Magazine articles that mislead
Magazine articles that mislead
I have tried to work through some issues relating to “freedom of the press” to see if that means licensed to lie or that magazines remain unfettered in terms of truth and content. I have decided to bring balance wherever possible to flamboyant statements that unashamedly flaunt truth and misrepresent key issues that deceive readers. This week’s issue is Taunton’s Magazine Fine Woodworking. I regard this magazine in general as one of the leading magazines in the world.
On the front cover of Fine Woodworking issue 219 May June 2011 the captivating headline read “Half lap dovetails in half the time” and showed a near full page image of dovetails being cut on the bandsaw. Intrigued, I turned to the page of the article and read through Stephen Hammer’s article to see if what was being said was so. The author further ‘Hammers’ his point by erroneously stating, “Get the hand cut look with the speed and consistency of machines.”
Such authors and editors constantly drive for sensation rather than truth and distort reality even further so that you and I are deceived into believing that these methods way surpass hand methods in consistency and accuracy and further exacerbate the falsity by claiming increased speed and efficiency when in actuality that is far from the truth.
More danger-zone woodworking
I calculate (from my 45 years as a full-time woodworker) that the process given, taking into account the set up time and jig making hoop jumping, that it would take about two hours to make a dovetail using this method. I actually made the identical dovetail before an audience at the AWFS Fair in Las Vegas in 8 minutes by hand. That’s actually 15 times longer than using hand methods. My joint was passed around the audience and they can attest to the perfection. Even discounting jig making and set up time I could still cut the same pattern dovetail in less time than the bandsaw and router. Factor into that the high risk issues, dust masks, eye protection, noise issues, personal safety, safety of materials and so on and you get much nearer to the truth.
Furthermore. Imagine putting your 12 year old daughter on the bandsaw to simply cut a two tailed dovetail.
You forgot to factor in the time it took you to develop the skills to saw straight and chop to a line. I find most of these articles are showing people ways to work with less skill. Much like hiring a Sherpa to carry you up Mount Everest so you can say you climbed it
I think that they don’t realise the disparity between showing machines as somehow progressive improvements on flawed early methods when in reality they fail to show that anyone can master skill with much less input than building jigs that then substitute for developing self discipline and skill. Of course, philosophy doesn’t sell magazines and the big input into magazines is those who buy the most advertising, no matter which way you slice it.
Hi,
I don’t know how to think about this. I am a long time reader of Fine Woodworking Magazine and I make my living woodworking. Five years ago, I would have said that FW was the best. Now, I am not so sure. I also get Popular Woodworking Magazine. I find these days that I am more apt to pick up PWM and read it, where with FW it might not get read at all.
I don’t know if this is just me getting tired of FW, or if the other guys have something better. I find the slickness, and the many ads make for (to me) a boring magazine. And I don’t care for some of the machine techniques that are used where they are done better, safer, and more easily by hand. It just seems that they (FWW) are there for the machinery dealers and not for the woodworker.
I could be wrong, but I think that PWM is a much more balanced magazine, and puts woodworking into the hands of more people by showing that things can be built by hand and not needing machines. That is not to say I don’t use machines. I have plenty, and I use them every day. But I do most of my joinery by hand, and leave machines for the bull work. But, I don’t have to use them.
To FWW’s credit, they do have some hand tool stuff, but it does not seem to be enough. And it even with the power tool stuff, I don’t in general get anything new from it. On the other hand, PWM seems to have fresh stuff fairly often. For instance, Glen Huey came up with a unique way to taper legs on a jointer that was fresh, simple, and it worked. What more could one ask for. It seems that the jigs he comes up with are dirt simple, easy to use, and they really do work. I don’t get that from FWW. I used to, but not lately.
There are other magazines out there that do there thing, too. Like the jig boys at Shop Notes. I don’t have a problem with what they do, as they make no bones about who and what they are. And then there are a couple who are fronts for woodworking stores. Knowing that, you know what you are getting into. But to call yourself “Fine” Woodworking changes expectations that they no longer meet in the sense that I guess they have lost the balance of being far too commercial for my tastes. When I read their magazine, I feel like I am reading a big advertisement with a little information rather than being informed with a lot of good stuff with some advertising.
Sir, you triggered a rant on my part, and I hope I don’t get under folks skin. Sorry if I did.
Bob
Hello Bob,
I am commenting from my 23 year knowledge of reading and advertising in Fine Woodworking and knowing the effort they put into their mag. I think that you are right though. Having written for Popular Woodworking and seeing their input and quality too, they are a close equal. I really liked the non-advertising mag they put out for a few years, but that has now died a death.
I do find the adverts helpful in magazines. Sourcing materials and products. That sort of thing, but I also agree that they can be boring because of branding and creating self interest. I question the validity of the perspective people give to them and the editorial perspectives that govern how something is expressed in the articles. I also find that editors are quite unwilling to acknowledge failure sometimes. i recall seeing all teh fences and safety features removed from a jointer and the fingertips of the user/editor being 1/2″ from the cutters on the downside of the cutters. I commented directly to the mag and the editor but nothing was said and I actually saw the image used in a subsequent project issue of the mag.
I think that it’s true that the mags have generally softened their line of approach toward hand tool techniques but that’s because most of them don;t want full articles on whole projects so much as fragmented techniques. The reason is that you can keep your audience dangling on a morsel and keep them hungry for more. If you can do that, why give them a whole feast.
I like your comments. They seem fair and balanced. I think that without them the editors and writers of mags will just pump out stuff with no depth and real content and there is still too much of a disparity between the machine and hand tool presentations. Machines will always be dumb donkeys taking care of what they do best which is dimensioning wood and performing rote tasks that are otherwise tedious. I calculate that I have made 120,000 joints throughout my woodworking life, thousands of the dovetails, and I have never cut a single one by machine of any kind. Too slow and very, very boring.
I’m letting my PWW subscription lapse. It is one of the best out there, but there is a basic problem with magazine in general that bugs me, namely that a magazine has to be sold twice. Once to the advertisers and once to the buyers.
This dual interest creates a dance that lends itself strongly to sensationalism and attracts readers who are sucked in by it.
If you doubt it, just browse your local library or news stand and try to find a magazine article on any subject that is really in depth and not hyped up. Unless you run across a journal with no advertising or industry backing, you pretty much have to keep going to the book section to find it. In that respect, the contrast between books and magazines is stark.
Hi Luke,
I am sorry to hear that you are dropping it. I think Steve Shannesy just took over the editor’s seat again and perhaps things will change. I don’t know. I do know that all magazines have an obligation no matter the statements they make re freedom to speak as they like. Advertising can be a pain. Perhaps we should all of us form a magazine online run by woodworkers with no advertising. I think it could be done.
all the magazines use a phrase or statement that are often untrue in a tongue in cheek way, which is still a lie because a lie stands in truth’s stead.
Hope you are well. Did you get the DVDs and book yet?