Woodcraft Introduces ‘Get the Edge Sweepstakes’ Winners
Parkersburg, W. VA. (PRWEB) July 03, 2013 -- Robert Tipton of Olathe, Kansas, is anticipating a major upgrade in his carving experience with nearly $2,000 worth of tools and accessories – the Grand Prize in the “Get the Edge Sweepstakes” sponsored by Woodcraft, Sjöbergs, Tormek, pfeil, Norton, and “Woodcraft Magazine.”
Tipton’s name was drawn June 7 from 18,682 entries in the sweepstakes between April 1 and May 30. His Grand Prize includes a Tormek T-3 Water-Cooled Sharpening System with accessories ($500 retail value), a Sjöbergs Husbocken Carving School Bench ($999 retail value), and a 10-piece Woodworkers Class Set of Swiss made pfeil carving tools ($339 retail value). Total retail prize value is approximately $1,838.
Carey Wheeler of Fairfax, Virginia, won the second place prize – a set of four Norton Combination Waterstones, retail value approximately $253. The set includes 1000/8000-grit, 4000/8000-grit, 1000/4000-grit and 220/1000-grit waterstones.
Although the two winners entered online, they learned about the sweepstakes through their local Woodcraft stores where they are regular customers – Tipton at Woodcraft in Lenexa, Kansas, and Wheeler at Woodcraft in Springfield, Virginia.
“I get the Woodcraft newsletter and saw the sweepstakes,” Tipton said. “I had only recently gotten into woodcarving in a semi-serious way, so the prize packages looked precisely like something I could use to continue to develop my hobby. I hopped online and entered that night.”
“The right tools make the difference when sharpening, so I am eager to work with the Tormek, and the pfeil carving tools, added to the seven I already own, will give me the ability to tackle different kinds of projects,” Tipton said. “As for the bench – it will add (literally) a whole new dimension to my carving. You’ll laugh when I tell you that my preferred method for carving is sitting on the floor, atop a canvas drop cloth (to catch the shavings) with my tools spread out around me. Who knows what I’ll be able to accomplish if I can carve for more than 30 minutes at a time without a backache.”
As a young boy, Tipton carved faces into cutoff pieces of the family Christmas tree trunk, using X-Acto blades, but it was a December 2012 visit to his grandfather, Richard Tipton, that sparked a serious interest in carving. Between those two events his only “wood” projects were home improvements and an elaborate Bridge Award (a Golden Gate bridge replica) he created with a friend’s help as part of his job as manager of Cloud Solutions at Perceptive Software.
During the family’s visit to his grandfather in Florida, Tipton and his brother, Andrew, visited an artist’s shop and became fascinated by the Tiki carvings, which led to questions for their grandfather. “My grandfather, an artist in his own right, had carved a number of beautiful pieces which I remember growing up, so our Tiki inspiration turned into conversation with him,” Tipton said. “My grandfather wasn’t in good enough health to show us any techniques, but we spoke to him about how he did his carving and, immediately after the trip, armed with our grandfather’s old carving tools, my brother and I each set to carving our very first Tiki.”
Carey Wheeler said he entered the sweepstakes because he wanted to win some of the prizes. “I am a woodturner not a woodcarver; however, I think woodcarving may be in my future,” he said. Wheeler said he has taken many classes at the Springfield store and after his soon-to-be retirement he anticipates spending more time in class.
For more information about Woodcraft, the industry leader in providing a wide variety of top quality products, educational opportunities and one-on-one guidance to woodworkers of all skill levels, please contact the store nearest you, visit http://www.woodcraft.com or call (800) 535-4482. To learn about Woodcraft franchise opportunities, visit http://www.woodcraftfranchise.com or email woodcraftfranchise(at)woodcraft(dot)com.
Lori Milner, Woodcraft Supply, LLC, http://www.woodcraft.com, 304-422-5412 2107, [email protected]
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