LITTLE WOODCHUCKS

A woodworking ambassador shares the love of his craft.

Offerman’s talents extend beyond Hollywood to woodworking—a subject the actor explored in Good Clean Fun: Misadventures in Sawdust at Offerman Woodshop (2016). In his latest book, he imparts his wisdom to younger readers. Yes, the book is for little woodchucks, as he endearingly calls them, but more grizzled neophytes will also benefit. Neither young nor old will be able to resist his folksy, dry wit. “Historically, everybody knows the easiest way to make a bench,” he writes. “First off, you need to locate your personal sittin’ parts, also known as the caboose, booty, or butt.…I usually find mine by determining the area halfway between my kneecaps and my armpits and then heading around back. If that doesn’t work, just put on some funky music and watch out for the part that first begins to shake.” More useful, perhaps, are the instructions for making a bench. As with all the projects—among them carved creatures, whistles, and box kites—this one comes with a handy list of materials and tools. A helpful photo shows all the tools laid out; a note reads, “power tools eventually die, but this hand drill has been in Lee’s family for 3 generations. Suck on that, capitalism.” “Lee” is Offerman’s co-author, Buchanan; they appear in photos alongside adorable kids hard at work, including one in which a mock-terrified Offerman is being transported on a forklift…operated by a tot. In an introduction that’s funny and earnest, Offerman rhapsodizes about the joys of making things with one’s hands. He observes, rightly, that “when we learn to make things for ourselves, we can then make things for other people, and that’s a great way to tell those folks that you love them.…Beyond the fondness that your new powers will engender, those tool skills will carry over into your everyday practice, and you’ll become a better thinker in every aspect of your life.”

A thoroughly enjoyable book that’ll leave you with a craving to get creative.