I keep considering the Fine Woodworking Archive DVD, basially to both save
shelf space (I have several feet of FWW) and also to make it somewhat
easier to find things. Does anyone out there have it? If so:

a) how useful do you find it, vs. the hardcopy magazine with the annual
indexes?

b) How high quality are the scans? I use the magazine (e.g., the reader
gallery) for project ideas and inspiration, and would be disappointed if
the scans are low enough resolution that they aren't as nice as the
printed photos.

-- Andy Barss

Andy,

I know this isn't the same, but Popular Woodworking digital copies are
excellent. They
contain everything, including the ads. It's easy to browse and print.
I use it frequently
tho I don't have every year.

I still have my hard copy archive. Every now and then, I take a copy
and read before
falling asleep.

Perhaps, you should direct your questions to Fine Woodworking? Ask for
some samples!
If the scans are like the PDF files that you have access to for $14 a
year, they are VERY
good.

MJ


a) how useful do you find it, vs. the hardcopy magazine with the annual
indexes?

b) How high quality are the scans? I use the magazine (e.g., the reader
gallery) for project ideas and inspiration, and would be disappointed if
the scans are low enough resolution that they aren't as nice as the
printed photos.

On 2010-06-21 19:15:49 -0400, Andrew Barss said:

I keep considering the Fine Woodworking Archive DVD, basially to both
save shelf space (I have several feet of FWW) and also to make it
somewhat easier to find things. Does anyone out there have it? If so:

a) how useful do you find it, vs. the hardcopy magazine with the annual
indexes?

b) How high quality are the scans? I use the magazine (e.g., the reader
gallery) for project ideas and inspiration, and would be disappointed
if the scans are low enough resolution that they aren't as nice as the
printed photos.

The woodworking teacher at the Indianapolis Art Center (a professional
wookworker for about 35 years who does know his stuff) tells me each
time he sees me that I need this. Even with a full collection of the
printed magazines, he never looks at them -- the search funtion for the
electronic version can bring up every reference from issue 1 to present
day. (I assume that includes errata where necessary.)

He's used a couple of the articles as handouts in class, and the
reproduction quality is what one would wish -- limited only by your
output device, assuming no one is still using a dot matrix printer.

In any case, it's faster, easier, and more thorough than manually
searching issues or indexes. You are, however, less likely to make the
serendipitous discovery when your search is so directed. I'll probably
continue to thumb the mags I have and visit the used bookstores...
there's certainly more out there than one magazine piublisher.

rant I've always thought of FWW as the "ne plus ultra" of the
woodworking magazines, though lately I think they've slipped. It REALLY
frosts me that any meaningful access to their website is only by
subscription. Perhaps their business model assumes that web will
eventually supplant print -- and video is a wonderful teaching tool
(and awfully hard to do on the printed page) -- but other publishers
seem to regard the web as an adjunct to their publishing efforts rather
than as merely another revenue stream. / rant

On Jun 22, 7:15*am, Andrew Barss wrote:
I keep considering the Fine Woodworking Archive DVD, basially to both save
shelf space (I have several feet of FWW) and also to make it somewhat
easier to find things. *Does anyone out there have it? *If so:

a) how useful do you find it, vs. the hardcopy magazine with the annual
indexes?

b) How high quality are the scans? I use the magazine (e.g., the reader
gallery) for project ideas and inspiration, and would be disappointed if
the scans are low enough resolution that they aren't as nice as the
printed photos.

-- Andy Barss

Hi Andy

I have the DVD. It is a superb resource. I keep a copy on the
harddrive of my laptop and dip into it whenever I have a need. The
search facility gets me what I need fast. I do prefer reading the
magazines, and have most on my shelf for brousing, but when I am
looking for something specific, then it is the DVD I go to.

Regards from Perth

Derek Cohen

"Swingman" wrote in message
...


Understand Steve's rant, but even now that it's gone up to circa $35/year,
I've personally found it well worth the price when needing info quickly,
or even some fresh perspective on solving a problem, and I can generally
pick and choose the topics and pdf files that I'm interested in and not
bother with those I'm not ... besides, it's a business expense for me.

AAMOF, recently a pdf compendium of many past articles on built-in's was
particularly worth the $3/month price of admission for my purposes.

Is that $35 the price for online only? Do you also have to buy a hard copy
subscription? I can't seem to find the price without going through some
hoops and I'd rather not jump. Just looking at the site again, I'm thinking
it might be worth more than buying an issue now and then.

On 6/24/2010 10:05 PM, Lobby Dosser wrote:

Is that $35 the price for online only? Do you also have to buy a hard
copy subscription? I can't seem to find the price without going through
some hoops and I'd rather not jump. Just looking at the site again, I'm
thinking it might be worth more than buying an issue now and then.

I have an online subscription only, although I buy the occasional
magazine on the newsstand.

However, I just looked and I can read what appears to be all the
articles in the July/August 2010 issue online, from the online member
page. Furthermore, each can be downloaded in pdf format to your local
storage drive.

IMO, there is a world of information available on finewoodworking.com
for $3/month that is just too good to pass up at that price.

It is a readily available resource ... like that Fein MultiMaster, you
don't use it everyday, but when you're in need of the tool/information
it saves time and money.

As always, YMMV ...

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 4/15/2010
KarlC@ (the obvious)

"Swingman" wrote in message
...
On 6/24/2010 10:05 PM, Lobby Dosser wrote:

Is that $35 the price for online only? Do you also have to buy a hard
copy subscription? I can't seem to find the price without going through
some hoops and I'd rather not jump. Just looking at the site again, I'm
thinking it might be worth more than buying an issue now and then.

I have an online subscription only, although I buy the occasional magazine
on the newsstand.

However, I just looked and I can read what appears to be all the articles
in the July/August 2010 issue online, from the online member page.
Furthermore, each can be downloaded in pdf format to your local storage
drive.

IMO, there is a world of information available on finewoodworking.com for
$3/month that is just too good to pass up at that price.

It is a readily available resource ... like that Fein MultiMaster, you
don't use it everyday, but when you're in need of the tool/information it
saves time and money.

As always, YMMV ...

Sounds too good to pass up. Thanks!