Any day of the week, and at almost any time of the day, you can find a couple of hundred people comparing notes, exchanging ideas, swapping tall-tales and generally sharing their love of woodworking with each other on the WoodNet Forums.
Around since 1993, the original WoodNet BBS was a way for Woodsmith magazine to further support their customer base. The BBS evolved into what is now WoodNet.net and it not only includes the forums, but you’ll also find project plans, woodworking tools and kits, tool reviews, and tips and techniques that are sent direct to your email address each week.
But, today, with eight forums in all (five dedicated to woodworking, one to home improvement, one off-topic forum and one for forum help) if you’re looking for answers from people with most of the same interests as you, the WoodNet forums is the place to be. The subject matter during any given day ranges from how to install kitchen cabinets, to the relative merits of a Stanley No. 4 over a No. 4-1/2, to questions about the best miter saw blade available. Proud forum members often post their “gloats” over the acquisition of a new tool or a particularly impressive wood stash.
It’s not all about talking woodworking though. There are guys (and some gals) who belong to the forums, that get together for regular gatherings (see photo). Or, one member may get a load of lumber and then drive all over the country connecting with other WoodNet members, delivering lumber, and getting some more to take home. The forum members also do lots of things to help members who find themselves caught in extreme circumstances (like illness or accidents), plus they assist active servicemen, as well as veterans.
There are over 19,500 registered users of the WoodNet forums, and probably several tens of thousands who visit the forums to “lurk” each day and simply read the forum posts, but never post themselves. In fact, during the month of April 2007, there were on average13,467 distinct visits to the forums each day. According to Google AdSense, the page impressions for all of April at the WoodNet forums totaled over 5.2 million visits.
Moderators of the forums have a “hands off” policy about forum management. So things are pretty relaxed compared to other woodworking forums. But they do have rules, and a dedicated group of member moderators, who keep things on track and without whom there would be no WoodNet Forums.
So if you’re interested, put on your helmet and flak jacket, come on in and pay them a visit.