Check It Out: Read the 1st Issue of “Fine Woodworking” Magazine for Free

Fine Woodworking magazine is celebrating its 40th anniversary this fall, and is sharing all kinds of cool stuff from its archives. Like… re-sharing its first issue ever, from Winter 1975, when it looked much, much different than it does today.   Sorta. I mean, one of my favorite things about woodworking is that the craft is sorta already established. The best tools for the job have been know for nearly a century, with many designs, such as hand planes, chisels, backsaws, have been around for millenia. Sure, there are technological advances like flesh-sensing table saw blades and helical cutterheads and rotatable carbide-insert turning tools, but really, not much has changed in the last forty years.

There are some cool articles and pieces by established legends like George Nakashima and James Krenov, and an interesting piece about the coming availability of a new-to-the-amateur market product called birch plywood. (Heads up: every piece of quality-grade plywood you’ve probably ever used is birch. It’s all they sell at the home improvement store.) Oh, and the logo, with its dovetail details and cool type, remains virtually identical. Nice. 

Definitely worth a flip through. And congrats to Fine Woodworking. Keep up the great (wood)work. 

See all the fun at FineWoodworking.com/40Years