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It was the late 1990s and people were trying to figure out what this Internet thing was all about.  It was clear that people were interested in it, but it is hard to remember how DIY and non-professional the web was at that time. It was confusing. I would ask people how do we make money (a baseline question for any publishing company) on the Internet and they would tell me that making money was “20^th century thinking …” “if you get the ‘eyeballs’ that’s all you need.” “The web is a whole new paradigm, and making money is not the goal.”

Still, I really wanted to do something substantial on the web. After a lot of discussion with folks like Scott Ekman here at Rockler Woodworking and Hardware, our parent company, and having some really odd ideas being floated around, I finally just said: “We know how to make a magazine — let’s just publish one on the web.” And we got started figuring out how to do that.

To do something this innovative for woodworking print publishing, you must have had some reservations, too. What were they?

There were many. First, what would woodworkers want to read or learn about on the web? Maybe woodworkers were not computer dudes; would there even be an audience? And if you can remember back that far, almost everyone connected to the net on dial-up modems — images and graphics took forever to open. For that reason, the first eZines were 99 percent text and graphics were few (just take a look at one of our early issues above this question!). It was very primitive by today’s standards. And then there was that problem of making money. Let’s just say that the P&L that I projected for the first year was a bit ambitious. Larry Stoiaken, the Journal’s publisher at the time, used words like “fictitious” and “delusional” to describe my “conservative estimates” at the end of our first year.

Since this was a new thing, how were the initial eZine subscribers found/recruited?

Well, Woodworker’s Journal already had a website, but it was pretty static. Even so, we did get some folks to sign on from there. And we mentioned it in the print magazine. But the real leg up we had was the email list that Rockler had gathered. They let us send subscription emails to their list and that really got it going. But then to our surprise, we started to gain subscribers at a pretty good clip. The eZine was free, of course, and it turned out that many woodworkers were early adapters to the Internet. And on top of that, it is hard to describe how groundbreaking the eZine was at that time. There were just not many people sending out email newsletters in 2000 and none in the woodworking space. It turned out that it was an idea that fit the times.

Did it take some convincing to encourage advertisers to give the eZine a try?

As I said earlier, subscribers came in fairly quickly. But at the beginning it was brutally hard to get advertisers interested in the eZine. We would approach big-time advertisers and they would say things like, “You can actually put an ad on the Internet? How does that work? Weird!”

Many of the companies in the industry did not have websites, and those that did often had them only for their dealers. “Why would our customers care if we had a website?” they would say. On top of that, the eZine was not great to look at, so if you showed them a printed version of the site, you would often just get silence and a shake of the head. Like I said — brutal. We gave away a lot of free ads at the beginning, just to prove the concept. (Did I mention how bad my P&L looked the first year?)

Then there was the little thing called the dot-com bubble. Apparently eyeballs were just not sufficient to support websites, and the whole view of the Internet shifted. But after the first year, as we proved that we not only had great online content but a lot of readers, we began to make headway with advertising.

And it was very helpful that we had signed up most of the industry executives as subscribers to the eZine (that sort of thing would be exceedingly bad form to do today … but these were the Wild West days on the web) and it showed up in their email box every Tuesday.

While eZine readers have obviously continued to find value in the publication, a brief attempt at offering a “premium,” paid version of the eZine, with additional features, was not a success. Can you speak to some of the experiments attempted with the eZine over the years?

It’s often said that if you have not made any mistakes, you simply aren’t trying hard enough. And let me just say that we tried very, very hard. To quote the Nixon administration, “Mistakes were made.” But even so, we always had a lot of fun as we tried new things. Our poetry contests were epic! Our readers were great sports and some were actually pretty good poets! And the T-shirt slogan contest really made my day. My favorite was one of three that actually got on our T-shirts: “I came, I sawed, I conquered.” From the very first days, our goal was to respect and take our readers seriously, but to not take ourselves seriously. That mindset has served us really well.

What are some ways the eZine’s format and content have evolved over the years to become an even better and more vital publication?

In terms of its graphics, there is no comparison to the early days. Some dial-up connections back in the day would take several long minutes to open even the smallest images, but now we are all in on the pretty stuff, video and GIFs. And as we have developed an advertising base, we were able to add things like the crossword puzzle (the only crossword in the world that I have a chance to complete!) and to increase the publishing frequency from every other week to weekly. We still offer free plans every week and my glowing weekly editorial … and of course the WJ staff’s favorite eZine: the April Fool’s goofball extravaganza.

But what drives the improvements we have made and will make is the feedback we get from readers. Our readers, who are the greatest, have told us what works and what does not. (See the big mistakes comment above…)

How do you feel social media outlets and the influence of video have impacted the eZine and its community of readers?

I think the development of the web as a sophisticated means to deliver information has only reinforced the value of the eZine. We have improved the eZine’s platform and our ability to deliver video in step with the changes around us. Social media is something that Woodworker’s Journal engages in and uses to spread the woodworking gospel, right along with the eZine. And if you think about it, at its most basic level, the eZine is a blog. Perhaps the granddaddy of woodworking blogs!

Where we as an organization provide value is that the Journal has been making woodworking content for a long time. And our number one value for that content is quality. So, while there are a lot of folks blogging and making videos about how to make stuff and cool woodworking tricks these days — people on the web can trust us in terms of the quality of the information we put out. That is not true across the spectrum of web content.

Going forward, this publication will be called Woodworker’s Journal Weekly. Why the name change?

The term “eZine” is a late 1990s anachronism, so it described our product in the early 2000s perfectly. But as I have pointed out, the eZine has changed with the times in terms of page design, content and cadence, so we thought with this 500th issue we should update the name. And while it is not apparent to everyone, this issue is new in more than layout and name. The email component of this issue is being sent out on programming that is much more mobile friendly in terms of reading it on a phone or tablet. Change is constant, and in this case I think it is good.

 At this 500th-issue milestone, how has the mission and value of the eZine changed, if at all, from Issue #1?

At the core it remains the same: woodworking information presented in a fun, interesting and informative way, always respecting the readers. In terms of that effort and those values, it is the people who have worked on the eZine that have exemplified them in a tangible way. Bob Filipczak was our first editor, and the outline of his work is still to be seen. Lee Gilchrist was our next editor until his untimely passing. Michael Dresdner, a remarkable woodworking and finishing talent, was our main editor for several years. And Joanna Takes, who has for years driven the eZine “boat” professionally and with perfect punctuation — her efforts are too many to be listed. Chris Marshall has been a big help, too. Matt Becker, Matt Hocking, Dan Cary — all content experts who actually put the whole thing into shape every week, adding functionality and fixing the publication when those important zeros and ones stop performing. David Beckler, Alyssa Tauer and Dana Severson have sold and managed the ads that allow us to present the whole thing for free. All of these folks and others that I am surely forgetting have held our work to high standards and professional quality — and they did not forget to have some fun, too. My thanks goes out to them for all they have done and continue to do.

What are your hopes for “Woodworker’s Journal Weekly” as we look ahead to the next 500 issues?

My hope for the “Woodworker’s Journal Weekly” is that it remains not only relevant but valuable in the community of woodworkers. Through its quality and outreach, I hope that it continues to inspire folks to become woodworkers and learn the joy of our craft.

AND that it lets me write some really awful humor every April 1!

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The bushing blocks enable three or five holes to be drilled from a single setup (depending on the block), and the included three indexing pins (one for each dowel-drilling size) allows you to easily repeat a series of holes beyond the actual width of the jig by inserting a pin into a bushing hole and one you’ve already drilled into the workpiece.

Dowel locations are set off the edges of boards in repeatable 1/8-in. increments up to 3-1/2 in. — perfect for creating multiple hole configurations without unclamping the jig. This indexing feature makes it easy to lay out dowels in several rows, producing significantly stronger joints than a traditional single row of dowels.

The built-in alignment slot allows you to match up dowel locations on pairs of boards: with the boards clamped together, just drill a hole in one board and insert a dowel, and the alignment slot automatically sets the hole location in the mating board. It makes short work of joining boards to create wider panels.

JessEm’s new Master Kit (item JE08350-MASTER-KIT) includes accessories for 1/4-, 3/8- and 1/2-in. sizes: three drill guide blocks, three drill bits, three stop collars and three indexing pins. Wood dowels and clamps not included. It sells for $199.95.

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The kit includes a single full-range 2.5-watt speaker, a control pod with On/Off button and USB port, and a 6-in.-long USB cable that is used to charge the internal battery. The speaker and control pod can be friction-fitted into a housing: just use a 1-7/8-in. hole saw or Forstner bit to drill the holes. You can also use a jigsaw, as the speaker bezel will conceal any rough edges. No soldering is required to make the wiring connections.

Rockler’s Wireless Speaker Kit (item 57081; $29.99) includes the components for one speaker and is available now.

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Chris Marshall: Rich, I’m presuming you’re raising this question out of concern that the countertop might eventually warp — the common knowledge being, if it’s finished differently on its faces, they will absorb and release moisture at different rates, thus leading to deflection of one sort or another. I’m actually skeptical of this logic. There’s plenty of antique furniture that has stood the test of time with finish applied only to the outer surfaces but having bare wood inside. And the issue seems even less of a big concern with today’s living spaces that are carefully temperature- and humidity-controlled. That said, a coat of finish on the bottom face certainly can’t hurt!

If the maple for this project is kiln-dried and stable, and the countertop is secured properly to web frames underneath (allowing for some cross-grain movement if the slab is edge-glued from wider boards), I’d probably just finish the bottom face with oil-based poly and use walnut oil for the top “working” surfaces so it can be reapplied as needed. However, I’d advise your firstborn to take special care of this surface, particularly around the sink area and dishwasher — maple is not immune to water or steam damage, or food stains, in the same way that a synthetic, tile, granite or marble option would be. The wood needs to stay dry most of the time, and he/she needs to keep up with the oiling process on top. That’s why for as much as I love wood, I appreciate when these sorts of big investments (of time and money) in a kitchen are low maintenance and durable. For that reason, my pick for a kitchen countertop wouldn’t be wood — and I’m guessing this is the same line of reasoning you’ve been offering to the homeowner, too. (But hey, what do woodworking fathers know anyway?!)

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Mel Johansen
Glendale, AZ

See the Gallery Below:

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We heard about readers’ favorite nut woods for woodworking. – Editor

“My favorite ‘nutty’ woods are walnut and cherry, with red oak used more because it’s cheaper!” – Dale Smith

“I have only worked with beech. I like its toughness and strength for projects that take a beating. On one occasion, I used it to build a flag case for the American flag my son received when he became an Eagle Scout. When I sanded it down to 220-grit, I noticed a faint wavy pattern so I took it down to 320, then 400 and finally 600-grit. A beautiful ray pattern appeared. When I hit it with shellac followed by woodworkers wipe-on formula, I discovered what other woodworkers were talking about when they wrote about chatoyance.” – Lee Ohmart

And that the Oklahoma area is seeing a bumper crop of acorns this year – so much so that the squirrels can’t keep up with their “planting season.” – Editor

“It has been wet this year in Oklahoma. The squirrels, deer, raccoons, armadillos, packrats, and pocket gophers are no match for what is coming off the trees. Strangely enough, the pecans and black walnuts do not seem to have the same proliferation.” – Riley G.

We also heard about chestnuts: a plea for suggestions on what to do with Japanese chestnuts, and a note about where remnants of the American chestnut may still linger. – Editor

“Just wanted to point out that while the American chestnut is endangered, there are still a fair number of Japanese chestnut trees in the country, which are resistant to the blight. My tree (three four-foot trunks) bombards my yard with fruit quite thoroughly each fall, along with an occasional branch; hardhats really are not a bad idea during those weeks. Alas, the nuts are inedible, to the great frustration of both me and the neighborhood squirrels, and the self-pruned branches aren’t enough solid wood that I’ve been able to do anything with them yet. If anyone can suggest something to do with the nuts, other than stringing them into wreaths, I’d welcome suggestions. It seem a pity to waste all that yearly effort.” – Joseph Kesselman

“I assume you understand American chestnuts still sprout from the roots of the old trees and grow up to a few inches in diameter in the upper elevations before the insects kill these sprouts. The wood is a much lighter shade when fresh cut than the seasoned wood most people are familiar with. American chestnut was a strong, easy to work, and more lightweight wood that was used in framing, wall panels and almost everything else. If you would like to see some of the newer cuttings, you could contact the forestry instructors at Glenville State College in Glenville, West Virginia, as they had same they provided students when I studied there, and might share one with you. If you wish to find some, these will be in the upper elevations where the insects were not as abundant, but the warmer climate may have had an effect on this as well.” – D. R. Bickel

We also heard from a reader who had his own suggestion for a response to last issue’s question on the Best Way to Fix a Corner Shelf. – Editor

OK, folks, here’s a fix that I’ve used before with great success. It all comes down to tables. Now don’t scratch your heads too much, and think of those breadboard ends. There is nothing in the rule book that says you cannot apply the breadboard concept to corner shelves. What I have done in the past is to create a ‘double’ breadboard where the shelf parts on the left and the ones on the right feed into the breadboard. While not looking like the original corner shelves, this method will give you a unique decorative accent to each shelf, especially if you use contrasting woods.” – Phil Rasmussen

Phil also shared a few additional uses for last issue’s Doweling Jig that Doubles as a Drill Press. – Editor

“There are many uses for a self-centering doweling jig as shown in the recent eZine. Here are three such uses: 1.Place it over the edge of a board and tighten it until it just slides along the board. Put in the ¼-inch dowel guide and pencil and, voila, you have a centering jig as you slide the jig along the board. 2. Similar to the article and above, you can replace the drill bit with a up-spiral router bit to cut those mortises. (Be sure your router bit is sharp). 3. With a Forstner or brad point bit, find the center of a small dowel when you insert the end of a ‘smallish’ dowel into the drill guides of the jig. You may have to remove a guide.” – Phil Rasmussen

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