The Wild Earth Woodworking School, owned by George Vondriska, has been offering hands-on classes in cabinetmaking, furniture making, lathe turning, guitar building, and twig and stick furniture since 1998. Wild Earth prides itself on keeping class sizes small, with typically no more than six students per class, so one on one time with the instructor is excellent.
The Wild Earth Woodworking School is located in Hudson, WI, about 30 miles east of St. Paul, MN. Classes are held in a remodeled barn on Vondriska’s hobby farm. Courses vary in length from three hours to five days.
School owner and lead instructor George Vondriska has been teaching since 1986, including 2-1/2 years spent teaching hand tool joinery with the Peace Corps in Africa. He has contributed numerous articles to American Woodworker and Woodworker’s Journal magazines, from tool tests to improve-your-shop projects to technique stories. Outside of Wild Earth he has also provided woodworking training for employees of Andersen Window, Northwest Airlines, and the Pentagon. Vondriska has also produced a number of woodworking DVDs. Each instructor who teaches at The Wild Earth School is carefully handpicked for their expertise, and their passion for working with students.
Peace Corps provided a valuable lesson about the importance of volunteering. With that spirit in mind, The Wild Earth School, along with staff and students, has been involved in many community development projects such as playground construction, Christmas toy building, and pen turning for active military.
Learn more about classes at Wild Earth by visiting the school’s web page, www.aboutwildearth.com.
