Compucarve Alive?

[jerrbitt]

Just received the 2008-2009 Sears catalogue and there on page 159 is featured the Compucarve.

Selling again?

[FINGERS]

It's aways been fo sale at sears but not in stock.

[jerrbitt]

I was under the impression that Sears had "temporarily" suspended the sale of the CW

[Don Butler]

I called the Erie, PA Sears store when I first decided to buy a carver.

The guy in the tool dept. wouldn't even come to the phone, so I got his remarks by remote through the lady who answered the phone.

He said they wouldn't sell the machine anymore because it was too much trouble.

Referred me to LHR, but didn't say how to find it.

Sears, since they merged with Kmart, has gone down in customer service. Walking into the store one might find nobody on the sales floor at all. I asked the pimple-faced kid at the checkout about something in the tool department and he just shrugged. I didn't even get a vocal answer.

Sears sells a few good tools (not many woodworking tools) but their service on the sales floor stinks.

Don

[woodchipsltd]

After doing about a years worth of research, which included downloading and reading the users manual etc, etc, I thought I'd save a few bucks by buying my machine at Sears. WRONG! After reading this and the CNC Art Guild forums, and visiting my local Sears (Ventura, CA), was I ever lucky in not buying my machine at Sears. All of the negative comments on Sears are true! Sears is NOT our fathers tool store. So do NOT waste your time in even remotely going there to buy a CW machine.

Fortunately I "stumbled" on Jason Allen at The Little Red Wood Shop. And even after speaking with him while continuing my research etc, there were so many questions raised along the way that I was still skeptical in spending over $2000 on a tool that appeared to spend most of its time back at the factory. But hope springs eternal and I decided what the heck.

For the record I did read the manual and I did review just about every post etc, etc. So I did evade some of the "new guy" stuff, like making sure that there is an additional 7 inches to the length of a project, taking off all of the tie wraps from the flex shaft, and making sure that the flex shaft was lubed and seated properly. My first project did in fact come out very nice. I was happy and seemed justified in laying out the dollars. I have had more friends and neighbors see this first project and ask me to do work for them! Could this be a budding business???

The bottom line is this. Do your research. Buy your machine from someone you trust and you can get help from after the sale (NOT SEARS). Read the book BEFORE your first project. Read the forums ALL of the time. And never let your ego get the best of you.

After working for the government, federal, state and overseas, for 40 years I'm finding out just how much I do NOT know! But I'm sure willing to either ask and or find out in advance of doing anything with this machine!

Am looking forward to many many years of wonderful CW usage.

[jeepers94]

As for the Kmart/Sears merger lowering Sears customer service level,I have avoided Sears for the past decade. I still shop at our local Big K store. Sears used to be a great catalog store years ago. Their prices are well above the other stores in my area.People still think that Sears tools are great,I do use their sockets and wrenches.Anything with a motor I stay away from the "Craftsman" name!

[hamburgrd]

I bought mine from sears, for 1600 bucks. So money was the only reason. I knew I would recieve fantastic help here in the forum and directly from LHR. I had to order one online and had it shipped directly to my local sears store. The sales people knew nothing about it so when I picked it up you would have sworn I was the sales person with all the question they asked me.

I do not depend on sears for any service. (friendly, good looking women in the sales department though)

[mtylerfl]

I bought mine from sears, for 1600 bucks. So money was the only reason. I knew I would recieve fantastic help here in the forum and directly from LHR. I had to order one online and had it shipped directly to my local sears store. The sales people knew nothing about it so when I picked it up you would have sworn I was the sales person with all the question they asked me.

I do not depend on sears for any service. (friendly, good looking women in the sales department though)

Hello,

I own two machines - both my machines were purchased from Sears. When I bought the first one, they had never heard of the machine before, but I didn't care. I knew from the outset that I would be responsible for learning how to operate the machine anyway.

When I bought the second one, they remembered me and the machine - I took in a finished project for them to see so they had a better idea of what they were ordering for me.

When I placed the orders, I received each machine in 3 days (for in-store pickup), no problem.

Any questions I had were asked/answered directly on this forum or directly with CarveWright Tech Support. Neither has ever let me down.

The machine is not hard to learn to use. Probably the MAIN cause of problems for new users is they miss the 7" rule which leads to all kinds of totally avoidable issues (it's in the owner's manual - and illustrated as well - not sure why it's so commonly missed).

The Tips & Tricks newsletters were born out of the desire to provide an additional free, easy, quick and progressive education for users. The Dec '07 and the Jan '08 issues are particularly handy for learning how to properly setup a project (the 7" rule, etc.) and how to maintain the machine. I think both those issues should be included in every box!