The magazine rack

Over time I've done a fair bit of woodworking, but most of what I have made has been fairly straightforward designs - "Shaker" style, predominantly right angles and straight lines. Most of what I know comes from watching my dad years ago, and "O" level woodwork ! So, looking for something to educate and inspire me with new styles and techniques, I've had a look at some of the magazines out there. First up, "British Woodworking".

British Woodworking, Feb/Mar '11, 76 pages (of which ~10 advertising) £3.75.

This one seems to lean toward tutorial / "how to" type articles, with some good stuff for beginners - planing, cutting a lap joint, etc. A bit light on projects perhaps with just two. The "beginner" project is a Shaker candle stand table - although the author uses it as a project to make with his son, it is fairly tricky with a turned leg, and router cut dovetails. The second "pro" project - a wardrobe, also features a lot of machine tooling - router for dovetailing and panel raising, biscuit joints ... It could be that I'm a bit of a Luddite, but I'd prefer to see more handworking. A "Gallery" section features furniture by top professionals - wow, certainly something to aspire to !

Anyone take any workshop related magazines they would like to recommend ? Mine for next month is "Fine Woodworking" from USA. Not finished reading it yet ...

Just finished reading the May/June issue ( ) of Fine Woodworking. This is the sort of thing I've been looking for, a some quite inspiring designs in here. It is a US magazine (Taunton Press), which does mean UK readers like me have to be happy with imperial units, and the adverts aren't all terribly relevant, but I can handle that. What a range of approaches - a fair space given over to techniques of power tool use (cutting dovetails with router and bandsaw - my school woodwork teacher would turn in his grave) but also an article about making a pair of wooden bodied grooving planes !

Some very nice stuff in the reader's gallery, a lovely Japanese inspired table and a wonderful curvy chair made from laminated wood. Just what I need to inspire me to move beyond very rectangular designs. The rocking chair project looks a bit challenging yet though.

Useful website too, and a lot of plans on line, a few free to non-subscribers. All the usual stuff - gallery, even a forum ...

I've just finished reading the latest (June/July) issue of British Woodworking. Some things in there that might interest folks - an article on building a Mike Abbot shave horse, mention of the Bodgers' ball (with a picture of Robin Wood wielding a Japanese adze !). The issue is devoted to frugal woodworking, and as such covers old tools - buying second hand planes, and electrolytic rust removal. There is an article about sourcing wood on the cheap - solutions range from sawing up trees to skip diving - which some of us are very familiar with

Nice coffee table design too. Not sure about turning the legs with a plane though - would have thought it was a good way of wrecking the plane by overheating the blade, and a halfway decent wood turner could do it without a jig !

It is published by the same crew who do "Living Woods" so am not surprised. I was at the Robin Wood demo ( have video of it!!) It was amazing!

I have an adze, an africal one, it is a bit scary to use....Cm gets all twitch when I take off the cover...

The current issue of British Woodworking comes with a guide to "Wood based courses" - Woodcrafts, Furniture making, Bushcraft and Forestry. It includes those by Guy Mallinson and Mike Abbot, amongst many more. Temptation ...

Just to share the info that Living Woods magazine can now be downloaded for free !

See here:

https://www.woodlands.co.uk/living-woods-magazine/

You may not know, but Nick Gibbs, former editor of Living Woods and British Woodworking suffered a head injury in a cycling accident in 2014, so I imagine the magazine may have changed a bit. I do get a sniff of product placement, which is presumably how it is now funded. But hey, it still has some decent content.

I know it is probably just me, but I've been enjoying Mortise and Tenon magazine. It's not actually what you'd expect for a magazine, it is weighty, twice yearly, and beautifully presented, with few adverts. It hails from USA, the editor being Joshua Klein, a welk known furniture maker and conservator from Maine. What I love about it is the focus on hand tools, and the furniture itself - the craft and design styles. Most other woodworking magazines seen to be full of adverts, advice for using power tools - usually thinly veiled product placement !

Klein even uses a pole lathe - in fact I got my inspiration for my last chair from here.