Code by Day, Chips by Night: The Double Life of a Programmer Turned Woodturner

They say everyone needs a hobby. Some people golf. Some people garden.
I, apparently, decided to start a second career involving sharp tools, flying wood chips, and a lot of sanding dust.

By day, I’m Customer Service Manager / automation programmer — writing code, debugging systems, and explaining to coworkers why “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” actually is sound advice.

By night (and early morning… and weekends), I’m a woodturner — wrangling logs into bowls, mushrooms, and occasionally abstract shapes that I call “artistic choices.”

🧢 Wearing All the Hats (and Probably Some Sawdust)

When you run a creative side business, you’re not just an artist — you’re a one-person circus.

In a single weekend, I’m:

• The woodturner, covered in shavings.

• The photographer, chasing daylight with my phone in one hand and a bowl in the other.

• The website developer, wondering why the gallery page just vanished.

• The social media manager, trying to sound witty without saying, “Here’s another bowl I made.”

• And the shipping department, surrounded by cardboard, tape, and existential questions about box sizes.

Some days, I’m amazed I remember which hat I’m wearing — though they all seem to collect sawdust equally well.

💻 When Code Meets Craft

Programming and woodturning actually have a lot in common:

• Both require patience.

• Both occasionally crash.

• And both can make you question every life choice around midnight.

But there’s something wonderful about stepping away from the screen, picking up a gouge, and shaping something real — something that doesn’t require a firmware update.

🪚 The Balancing Act

Finding time for art after a full-time job isn’t easy. My schedule looks like a Tetris game where the pieces keep falling faster. But those evening and weekend sessions at the lathe? They recharge me. They remind me why I make things — not because I have to, but because I need to.

Sure, I might be running on coffee and epoxy fumes some days, but at least I’m creating something tangible — and occasionally round.

⚙️ Final Thought

Being a programmer-turned-woodturner means living in two worlds: one of logic and code, and one of creativity and chaos.

And honestly? I wouldn’t trade either.
Because whether I’m debugging a PLC or a chunk of maple, there’s always that same moment of satisfaction when everything finally runs smooth.