

Yeah, it’s very convoluted. Why would anyone choose 6 months vs. single issue? (Not sure what a monthly sub is vs. single issue.) Weird math; weird plans.
 
Back
Top