Customer Reviews
Great magazine for any woodworker 
2008-04-20
This is, in my opinion, one of the top two woodworking magazines in America. reading it with raise the level of your craft.
Poor buisiness practices 
2008-04-18
Started my subscription in March of 2008. Got my first copy (April issue) week of April 7th, 2008. Got two more issues (June and February)next week (April 14th.) They had backdated my subscription to January 10, 2008, and had sent me back issues from thier trash bin. I have now gotten six months of magazines in two weeks. I have had them do this also for Fine Home Building and Wooden Boat.
Overpriced magazine 
2007-10-25
I have been a subscriber for many years, but for $34.95, it just isn't worth it anymore. Woodwork is a better magazine with more original content. I just can't see putting out this much for an advertising based magazine. Look elsewhere, like used books for lasting content for much less. The magazine has always had an "east coast" bias, which is fine, but the lack of diversity of the woodworking styles represented is not excusable in a magazine supposed to be covering the furniture building audience. If you ever can get your hands on some of the earlier copies, you will be amazed at the quality of writers and articles then compared with now.
I would recommend Popular Woodworking if you are interested in hand tools and methods. Seems a little fresher these days. Or for a more artistic bent, look at Woodwork magazine.
Repeated Content 2007-09-19
If you subscribe to more than one Taunton Direct publications you will start to see some of the same content repeated. After getting both Fine Woodworking and Fine Homebuilding I'm not suprised to see similar stories.
Great resource 2006-05-08
This magazine has something for woodworkers at every level, from raw beginner to professional. The mix of articles includes side by side product comparisons, how-to pieces at different levels, tool sharpening hints, finishing materials and techniques, and photo galleries of magnificent work.
This month, the tool test covers a range of cabinet saws, roughly in the $1K-3K range. It applies the same criteria to each model, with emphasis on the precision of the machine parts - an absolute necessity for precision in the finished work. The nicely echoes another article on setting up your own machine tools, with directions for checking their accuracy for yourself.
Some articles are aimed specifically at the novice, while others clearly assume advanced skills and a well-equipped shop. Speaking as someone with low-to-mid skills, I find both useful. I'm a bit beyond some of the advice, and not ready to use other parts of it, but I like that. It gives me something to look forward to, when I'm free to get back to woodworking again. It's an enjoyable bit of wishful thinking in the mean time, but a lot more presentable than that other kind of "men's magazine".
//wiredweird
Great for starting out, but now i'm bored 2005-12-25
The magazine for savvy woodworkers--from aspiring beginners to accomplished craftsmen. Contain stimulating design ideas, techniques and projects, ingenious tips and jigs, and great product reviews.
Only subscription that lasted 2005-06-02
I jumped into woodworking four years ago and have had 5 woodworking magazine subscriptions over the four years. I started with Fine Woodworking and now it's all that's left. Nothing else compares.
If you think the price is too high (compared to the others) just remember: like woodworking tools, you get what you pay for.
Five Stars on my 5th Year Renewal of FINE WOODWORKING! 2005-02-24
To sort of celebrate my 5th year renewal of "Fine Woodworking" I decided to take a moment to write a concise review of what I consider to be one of the best woodworking periodicals available on the market. I enjoy woodworking and find it to be my most favorite hobby. As a result of my great interest in woodworking, I spend a few dollars a year (probably a little more than I should be spending) on 4 magazines have strong woodworking themes.
Of all the periodicals and magazines I've ever read, there is no doubt the "Fine Woodworking" is the best of all. It is superior to some very good competitors. The competition, however, just never measures up to the consistency and creativity that this magazine has to offer.
When I started at this wonderful hobby, I was a true novice. I knew nothing at all. Even though I was just beginning to learn the very basics of woodworking, having taken a couple of community college courses, a professor made a personal suggestion that I subscribe to a really good woodworking magazine-for a number of really important reasons. I'm the type of guy who wants to spend his money on the best, rather than waste money on a more affordable competitors that don't deliver the same sort of quality that I've come to expect.
So I subscribed to "Fine Woodworking" and it was one of the better decisions I've ever made-regarding a purchase of this type. The magazine is so good that I took the time to actually place them in binders so I could keep them all in great shape and also so I could reference them at anytime in the future.
I started as a total novice and started to learn great techniques with my very first issue. As time passed and as I became more and more proficient, I felt like no matter what level I was at, "Fine Woodworking" always had great information for me to learn from.
So it doesn't matter whether you're at the very beginning of this great journey into woodworking or if you're on your 200th project from ideas you picked up on from the magazine, I guarantee you that each and every issue will have something in it that will seem perfect just for you.
The articles and editorials are always fascinating and I've even connected with a number of advertisers to purchase some products at very reasonable prices. You really can't go wrong and you can cancel at anytime! (smile) But I don't think you'll cancel as "Fine Woodworking" deserves this 5 Star Rating on the advent of my 5th Year Renewal.
Happy Reading and Happy Woodworking to ALL! Thanks for taking the time to read my review. It's nice that you took the time to read some of my thoughts that I prepared to help you in making your decision.
Warm Regards to All!
Pete Cannice in Scottsdale, Arizona
Email: Horsepete@aol.com
The best 2004-11-19
This is the best woodworking magazine. It has a nice balance between projects, general instruction for newbies, and advance techniques for intermediate and advanced woodworkers. This is where all the 'famous' woodworkers write: Garret Hack, Chris Becksvoort, Mike Dunbar, and others.
The magazine is glossy and the binding is nice, so it keeps well in the bookshelf, unlike some of my Popular Woodworking and American Woodworker magazines.
I'm constantly referring back to my old issues for ideas and techniques.
The Most Inspiration Per Board Foot 2004-07-28
Taunton's Fine Woodworking has occupied the high-end niche of woodworking magazines for some time. This isn't really a matter of having the most expensive tools (although reviews of $300 shoulder planes do crop up), but instead its about attitude. The magazine is for people who don't like to settle for second best in their woodwork. So a tool has to be good before it earns a recommendation, and while price is not the major consideration, Fine Woodworking readers want their money to be well spent.
But the magazine is very much about people who are willing to built 12-coat finishes, or who are looking for the little techniques that lift their work out of the ordinary. The are looking for examples of exceptional work to expand their own cluster of ideas, and the are not afraid to experiment.
Most Fine Woodworking articles dive deep. Especially when a craftsperson takes a reader through a project of their own. These articles are exceptionally thorough covering not just the construction, but also the theory behind the pieces. This is a methods and artistry magazine, and it is hard to put it down without acquiring a new idea or approach.
