Nick Offerman loves woodworking. The actor, perhaps best known for his turn as Ron Swanson in Parks and Recreation, adores the craft so much, he’s started Offerman Woodshop, where he makes and sells everything from meat paddles to mustache combs to custom dining tables. Nick Offerman also loves the betterment of humanity which is why when he found a project that combined his two passions, he leapt at the chance to participate. Would Works is a non-profit charity that helps Americans in need get back on their feet through the production of handmade wood goods. Proceeds from purchases help fund the woodshop and the program. Plus, Offerman will match any donations to Would Works, dollar-by-dollar, up to $20,000.

We talked to Offerman about Would Works, the admirable abdominal muscles of the Amish, his favorite Parks and Rec quote, and the last time he cried.

Men’s Health: Tell us about your new partnership with Would Works.

Offerman: It’s really neat and I was thrilled when I heard about it. Conner Johnson started it and it allows people on [Los Angeles’] Skid Row that are homeless or nearly homeless to sign up for credit if they need a basic life necessity, like a suit or glasses or perhaps the first month’s rent. Because for these people dealing with money can be a risky proposition, they’re given credit for work. You work the right amount of hours and they buy your glasses for you. The individual gets his or her necessity and a solid work reference, too. In so many places across the country, the economy has left people in the cold. All they want to do is hold their heads up as humans, do some work and get paid for it. I love the idea of a program that helps people get on their feet and it ties in perfectly with our woodshop. The Would Works artisans are helping to sand and finish the items available for sale.

What’s your favorite Would Works product?

Its main bread and butter are a few different cutting boards. For me, anything made out of wood to be used in and around food is charismatic. Whether that’s a table to dine upon or a board for cured meats and cheeses, I’m in. You’re taking a piece of wood that would otherwise go into a fireplace or rot in the forest and you’re giving it a nobler purpose.

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

If you want to be more of a manly dude, should you take up woodworking?

You know, it’s a funny thing. I’m careful about the definition of manly. Making anything with one's hands is a very healthy pursuit. Whether that makes you manly or profoundly more of a winning human is fifty-fifty. We have a lot of great women in woodworking and there are plenty of men I know who are talented knitters. Stereotypically, those activities are not what you’re not supposed to do with your gender, but the world of craftsmanship doesn’t fall into neatly drawn gender lines. Anytime you’re using your craft for good is a wonderful thing. Woodworking is where my passion ended up. I do believe our society has greatly benefitted by anyone who makes something instead of going out and buying it.

What’s the most impressive thing you’ve made in your woodshop?

My favorite thing I made was my first canoe. Paddling down a river with a paddle I made carries a certain wizardry that is hard to top. I immediately felt a kinship with all the brilliant human beings who built boats to cross the waters of the world throughout human history. Though perhaps my greatest achievement was a heart-shaped wooden box that housed the engagement ring with which I proposed to my wife [Megan Mullally]. She said yes, so I assume credit is partially due to that walnut box.

Can woodworking double as a decent workout, particularly when you’re making something like a massive table or hearth?

Sure. Depending on what you’re working on, you get a lot of great exercise woodworking. Of all the people in my woodworking life, the ones doing small detailed pieces aren’t getting as much of a caloric burn as the people in the woods milling trees into slabs and stubs. There’s also timber framing, which is the art of building completely wooden frames and structures, like barns and the like, with only wooden joinery. If you’re doing something timber framery, you’re getting a much better gym experience.

That’s why the Amish are all jacked.

Yes. The abs in those communities bring tears to your eyes.

Parks and Rec ended in February of 2015. How often do people still quote Ron Swanson to your face?

Quite a bit. With these streaming services and the new ways entertainment is distributed, plenty of people have just begun binging Parks and Rec. To them, it seems like we must still be making it. I have to remind people we’re not still shooting it. I’ve told people I’ve done other series like Fargo and some movies but no one is doing the math. They’ll still ask about Ron. However, I do feel like once I took the mustache off, much like Samson, I lost all my power.

Got a favorite Ron Swanson line?

The one that jumps to mind is from an earlier season. I was shooting at a bowling alley [chuckles] with Ann Perkins [Rashida Jones] and I pointed to a sign and said something like, ‘This is my favorite restaurant.’ It’s just a little sign that read ‘hot dog, 59 cents.’ 'Aren’t you afraid to eat here?' she asks. I respond, 'When I eat, it is the food that is scared.' [Laughs] It made me laugh so hard. Dan Goor wrote that. I was on the receiving end of just dozens of gold lines like that.

You’re writing some gold of your own. You and Megan are writing a book together. What’s the hardest part about writing an epic love memoir with your wife?

It’s a memoir of our marriage and some of it ends up being therapeutic. We’re going back and telling the story of how we met, how we met each other’s family, and so on. It’s been fun and educational to get the different takes from each of us, seeing what we remember that matches or what doesn’t. I suppose the hard part is not being too graphic or filthy. We love to be dirty in our comedy but we want our book to be readable by saints and sinners alike.

You’re synonymous with being a man’s man. What was the last thing that made you cry?

I went to theatre school. I took two semesters of ballet. I’m the sissy in my family. I cry with pretty great regularity. It’s not entirely accurate to equate me with manliness. I stand for my principals and I work hard and I have good manners but machismo is a double-sided coin. A lot of people think it requires behavior that can quickly veer into misogyny and things I consider indecent. We’ve been sold this weird John Wayne mentality that fistfights and violence are vital to being a man. I’d rather hug than punch. Crying at something that moves you to joy or sadness is just as manly as chopping down a tree or punching out a bad guy. To answer your question, I recently saw Alicia Keys perform live. I’d never seen her before and the sheer golden, heavenly talent issuing from her and her singing instrument had both my wife and me in tears. What a gorgeous gift she has. Her voice is so great. And I had no shame [about crying.] If you live your life openly with your emotions, that’s a more manly stance than burying them.

Head to Would Works to shop or donate to the cause and head here to catch Nick Offerman live near you.

Sean Evans Digital Director, Men's Health Sean Evans' bylines have appeared in New York Magazine, Fast Company, Conde Nast Traveler, The Drive, Entertainment Weekly, New York Daily News, and more.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io