My first real woodworking project was a garden bench. I found a design online, adjusted it slightly to fit my needs, and then headed to a lumber mill near Wageningen to acquire 6 meter long “2 by 4” planks. With little more than a handsaw, I cut the planks down to size and slowly turned raw wood into something functional. That bench still marks the moment when woodworking shifted from a vague interest to something much more tangible.

Years after this first project, I did quite a bit of wood-based construction during the renovation of my house. Floors, frames, small fixes, and improvised solutions taught me how forgiving and honest wood can be. On a whim one winter, I even tried my hand at a wood lathe and turned a simple block of wood into a Christmas tree peak. It wasn’t perfect, but it was deeply satisfying.

One experience that truly stayed with me was a woodworking workshop I received as a gift. During this workshop, I worked with 300-year-old reclaimed wood that had been donated to Buurman by the municipality. Handling material with such history gave me a new respect for wood as more than just a resource.

Then life took an unexpected turn. I was fired from my previous job during a reorganization. While difficult, it created space to reflect. With my growing hands-on experience and a strong desire to work in a more practical, tangible way, the idea of starting a woodworking studio began to take shape.

But how do you actually get there?

To take this seriously, I needed to learn properly. I have signed up for multiple workshops to build a stronger foundation, refine my technique, and understand the craft more deeply. With this commitment and my background, I was fortunate enough to secure a place in an advanced woodworking program in Japan, where I will spend two months fully immersed in the craft.

This blog marks the beginning of that journey.

These are my first steps into becoming a professional woodworker: learning, making mistakes, working with my hands, and slowly shaping a future studio, one piece of wood at a time.