Discussion on the Future Direction of Model Engineer and Workshop

[Charles Lamont]

On Charles Lamont Said:

I agree about the overabundance, irrelevance, and excessive size of many of the photos.

The Mill Engine piece is a glaring example. Five half- or nearly-half-page photos, and five of a more sensible size for less that ten column inches of text. The half page drawing, generally good, but some details small.

The subject matter of Tony Bird’s piece on his depthing tool is fine by me, but do 5 strips of metal and some spacers really warrant 7 pages (a total of about 2 of which are text) and 25 photos?

We are getting used to a new layout, it means we are less familiar with how much space to allow for articles. It just isn’t practical to lay out each article in turn, amend its length, then move on to the next one, which would be the ideal. Instead, we’ve refined how we calculate article length, and hopefully the next issue will have less variation in image size.

As for the depthing tool, as it was described without drawings, I felt it needed plenty of photos so people could follow the steps of construction properly.

Neil

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

All sorted thanks to Neil’s intervention, thanks again

 

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

The best way to save space with photos is for some to be made available online. For example Martin had and now hopefully Neil has an article of main aimed at someone building their first casting set. I sent in 60 photos which would work out around 10 photos per installment as I expect it will need spreading over about 6 magazines. I also have another 100 photos that will get put into a thread to accompany the article as I have done in the past. These all show setups and machining methods which would be useful to beginners but would make an article excessively long.

About 12 A4 drawings to go with it which correct old errors and add missing detail as well as being metric which would reduce to A5 so one page of two drawings per issue and no redrafting costs. I often make the full size A4 drawings available to readers who are actually making the engine and would consider putting the whole lot on here as well.

Now whether those should be in some sort of “Subscribers only”  section is upto the powers that be. Just making them free would mean a loss of sales as what is the point in buying a mag when the content can be had for nothing.

[Simon CollierParticipant @simoncollier74340]

I still am unable to download the new magazine. I’ve been going around in circles with Morton’s, Pocket mags, Classic magazines and their instructions don’t work. As an example, if I select “restore purchases” in the Pocketmags app, it says “there is a problem”. When I press the help link they reply that I need to contact the publisher. They send me back to Pocketmags. Needless to say I will not be renewing my subscription after this debacle.

[Neil Wyatt]

On 19 December 2024 at 16:03 Neil Wyatt Said:

Can we widen our appeal to a younger audience still focused on using practical technologies to make things? Makers, rocketry, robotics, animatronics…

As a yoof and a past reader of MEW I always felt there was a lack of projects or articles for the smaller lathes available that are still popular, Seig’s, sherlines, Unimats etc. Granted Myfords are very popular but most younger people who do this type of thing do so in their bedrooms or at best a very small shed and on a limited budget too. Therefore size is limited. There was the occasional article for Unimats but I don’t remember seeing many others. That being said I haven’t bought an issue for a while.

Robotics, 3D printing and things like that don’t interest me but unfortunately they are part of the current times.

[dc1Participant @dc1]

Hi Jason

Commendable attitude but how many other contributors would be willing to allow part of their cotent to be published online for free?

[dc1Participant @dc1]

Would anyone be interested on articles about Unimat accessories?

[dc1Participant @dc1]

I worked out a method of calculating content based on column inches and size of photos and it worked well. You have basically 4 widths of photo sizes. I column, 1 1/2 columns, 2 columns and 3 columns. You decide on a column width, a photo height and crop the photo to suit. Then you add column inches of text.

Might need to do it in metric now but probably does not matter. Made it easy to work out how long an article was. Worked out perfectly every time, I can’t remember an article ever being longer or shorter than required?

[dc1]

On dc1 Said:

Hi Jason

Commendable attitude but how many other contributors would be willing to allow part of their cotent to be published online for free?

<p style=”text-align: left;”>If they are tied to a ME&W article and only available to subscribers I don’t see a problem.</p>

[David AmbroseParticipant @davidambrose86182]

I enjoyed the depthing tool item, but in the example shown, as the gears are Meccano, isn’t the correct distance between shafts always going to be a multiple of 0.5”?

[duncan webster 1]

On duncan webster 1 Said:

If they are tied to a ME&W article and only available to subscribers I don’t see a problem.

I wouldn’t know where to start … implementing that level of copy-protection, Duncan … would you ??

MichaelG.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Finally got back home and found my ME&W inside the door. Great first impression with no wasted margin space, efficient fine print (yes Club News printed feinter  than others) and a good mix of articles. Photos still need work for relevance and cropping, especially the depthing tool.

So big question: on page 25 what is the milling machine?

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

No, but I’m not a IT professional. Lots of newspapers do it.

[Bazyle]

On Bazyle Said:

 

So big question: on page 25 what is the milling machine?

Don’t know, but I hope he is going to fix that vice down before trying to take a cut. (Posed, obvs)

 

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Well, it looks 90% like an Alexander Deckel Master Toolmaker to me but the top of the head looks larger than any photo or Lathes.co.uk picture so some clone or special low speed version.
I know it was just the marketing secretary getting an agency photo but this is an engineering magazine so I would have expected someone to have considered that an entire page sized photo needed a bit of explanation. An opportunity missed to get an interesting better quality photo off someone who has an older machine (ie not to publicise a particular current supplier product).

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/young-man-is-working-on-a-metalcutting-machine-gm1673307722-536004099

[David Standing 1Participant @davidstanding1]

ME&W 4762 arrived a week or so ago, which coincided with the fact my MEW subscription is up for renewal.

I don’t make models, but am interested in workshop techniques, which is why I subscribed to MEW and not ME.

Unfortunately there are only four pages of articles in the new combined magazine I actually wanted to read, and whilst it isn’t an indicative sample I doubt that will increase much.  I struggled to find enough interesting content in MEW on workshop stuff (I only do manual, not CNC, and won’t be starting CNC), but now a small amount of previous interesting content in MEW has been diluted even further by the ME stuff I was never interested in, so unfortunately I won’t be renewing my subscription.

I have MEW magazine Issue 1 to the last, I will probably pass those on too.

Shame, but I entirely understand the merger was about survival, but it isn’t for me 🙂

[Steve WithnellParticipant @stevewithnell34426]

I think the idea of splitting content between printed and a link out to online is already well established and very useful. It’s a good way of creating a lot of space for projects or very technical topics.

Regards

Steve

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

David, Why would you pass on your mags once their gone their gone and any future ideas with them, mine will stay with me till the end !. I looked back and copied a few pages onle yesterday(self retracting screwcutting toolholder)

[bernard towers]

On bernard towers Said:

David, Why would you pass on your mags once their gone their gone and any future ideas with them, mine will stay with me till the end !. I looked back and copied a few pages onle yesterday(self retracting screwcutting toolholder)

 

Bernard

Not really disposing of MEW due to a lack of interest in the mags, they can be a useful resource, but I am generally having a massive declutter in the house/garage/workshop as we will downsize in the next few years, and it will take me a couple of years to declutter!  Lots done, but lots left to do.

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