October's Book

Ok bookworms, I’m going to come clean, I listened to “Good Clean Fun” by Nick Offerman on Audible, and I think it was the right move. Now, I also have the PDF version to enjoy the project guides and illustrations, of course, but my wife, Megan, and I have just bought our first house, and my designated reading hours have been set aside to focus on some painting, organization, and my favorite, reglazing double-hung windows. Listening to an audiobook can go two ways, either an unenthused voice actor struggles through the text (especially for woodworking titles), or you get, in this case, the author spinning the yarns of their story like you two are sitting in a room together, and you are about to tell them, “this could be a book”. I feel comfy listening to Nick Offerman speak, maybe his familiar voice that’s normally humming out of the television, or the similarity in tone to my first boss in woodworking. These first chapters, which specifically explain each tool and when and how to use them, throw me back to my first days working in the shop. Slightly terrified but more overwhelmingly thrilled to learn what’s next.

I like to picture woodworking books as different styles of fishing. Let me explain. There are levels to how niche fishing can get. If the woodworker feels a connection to the trees and the green woodworking aspect of it all, in my head that’s more the lobster pot style, baiting specific woodworkers in with Jenny Alexander’s “Make a Chair from a Tree”. Now, if you are looking to go from hobbyist to professional woodworker, the deep-sea tuna fishing that is Nancy Hiller’s “Making Things Work” will reel you in, a tale about grinding out the hard work that is running a business. This book is like casting a wide net, catching whatever little ocean-dwelling creature may happen to come across said net. Why? Because once you read this book, you will be forever captured in the vast net that is woodworking from now on whether you wanted to or not.

photo: Offerman Woodshop

I love the way this book is written, part introduction to woodworking, and part introduction to woodworkers, the associates and icons in the OWS orbit. It reminds me of the teen movies of yore, the new kid (the reader) being walked around the school and introduced to the cool kids that you aspire to hang with, which this roster is chock full of. Be sure to check out all of Nick’s other books, including my personal favorite, “Where the Deer and the Antelope Play”. Also, Nick has addressed one of the most frequently asked questions to me, which is, “How do I get my kids interested in woodworking?” in his newest book, “Little Woodchucks”, co-authored with OWS alum Lee Buchanan.

The meeting for “Good Clean Fun” will take place on Sunday, November 2nd, at 7:00 PM EST on Discord. I can guarantee only one thing for this upcoming meeting: there will be plenty of mirth.

Meeting Link: https://discord.gg/rRc6mzMc3F?event=1425105398939258981

-Owen