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It’s really been a lovely holiday season for us at Popular Woodworking. As the online editor, I had the privilege of contacting and congratulating all of the winners in December, and boy were they a gracious bunch. Certainly I’ve received more than my fair share of smiles!

Ed Waters of Saskatoon, Sask., Canada, is the lucky Grand Prize Winner – congrats, Ed! As you know, he’s getting a toolbox, custom-made by Thomas J. MacDonald (you know him as Tommy Mac), and stuffed full of brand new tools from Woodcraft. I called him this morning to deliver the news and he was positively speechless. According to him, he never wins anything.

Waters is a 63-year-old retired veterinary pathologist who’s worked with wood for many years, but more recently has taken a job as a carpenter’s apprentice to sharpen his skills. To be honest, I can’t imagine a more deserving winner. Waters says the tools will be put to excellent use by him and his fellow apprentices doing first-rate woodworking renovating buildings and, in his words, “fixing other people’s mistakes.”

Although quite busy enough as an apprentice, Waters also finds a little time to work in his home shop. His latest project is a Stickley plant stand, his second one – he built the first one out of pine fearlessly rescued from a packing box. Apparently he was so pleased with the result that one just simply wasn’t enough.

Again, a hearty congratulations goes out to all our winners, as well as a big thank you to the contest sponsors and to Tommy Mac who put together the beautiful Grand Prize toolbox.

Happy New Year!

– Tom Nunlist

 

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