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View Full Version : Its time to buy



k9smith
01-05-2012, 09:36 AM
I wil be ordering a sytem next week. sold one hobby, computerized christmas display, to expand my wood working hobby. just not enought time in the day. I ahve been looking at the carvewright for a long time and with thesale figured it was time. i will have $1500 to spend including shiping so my thought was to purchse the upgraded traction belts and the one year warranty. what about any other must have bits? also if i do the dust collecter upgrade will it void my warranty since it appears you have to cut the cover. kind of a catch 22 really need better dust collcetion but dont want to void the warranty. thankes for any help

chkorte
01-05-2012, 10:12 AM
Cutting the cover to install the dust collector will not void the warranty. The ready made dust collectors are really nice but if your budget is tight you can make your own pretty easily. There are several posts on the forum to help you with designing your own. As for bits, besides the 1/16" carving and 1/8" cutting bits I use the 60 deg and 90 deg vector bits and the 3/8" straight bit. I am going to buy a 3/16" straight bit as I think I can make use of it. I have also used the 1/2" round over and 3/16" roman ogee but not much. Also the 1/2" ball nose. You can buy all of these bits on EBAY pretty reasonable. Downright cheap if you want to use the generic brands. You might want to consider getting the conforming vectors and the center line text. The project software that comes with the CW is excellent but you might also want the pattern editor that comes with the scanning probe. I've only just started to use my scanning probe but it sure is fun. One last thing is the chuck. If you aren't ordering it with the carvetight chuck then order a rock chuck.

lynnfrwd
01-05-2012, 10:14 AM
Add the 1/8" cutting bit at least. May consider Centerline & v-bits.

Go ahead with the DC system. We will not void the warranty for that hole and will not require you to replace it, but you will need to sign a release of responsibility form.

Connie

k9smith
01-05-2012, 10:25 AM
system 999
heavey duty traction belt 139
1 yr warranty 200
total 1338 + shipping 82
1420
so i have 80 extra to spend so maybe another bit or two
thanks for the info about the warranty

SteveEJ
01-05-2012, 10:46 AM
When you can add a few more Dollars I second the suggestion on Conforming Vectors and Centerline text. A lot of us are using these features and for you to download and use these free MPC's you will need these enabled in the Designer software. I don't remember the actual price but I am sure Connie can chime in with it or you can go the the main CW site and look at the software area.

Brad Wardman
01-05-2012, 12:24 PM
Go with a small dust collector and if you can afford to a good unit like that from Ringneck Blues. We worked a week without a DC and then I splurged and got one...absolutely the single best thing you can get !!! Saves a LOT of cleaning time and prevents errors by keeping dust from getting where it doesnt belong.

On a side note.... READ ALL of the Tips & Tricks and browse through the Troubleshooting Forum BEFORE YOU TURN THE MACHINE ON !!! Most of the problems people encounter can be easily prevented simply by understanding how the machine works. also, take time and make a carving sled...I have adjustable rails on mine and its been great. 3/4 MDF and a couple Shop Fox T-Tracks. a $20 project that makes life a lot easier.

Brad

k9smith
01-05-2012, 12:42 PM
thanks for the help, i have been reading and reading and reading i think the one thing i have learned is to make sure you know the machine as much as you can before operation. lol i have a dust collector just need the best method of attaching it to the machine. i will look at the one from Ringneck Blues.

chebytrk
01-05-2012, 12:51 PM
Hey Brad, Just wondering if you have a pic of the sled you've made with the adjustable rails.


Go with a small dust collector and if you can afford to a good unit like that from Ringneck Blues. We worked a week without a DC and then I splurged and got one...absolutely the single best thing you can get !!! Saves a LOT of cleaning time and prevents errors by keeping dust from getting where it doesnt belong.

On a side note.... READ ALL of the Tips & Tricks and browse through the Troubleshooting Forum BEFORE YOU TURN THE MACHINE ON !!! Most of the problems people encounter can be easily prevented simply by understanding how the machine works. also, take time and make a carving sled...I have adjustable rails on mine and its been great. 3/4 MDF and a couple Shop Fox T-Tracks. a $20 project that makes life a lot easier.

Brad

Brad Wardman
01-05-2012, 06:01 PM
50202chebytrk...

Here is a quick pic of my carving sled. Overall is 14-1/2" x 24". Its 3/4" MDF with a glued on (replaceable) 1/4" plywood topper, T-Tracks, sliding runners and a tape measure for placement.

Dadoed out to hold the two T-Tracks jut below flush (though it has been dinged with the blade a time or two).
Runner boards are 4" wide MDF with Oval head bolts countersunk and a Jam nut to hold it to the track. (Have these in different standard thicknesses to match the project thickness).

A shallow Dado in the center holds a stick-on metal measure that you can get at Wally World.

I just center my project (L to R) at the front edge....place the runners tight against the project. Usually add a small piece or two of double sided outdoor carpet tape to the back of the project, then use masking tape to extra secure the board to the runner tops. I also add a piece of blue tape to the sled at the back of the project board and to the outside edges of the runners....seems to measure better with the contrast. Also, put a piece of masking along the bottom where the sled runs on the brass roller. (This will last several dozen projects before needing replacement).

Hope this helps...let me know if you have question.
Brad

jaroot
01-05-2012, 07:52 PM
Great looking sled. Any chance you could walk us through a typical carve using it? How does the machine differentiate between the brass roller still having contact yet the board sensor reaches the "end". Just wondering cause that looks like something that would really come in handy.



50202chebytrk...

Here is a quick pic of my carving sled. Overall is 14-1/2" x 24". Its 3/4" MDF with a glued on (replaceable) 1/4" plywood topper, T-Tracks, sliding runners and a tape measure for placement.

Dadoed out to hold the two T-Tracks jut below flush (though it has been dinged with the blade a time or two).
Runner boards are 4" wide MDF with Oval head bolts countersunk and a Jam nut to hold it to the track. (Have these in different standard thicknesses to match the project thickness).

A shallow Dado in the center holds a stick-on metal measure that you can get at Wally World.

I just center my project (L to R) at the front edge....place the runners tight against the project. Usually add a small piece or two of double sided outdoor carpet tape to the back of the project, then use masking tape to extra secure the board to the runner tops. I also add a piece of blue tape to the sled at the back of the project board and to the outside edges of the runners....seems to measure better with the contrast. Also, put a piece of masking along the bottom where the sled runs on the brass roller. (This will last several dozen projects before needing replacement).

Hope this helps...let me know if you have question.
Brad

Brad Wardman
01-08-2012, 10:31 AM
Working on a full writeup on using the sled, but it has been easy for everything we have been doing. Here are some things to note...though I know some do it differently, this has always worked for me.
- Make sure your project board is sized the same as the project in the program. I do not "add" the amount for the runners. I also leave a good inch all around if I am doing a cutout.
- When you upload, you may get an error (especially for cut throughs) to auto jig, manual jig or ignore. Since using the sled, manual jig works for me. Once you understand the machine movement and how it "works" the program, you can use ignore if you are sure your project parameters will not interfere with the machine function.
- Center the project board on the sled and be sure to place the runners snugly.
The key is in the setup on the machine....
- Stay under rollers ?? - **NO** (even though the runners will)
- Cut Board to Size ? **NO** (because it is measuring the sled, not just the projects)
- Project Placement - **CENTER ON LENGTH**(...as long as you are centered, this works fine)
- Cut or cut depth - always cut to **PROJECT** NOT Board.
- "Too thick to cut" OR "Cannot cut through" - "Ignore" OR "Continue" - As long as you know your program cut depth is correct to the pattern.
I have also found it sometimes asks for board thickness. I use a digital caliper and always measure the board exactly. If it asks for thickness, I usually put in about .005 LESS than actual. I have fewer cuts into my sled this way.

That was a basic run through my head....may not be in order or exact wording but you should get the idea. If I missed something or you have a question, feel free to send me an email.



Brad

DocWheeler
01-08-2012, 12:43 PM
Brad,

Nice variation of a sled, I really like the ability to use continuous tracks.
My only concern is that without rails on the outside edges, the roller pressure is not even.
For that reason, and my thoughts of its importance, I had not thought of doing what you did.

Good job, if it works well for you that's even better.

mtylerfl
01-08-2012, 01:08 PM
I really like the T-track idea, as well. Could use a filler piece on the side if concerned about uneven roller pressure, I suppose. Wondering if we could create "all-wood" T-track ourselves using a Keyhole bit and hand or table router on a slab of wood. Anyway, the adjustable "T-track" idea is really appealing for a lot of sled projects.

chebytrk
01-08-2012, 03:40 PM
I just had a thought ........ maybe for the next Conf we have someone could give a small class (with Demo's) on building a sled and/or jig. As simple as some may find it, I'm sure that it would prove to be a good class just to see the different styles and ways of making them. Just some food for thought......

DocWheeler
01-08-2012, 05:19 PM
The things that Brad's design illustrates is that as long as the sensor
does not see the bottom "carrier board", you can take some liberties.

Positioning the material against the "top" edge causes the "Y" measurement
to go across only his material rather than going across the whole sled. Do
NOT measure the width across the end filler boards in this instance.

What would be even better perhaps would be to have the "leading edge"
filler board be exactly 3.5" wide rather than 4" and be fixed to the carrier
board. That way you could tell it to place the carving on the end and
tell it to stay under the rollers "Yes". The advantage of this is that the
machine will NOT measure the length of the carrier board or project,
saving wear and tear on the X gears.

What it appears that Brad is doing is having the machine read the width
across the carving board and the length from edge to edge of his end
filler or "clamping" pieces. Since both end pieces are the same width,
telling it to "Center" the carving, it is indeed centered in his material.

Very clever technique.

I might add that a temporary "bottom" rail could be used without causing
a problem if the "carving material" is over an inch wide. The sensor reading
the width will find the "top" edge and ignore any change in sensor-reading
for the next inch and then signal the second edge being found when the
sensor reading drops 30 points - so it would never go far enough to "see"
a rail over on the "bit-plate" side. Of course the rail could not extend past
the edges of the 3.5-4" end pieces or the roller switches might not work
as desired, but, it might still work if the roller tilts and still actuates the
switches.

I'm gonna have to try this out!

jaroot
01-08-2012, 06:02 PM
Thanks for the info I'll have to give it a try!