Nutcracker Master Class with Paul Anderson October 6-10, 2025

In the Nutcracker Master Class, Paul Anderson will take students step-by-step through the process of creating a solid wood nutcracker that’s fully functional and beautiful too. Though Paul is a professional architectural woodturner by trade, handcrafted Nutcrackers are Paul’s passion and it shows in the quality of his work. The overall design, attention to detail along with fit and finish of his Nutcrackers are second to none. For that reason, we’ve collected a number of his beautiful, one-of-a-kind nutcrackers over the years for our personal collection. In all our travels in Europe, we’ve never seen finer nutcrackers and for that reason we have asked Paul to join us for this Master Class held at our Dale L. Nish School of Woodturning.

The goal of the Nutcracker Master Class is for each student to gain a working knowledge of how to design and create a nutcracker. This includes the skills needed to turn, paint, assemble and decorate them. With a basic understanding of Nutcracker design and the experience of having made one in class, students can expand their nutcracker horizons after returning home.

Project:
Each student has a choice of making a King or Scotsman Nutcracker during the class. All necessary wood and materials are provided for students. Finished nutcrackers measure approximately 16" tall and involve turning, finishing, assembly, decorating, and creating custom faces using vinyl appliques. To ensure that students complete their nutcracker before the end of the week, the class will be fairly fast paced and may require some evening shop time if needed.

Skills:

• Proper tool techniques- primarily based on spindle turning requirements
• Creative design- how to create proper proportion in nutcracker design
• Joinery- how to size and fit wooden pieces for proper function
• Sharpening- how to properly sharpen tools will be constantly emphasized throughout class
• Tool Selection- choosing the right tool for the task at hand
• Painting- choosing the right paint for use on nutcrackers and how to properly apply for the right effect
• Finishing- this step is critical and will be covered in detail so your nutcracker has the perfect look
• Design- what makes a good nutcracker and how to get started designing your own custom nutcrackers

Registration information:
Our Dale L. Nish School of Woodturning facility is located in beautiful Provo, Utah, just 40 minutes south of Salt Lake City.

Upon registering for a class, we will send you an email containing our Workshop Guide in pdf format to assist you in planning your visit to Utah. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

In the event of cancellation:
We reserve the right to cancel workshops up to 4 weeks prior to the class date. In the event of a workshop cancellation, full tuition will be refunded. Please do not make airline reservations more than 4 weeks prior to the first day of class as we do not reimburse for any travel expenses incurred.

Student Cancellation:
Cancellations less than 6 weeks prior to the start of class will be subject to a 50% cancellation fee.