“Door het houtbewerken heb ik meer oog voor vakwerk”

A huge contrast

Crafting decorative boxes, picture frames, and even side tables using hand tools—Bjorn’s hobby is a stark contrast to his daily work. “At Conclusion Enablement, we support our clients with managed services to maintain a solid application landscape. My team and I focus on private cloud environments. Due to increasing demands around security, governance, and compliance, interest in these environments is growing. I handle tasks such as system updates, installing hypervisors, and placing or replacing hardware. I also automate management tasks using PowerShell.”

Awareness

Programming in PowerShell has a clear similarity to woodworking.
“You’re really creating something yourself. Whether it’s with wood or code, it gives you an incredible thrill,” Bjorn says enthusiastically. “Years ago, I would spend hours behind a screen after work—until my eyes were square. But at some point, you become aware that your health is starting to suffer. After my gap year—during which I traveled through Africa—I realized I didn’t want to spend all my time behind a screen anymore.”

Just give it a try

He discovered a YouTube channel about woodworking. “One of the videos showed how to make a decorative box with engraving. I thought, that looks awesome—I want to try that myself. Completely by hand, without metal joints or even glue. So I just gave it a shot. I had a nice block of ash wood that would’ve otherwise ended up in the fireplace. I made a wooden mallet myself. Then I bought some basic tools from a specialty store, like chisels and a few planes. And off I went.”

Making it your own

As enthusiastic as he was when he started, Bjorn’s first project didn’t go smoothly. “Have you ever used a hand plane?” he asks. “There’s a lot more to it than you’d think. That thing needs to be razor-sharp to work properly. And you really have to learn how to use these kinds of hand tools. A hobby like this is something you have to make your own. You need to develop a feel for it and gain experience. Sure, I get frustrated sometimes when something doesn’t work out. But then I just leave it and come back to it another time.”

Pride

How much time did Bjorn spend on that first box? “Eighty hours,” he estimates. “I made it extra hard on myself by using dovetail joints for all the connections. Those are angled cuts in both pieces of wood that fit together precisely. It takes a lot of precision to get that right. As a perfectionist, I wasn’t really proud of my first piece. I saw every little flaw! But over time, I’ve learned to look past that and see the beauty in it. My work keeps improving, and I’m becoming prouder of it too.”

Peace and energy
What woodworking brings most of all is peace. “That focused work, without the pressure of having to finish by a certain time—that gives me peace. I really enjoy it. It’s no coincidence that I spend 10 to 15 hours a week in my woodworking bubble. After a weekend in my workshop, I feel re-energized and ready to get back to work for Conclusion.”

Truly enriching
“You know what else I love about it?” Bjorn continues. “Woodworking enriches my work as a system engineer. I now have a much greater appreciation for craftsmanship. If I see a cabinet in a store that I find really ugly, I can still admire the way it was made. I now look at digital code in my work with that same appreciation.”

Want to see what Bjorn creates with wood? Take a look at his website: https://houtprojecten.com