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.”

Danger-zone woodworking

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.