Fall magazine

[Sycamore67]

I do not have mine yet and hope it is better than the last two. While I understand having new type projects, some of them are just not what I am interested in.

Several of the posts sound like advertisements for the magazine. 

[Bill WIlson]

When I first started scrolling, many years ago, I knew nothing of any scroll saw magazines, internet forums or on-line suppliers.  I was self taught and depended on the local bookstores and hardware stores for patterns and blades.  Once I joined a scrollsaw club, my eyes were opened as to the large variety of information, materials, patterns, etc that was available.  One of the first things I did was get a subscription to SSW&C Magazine ( I believe it was called Scrollsaw Workshop back then).  I still am a subscriber and expect to remain so for the foreseeable future.  There have been many issues from which I have not cut a single project.  This has as much to do with my lack of available scrolling time as it does my personal tastes for the projects published in a particular issue, but I still enjoy each issue and look forward to receiving it.  I like to see what other scrollers are doing.  I like to see patterns and techniques that expand the scrolling horizon, even if I don't necessarily try them myself.  Often when I do have the time and urge to scroll, I leaf through back issues and have found several patterns that probably didn't interest me much when first published, but now I want to scroll them.  I refer to back issues with Christmas themed projects every year to get ideas for what I'm going to cut for the holidays.  Now that I have grandkids, I find that some of the toy and puzzle patterns are of particular interest to me, where I likely gave them little attention when I first saw them.

Sites like this, YouTube and any of the scrolling related blogs out there, perhaps have replaced magazines as the primary source for scrolling info, but I still like the magazine.  I'll admit to being a little old school when it comes to stuff like this.  I like books instead of a Kindle.  I still like to get a daily local newspaper, even though the content has evaporated and the costs have gone up.  I'm always willing to defend SSW&C, because they have done a lot to service scrollers for a long time.  Publishing a magazine for a niche community with the broad tastes and skill levels of scrollers, has to be a very challenging task.  I suspect that one day the publishers will find that it is no longer profitable to do so.  If and when that day comes, the scrolling community will have lost a trusted and valuable ally.

[Scrolling Steve]

Got mine today !

[Jim McDonald]

9 hours ago, Sycamore67 said:

Several of the posts sound like advertisements for the magazine. 

Perhaps you are confusing gratitude with "schilling".  When I started scrolling about 12 years ago, there was not a huge library of material to learn from and the magazine and their forum taught me a lot about the hobby.  At one time, I subscribed to both magazines and could find good and bad with every issue of both publications.

As a former print journalist who worked in newspapers and specialty publications, I appreciate the work that goes on behind the scenes in publishing a niche magazine and the lead times for such work is unimaginable.  As I write this (June 26), those folks are probably putting the final touches on Christmas publications and getting them ready to head to the printer--where they will probably fall in line with other holiday print jobs.

So, it is not a advertisement for the magazine--but who else is publishing something geared to our hobby in English?  There are supposedly one or two printed in Europe--but not in English. Sure, Steve Good, Sue Mey, Shelia Landry and a host of other designers have websites for patterns and ideas and you can go and look to your heart's desire, but the folks at Fox Chapel and the crew at the former "other" magazine care(d) enough to scare up advertisers and content for a magazine for a small segment of the general woodworking population--which is another small segment of the general population.

Am I advertising for the magazine--MAYBE.  But I am advertising for continued support of the advertisers who provide supplies for our hobby. Imagine trying to find blades if you didn't know the names of Flying Dutchman, Pegas, Olson, et al. Same thing with quality wood stock. Not only are the articles informative, I use the advertisers to learn who, what and where to buy.

Edited June 27, 2017 by Jim McDonald

[dgman]

I have always been a magazine reader. In a former life, I was a bass player in rock bands for over twenty years. I lived for Guitar Player Magazine. I read it from cover to cover. But what I really looked forward to was the adds. What new gizmos the pros were using, a new Guitar available or the biggest and loudest amp.

After that life, there was woodworking. I subscribed to every general woodworking magazine available including: Wood, Popular Woodworking, American Woodworker, Fine Woodworking, and I think there were others that might be escaping me. Then there was Creatative Woodworking and Crafts and Scrollsaw Workshop, now Scrollsaw Woodworking & Crafts. In all those magazines I read the articles that interested me, but always checked out the adds to see what was new and available.

I have reached a point that I only buy mags that might have something that I like or think I will do. I did buy the last Scrollsaw Wooworking and Crafts, but did not buy the one before that. I haven't seen the current issue, but will check it out the next time I'm in Lowes. 

The point I'm making is for me, if I like it, I'll buy it. If there is nothing that interests me, I won't buy it. Certainly not bashing or complaining, just the way it is to me. 

Oh, I forgot to mention, I used to subscribe to every magazine I have mentioned, bot no longer subscribe to any.

[Rolf]

zimmerstutzen your name intrigues me . zimmer is room stutzen is support. Also zimmerstutzen is a highly collectible air riffle. 

I agree with your Sears tool dept.  Many years ago my father and I would stroll the aisles enjoying their tools. I still like their automotive socket sets etc. But for woodworking I go online. We have no specialty stores locally with one exception but I wouldn't bless the owners  coffee.  

It is a shame, we used to have a Woodworkers warehouse, the chain went under, where I could take care of those tool urges. But then again Amazon prime is impressive time wise.

[Bill WIlson]

1 hour ago, Rolf said:

zimmerstutzen your name intrigues me . zimmer is room stutzen is support. Also zimmerstutzen is a highly collectible air riffle. 

I agree with your Sears tool dept.  Many years ago my father and I would stroll the aisles enjoying their tools. I still like their automotive socket sets etc. But for woodworking I go online. We have no specialty stores locally with one exception but I wouldn't bless the owners  coffee.  

It is a shame, we used to have a Woodworkers warehouse, the chain went under, where I could take care of those tool urges. But then again Amazon prime is impressive time wise.

Not all that long ago we had a Woodworkers Warehouse here in the same shopping plaza with Lowes and HD, about 5 minutes from where I work.  At that same time in history, there was also a Woodworkers Supply store, a Woodcraft store and a Rockler all within an hour of my house.  Those were the days.  Internet sales were still in their infancy.  The only one that has survived is Rockler.  Woodcraft opened a new store last year a little further south of Pittsburgh, but not sure how long it will last. 

[edward]

My Magazine came today, not  really impressed, still a lot of ads, and not enough of scrollsaw, and really not   into Chess and Intarsia , a few years back they had Giraffe family puzzles, and none of Sue's or Sheilas patterns.  I still like the Creative woodworking and crafts magazine shame they went out of business. Just stating my opinion.  edward                  

[rjweb]

Yes a lot of advertisements, but that's what pays the bills, RJ

[meflick]

13 hours ago, edward said:

My Magazine came today, not  really impressed, still a lot of ads, and not enough of scrollsaw, and really not   into Chess and Intarsia , a few years back they had Giraffe family puzzles, and none of Sue's or Sheilas patterns.  I still like the Creative woodworking and crafts magazine shame they went out of business. Just stating my opinion.  edward                  

First, Edward I agree everyone is entitled to their opinion and I respect yours. I am sure as a seasoned scroller, that it is harder to find projects that come up to your skill level. So, you always hope to find that in the magazine - especially if you are subscribing to it and would be disappointed when it had little to spike your interest.  For me, as a newbie - I am still in awe of everything that anyone can do with their saw and love seeing all the different things that can be done. My initial interest in the saw was to do intarsia, then I found the village and saw all the different things people do.  That has encouraged me to go outside my intarsia interest and to try other things with the saw as well.  Things I wouldn't have tried but for having seen them here and on the magazines forum or in the magazine.  That is also what I think they try to do with the magazine articles, and giving different ideas - they want to encourage their readers to get outside their comfort zone and try something new with their saw.  Plus, different types of projects can bring new people to the saw as it did with me but then expand their interest.

Now, I can see if your primary goal is scroll sawing/fret work type of work then you didn't have a lot in this edition - the chess set and then the Birds of Prey patterns of which there are three.  (all of which are stunning I think.) If you didn't like the chess set, you are down to the 3 birds. If you aren't into birds then nothing there.  However, there were also only two intarsia articles.  Both of which were great articles for teaching you shaping and then using a wood burner to add details.  Both of these are items that I know from visiting the forums and others that people had recently asked to see in the magazine. I think that is great.  It shows that they do listen to their customers and try to find and provide what customers are asking for.  However, they can only do that if you give them that feedback.  So, if there is something you would like to see or have shown on a "how to" - give them that feedback. Don't say, I don't want to see X - because even if you don't plenty of people do are it wouldn't be there now.  Instead, tell them what you do want to see.  What you would like to cut, etc. Plus, several places in the magazines referred us back to their website for additional articles and information (some of which won't be  up until August 1 however. ) These include some fretwork pumpkins, a candle holder tray and some others looks like.

Possibly the one issue you are talking about that previously had a giraffe family in it was actually one from 8 years ago now believe it or not- Fall, 2009 (which I have because I bought it at the time for the Halloween Designs in it and I was recently looking at it so I have it in front of me.). That was a single puzzle but with a "family" of 3 giraffes together by John Nelson.  They also explained why they did the Giraffes now in this one - thanks to the phenom of April and her new calf earlier this year.  Plus, puzzles seem to be an "in" thing right now. I think it, and many of the smaller projects are geared towards giving those who sell at craft fairs/famer's markets, etc. some easily cut and smaller objects to add to sale. If you sale, I would think you have to continually update your projects offered in order to not get stagnate in your sales.  In looking through the magazine with an open eye, it seems to me that they did probably about as good of a job as they can in trying to meet the desires/wants of a large and diverse group of scrollers who buy their magazine - either by subscription - or by "seeing" it on the newsstand.  I have several that I bought over the past years - not as a scroller - but as a general crafter - that appealed to me based on what I "saw" on the cover. However, in trying to meet the needs of everyone, that means that there is only a couple of articles on fretwork, a couple of articles on Intarsia, etc.  which unfortunately means that not everyone is going to be happy with everything all the time. I would love to have a magazine dedicated to Intarsia, but I realize that the market is just not there and appreciate what I can find.

Finally, I did want to say with everyone noting how many pages of "ads" there were I went and counted - including the inside front cover and the inside back cover I counted at most 15 total pages of ads I think.  Most are full page ads, there were a couple of smaller ads at ends of articles or side bars that I figured up to equal about 1 full page. The magazine shows 72 pages total (which does not include the front and back covers so if I take those 2 ad pages out of the equation - that leaves 13 pages of ads in 72 total pages.)  I am not a math person, so I can't give you the exact percentage but I figure that leaves about 59 pages of content versus 13 of ads.  Not too bad in my opinion.  As RJ points out, that is what pays the bills for the magazines not the actual subscription costs I am afraid.  I would rather have the ads then no magazine. Unfortunately, this is probably why Creative Woodworking and Crafts is no longer around.  If you can't get the ads, you cannot afford to publish. Plus, as someone else pointed out - those ads are what tells me what tools and such are available to help me with my work and places that I can buy those tools and such at that I might not be aware of but for those ads.

Sorry for the lengthy response but thought it was worth discussing in some detail.  I know it doesn't change that it didn't do much for you and you were disappointed.  However, perhaps by looking at it objectively as to what is there and why that might be, we can all better understand the whys.

[Sycamore67]

Interesting and LONG comment...

I have asked them to run a Poll to see what people would like in the magazine.  I think that two questions should be asked.  The first, what type of projects would you like to see.  Second, what type projects have you done in the last year or two.

The response to my request was that it takes a long time to create a good poll.  This was three months ago.  I recently asked for an update and not heard back.

They have asked for comments which I think is far worse than a Poll for validity.  Many may complain but not take the time to send a message.

Best way to get feed back will be with subscriptions.  For me, I will not renew mine when it comes up.

[Rolf]

Well said Melanie.  I also subscribed to CWWC, yes it was nice getting the two magazines, but of the two SSWWC was my favorite and that was long before I started working with them. Towards the end they were discounting their magazine so heavily I don't see how they covered their costs. Wood magazine and some of the others also do that.

For my taste in scrolling CWWC was too much of the same lots of painted fretwork etc. I always looked forward to the Intarsia articles and Shiela Landry's work. 

Bottom line we all have different tastes and what stirs our creative juices. I always look for something different simple or challenging.

I just did my first carving for something different. Behind it was my first vase turning. 

[Scrappile]

I saw several things I really want to do,,,,, wish the days were longer.  Love the Chess set, the bird patterns and if I ever do intarsia, that pheasant will be one of the first I try.

[meflick]

Paul, @Scrappile - meant to ask was that your Hamsa Box shown on page 6?  Looked like the one you shared and name and state matched up as well so thought it was you.  If so, congratulations on having it in the magazine and on the fine work.  Isn't this one you then got an order for to send out of the country? 

[Scrappile]

 

2 minutes ago, meflick said:

Paul, @Scrappile - meant to ask was that your Hamsa Box shown on page 6?  Looked like the one you shared and name and state matched up as well so thought it was you.  If so, congratulations on having it in the magazine and on the fine work.  Isn't this one you then got an order for to send out of the country? 

Yes, it is.  Haven't even had time to start the second one (the one going to the pole dance instructor in Brazil).

[Denny Knappen]

4 hours ago, Scrappile said:

 

Yes, it is.  Haven't even had time to start the second one (the one going to the pole dance instructor in Brazil).

That is one of the fun things about the magazine.  Seeing work of people we know getting published.  I almost had my Turkey published in this issue until I had to explain that it wasn't my design.

[Rolf]

I agree Denny, it is fun to see friends work in the magazine. It would be even more fun to meet and see it in person.

[Denny Knappen]

On ‎6‎/‎29‎/‎2017 at 5:39 PM, Rolf said:

I agree Denny, it is fun to see friends work in the magazine. It would be even more fun to meet and see it in person.

It was a great time several years ago at the SWWC Event meeting you, Carole, Judy and others on the forum.  Too bad there isn't another, but I understand the time and cost involved.

[jbrowning]

I just received mine and can't wait to try and cut out the pumpkin.

 

 

[Bpardue]

Got mine right before I went on vacation and like the intarsia pieces and will do them at some point. Sense I mostly do intarsia I look forward to the magazine all the time. The one thing I like is seen other items that peak my interest. The 2 other items that really peaked my interest was the vase and wonder bowl and can't wait to try them when we get back home..

[Gonzo]

I thought there were quite a few good articles, the chess set, the Reuleaux bowl, and the barn swallow intarsia. 

One medium, three different ways of using that medium. They look challenging and pique my interest. 

[Rolf]

Jim I missed your comment the first time regarding some comments supporting the SSWWC magazine. And I really liked your reply.

We need to present both sides fairly, especially to the new folks joining this forum so that they can form their own opinions. 

And with the advertisements they are great resource for the newbies. Those of us more seasoned scrollers already have our list of favorites.