Paul studied furniture design at Rochester Institute of Technology’s School for American Crafts, and in 1982 apprenticed with David Ellsworth, a founding member of the American Association of Woodturners and the author of Ellsworth on Woodturning. In 2021, Paul continued his training with the internationally renowned woodturner Stuart Batty. His résumé spans from cabinetmaking to homebuilding to historic restoration—including the homes of three U.S. Presidents: George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and Poplar Forest, James Madison’s Montpelier and Octagon House.