Magazines, or not

[Dan]

This is the time of the year I like to read through magazines. Woodworking magazines mostly. I have a subscription to SSWC and was looking at other types of woodworking. So, I went to our grocery store where they had a long aisle of magazines of all sorts. Not any more. Now they have two small shelves and no woodworking mags. Well, Walmart is just down the road. Ha! Same thing. They have more but only Family Handyman. Well, let me try Lowes and Home Depot, they usually have a a few racks of mostly woodworking-type mags. Fooled again! The only bookstore nearby is Half Priced Books. I didn't know they are mostly used books and magazines. Still no woodworking mags. All I want is to sample some and decide if I want a subscription. 

I guess useful magazines are not a commodity any more. I guess folks are just browsing the internet for free, useful info. All I want to do is read and maybe find the project I didn't know I wanted to build. 

[Scrappile]

Yes I have noticed the same.  I no longer take SSWC and will not until they decide to make it digital and allow downloading of the patterns.  I simply hate to have to take a magazine apart to get a good copy of a pattern... not to mention the convenience of being able to store the magazine on a harddrive instead of taking up lots of space in the house.  Surprise they do not seem to really care what I think.

[Dan]

1 hour ago, Scrappile said:

Yes I have noticed the same.  I no longer take SSWC and will not until they decide to make it digital and allow downloading of the patterns.  I simply hate to have to take a magazine apart to get a good copy of a pattern... not to mention the convenience of being able to store the magazine on a harddrive instead of taking up lots of space in the house.  Surprise they do not seem to really care what I think.

I'd love to have digital patterns too. But I guess they have to protect copyrights. I remember buying CD of the other scroll saw magazine and I betieve it included all the patterns. 

[rjweb]

Paul, I agree with you, have not subscribed to the magazine because the way they do the patterns, Dan you could try fine woodworking on line, that way you will get a digital copy also, RJ

[don in brooklin on]

I have the same issue with SSWC.  I will not subscribe until they go digital.

I bought the issues 1 - 72 on CD and it was really great.  Then for the the issues 61 - 72, the patterns from the pullouts are the actual size.  If you are good at Inkscape you can extract the pattern you want but not easy.   If you print the whole print out it takes 12 pages for each.  

They then sent the pull out patterns at 8 1/2 x 11 so you have find correct ones to print. 

In my discussions I have come to realize that they are publishers only - not scrollers.  They never use what they publish.  I even asked the test cutters if they got just the book as published or just the pattern.  Just patterns so they don't have to struggle with pullout.

I look at the book at Walmart only for interest.

 

 

 

[dgman]

I got interested in scrolling from reading WOOD magazine many years ago. They had Scrollsaw articles, projects and patterns. That was twenty five years ago. I subscribed again about two years ago with a three year subscription. It’s been two years now without a mere mention of a scroll saw let alone a pattern. Needles to say I wont be renewing when my subscription is up for renewal.

[meflick]

I have found the same to be true at our stores. The only place I can find them is at the Borders bookstore.

I do subscribe to SSWC. Fox Chapel who publishes SSWC also publishes the Woodcarving Illustrated magazine. Ironically, you can buy it either as a physical copy of the magazine or as a digital copy online. (So I can’t figure out why they don’t offer digital for SSWC as well . Only thing I can figure is that subscriber numbers are much lower for the scrolling. )

The problem for me with the digital copy is you still cannot easily print or download an article or pattern from their magazine. You have to do a “screen capture” if you want it to print out. (I even inquired directly and was told this was only way to do it. I told them there was better and easier ways that should be done. ) So my problem has been while I would like a subscription to the carving magazine, I have yet to pull the trigger. I can’t decide to get the physical copy or digital. Digital is appealing for the reasons noted IF. You could easily download and print but since you can’t, it’s easier to make copies from the physical printed magazine. For now, I have bought a few digital ones and a few physical ones.

[Scrappile]

Other wood working sites do it better,, Maybe it just takes some effort to set it up.  Maybe their subscription numbers would grow if they put that effort into it.

[barb.j.enders]

I subscribe to SSWC.  My complaint with the patterns is having to undo the staples to get the patterns.  I wish they used the "sticky" stuff to hold the pull-out section.

[Gonzo]

I also subscribe to SSWC. Have been a subscriber for 10 years, and enjoy every copy.  Also, I subscribe to the magazine put out by Rockler. I prefer hard copy to anything electronic. Mainly because I can’t lick my finger and turn the page on an electronic article .  I still subscribe to the daily newspaper, the hard copy. Tried the electronic version and hate it.  Yep! I’m a dinosaur, and I’m afraid printed copies of what I read will soon become extinct also. 
PS. Have ya been to the doctor, dentist, chiro, or anyplace with a waiting room lately?  They have no magazines. 

[barb.j.enders]

10 hours ago, Gonzo said:

PS. Have ya been to the doctor, dentist, chiro, or anyplace with a waiting room lately?  They have no magazines. 

Those would have been removed at the start of COVID

[Bill WIlson]

11 hours ago, Gonzo said:

I also subscribe to SSWC. Have been a subscriber for 10 years, and enjoy every copy.  Also, I subscribe to the magazine put out by Rockler. I prefer hard copy to anything electronic. Mainly because I can’t lick my finger and turn the page on an electronic article .  I still subscribe to the daily newspaper, the hard copy. Tried the electronic version and hate it.  Yep! I’m a dinosaur, and I’m afraid printed copies of what I read will soon become extinct also. 
PS. Have ya been to the doctor, dentist, chiro, or anyplace with a waiting room lately?  They have no magazines. 

Same here.  

As for magazines in the Doctor's office waiting room, practically everyone I see in there is on their phone.  There could be a whole stack of magazines right next to them and they wouldn't get a look.