As 2024 comes to a close, Ben and I stuck to his tradition of looking through the top five posts on FineWoodworking.com. Our editors strive to bring you a wide variety of topics, carefully curating each issue to meet the needs of woodworkers at every level. It’s an amazing thing to be a part of, even if my focus is bringing those carefully crafted articles to a readable format for the website. Ben and I get the privilege of seeing the numbers that reflect what our readers love best, in the form of web performance. This direct feedback not only gives us insight into what you enjoy but also gives us direction on what to feature in the future. This years top five posts varied a lot, in the best way possible: they feature not only articles, but a blog and an episode of Shop Talk Live.

Our top post, who is authored by one of our newer bloggers, held a special place for me the moment I read it, and I’m so glad it resonates with you as well. A beginner walks into a lumberyard, by Bonnie Elisabeth Hawk, is a wonderfully written look at how to shop for lumber from the perspective of a woodworker who spent her early woodworking career selling lumber. Her other blogs are worth a read as well: Spa day in the machine shop and Do’s and dont’s of asking questions in a woodworking class are two of my favorites.

The second post features a classic episode of our podcast: STL309: Everyone needs a planer sled. Mike, Anissa, and Ben answer reader questions, which are always packed full of great inspiration and ideas. We always try to attach the best articles and resources we have on the Shop Notes page. Ben and I usually take notes during our live recording, and it’s been a really fun way to dive into old issues and video content to bring you the best resources we have on all of your questions. While we may not be able to answer every question completely, I’ve found there’s a very good chance we have an author who is an expert on that topic.

Our third post is one of my favorite articles from this year’s issue, How to build a solar kiln. This is a unique article to our magazine and one that had a lot of interest. I met the author, Brendan Plourde, at our Fine Woodworking New England event in April. He was there with a miniature replica of his kiln and answered all kinds of questions from those attending over the weekend. Another great aspect of our articles are the relationships and community that is built around them. Our opportunities to meet in person are rare, but when we do, it seems everyone is armed with a slew of questions and ideas. It’s a great way to engage with you and reflect on how to improve and create more content.

Safer table saw methods for tricky cuts, our fourth top post, is a great example of a very big part of what our editors focus on when approving articles: safety. Bringing the best content and resources to you, means checking to make sure all the operations we document are safe for any woodworker to perform, especially when it comes to the table saw. Mike Pekovich gives great examples of unsafe cuts, and alternatives to make much cleaner and safer rips on the tablesaw. The accompanying Youtube Video is one of our most popular pieces of content this year, one of Ben’s great ideas for content on the website.

The fifth top performing post of this year was no surprise either. Our team joked that The Best Food-Safe Finish May Be None at All could very well “break the internet”, and while that didn’t exactly happen, it certainly garnered a lot of interest. When Ben and I attended Woodworking in America, in October, we had several people approach us about the article and accompanying podcast: STL325: No Finish? No Problem!. Seri Robinson, a wood scientist, brings a solid argument to avoiding finishing cooking utensils and cutting boards. We were glad to listen to and share their expertise with you.

Every one of these posts brings a different aspect of the magazine and web to our readers, and it was special to discover our efforts are appreciated and seen by all of you. I speak for the rest of us at Fine Woodworking when I share our passion for this craft and our readers is something we consider all the time, and it is a privilege to share with you. I look forward to another year of articles, videos, and podcasts. Introducing new contributors and sharing more about the craft. See you in 2025!

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