Refurbished machine is a CRAFTSMAN

[DWD]

I just received my 'trade in' for my Beta Machine. It arrived with a Craftsman logo plainly visible. I contacted LHR and was assured that the new Craftsman and CarveWright machines are vertually identical. I voiced my concern that the Compcarve machines were having problems different than the CarveWright and this looks like a Craftsman off the shelf.

I am getting a new top that says CarveWright. Has any other Beta tester that opted for the Refurbished machine experienced the same problem.

From the Forum it seemed to me that the repairs done by the staff in Houston created superior machines due to thier diligence and testing. I expect that this machine is not a refurbished Carvewright.

I have always been treated fairly by the LHR Staff and will see what happens. I would appreciate any feed back or comments. Some of us old Jarheads are very brand loyal and perhaps my concerns are not warrented.

Thanks for listening.

Dan
Distinctive Wood Designs

[Dan-Woodman]

Dan
The old BETA machines are just that , OLD,. There has been numourous changes made to them, and I believe they are all the same coming off the assembly line.
My machine , they took my cover off and installed it on the new machine .
I do wish I would have told them to swap the handles also. I don't care much for that round knob.
My new machine lasted 11 hrs. and had a z-axis stall, just as my old machine did. They sent a new part and no trouble since. Just the occational ccm alarm that most everyone gets.

later Daniel

[rmacke]

I turned my BETA machine in and received a Compcarve in a Craftsman box.. it looks like it came right off sears shelf.. I have no problem with the change of logo as long as the machine is (and stays working).
My BETA machine only had 12 hrs on it and was in for repaires at least 6 times--and I did repaires myself several tmes within that 1st year..
The 'trade in' Craftsman Compcarve had 5 min on it when I got it and now it has 14 hrs on it and has not had any problems so far--( hope I didn't just jinx it)..
Also I keep my old handle and glade I did..
rmacke

[hartwoods]

I haven't made the trade yet . still holding out for a awhile .
Best
Don

[cajunpen]

I haven't made the trade yet . still holding out for a awhile .
Best
Don

Don, I think that there is a time limit for making the exchange, I'm not sure though. I see that you can probably just drive yours over, looks like you are in Houston. I've had my "exchange" machine for about 2 months now, I only have about an hour on it. I guess I better burn some time before I let the warranty get out.

[pkunk]

I believe amnisty is over for Beta owners, but call CW to verify. The deal did have a time limit.

[DWD]

My machine was ordered well prior to the cut off date of mid July. I was going to be out of town and keeping with thier excellent support LHR held shipping it until I returned home. First impressions are what they are and when I saw the Craftsman logo I immediately felt let down. I will use this machine and see what happens expecting the best results.

Dan

[rjp736]

CC and Craftsman are the SAME machine !

[CRAFTASAURUS]

;)HI I'M A NEWBIE
I just got one off Ebay, it's a refurbished one and it's a Craftsman, my husband yelled CRAFTSMAN! He still doesn't know how much I paid or he'd really YELL!
First problem out of the box was a corrupt memory card, display wouldn't come on (did find the contrast button that helped) I was able to upload projects and after cutting about an inch Error NO PROJECTS ON CARD...then it erased all my projects (but they where really still there) called tech so glad to get someone in person ON A SATURDAY! He was real nice and said it was the memory card and will send a replacement...I am hoping that is all it is to begin with anyway. I have had some experience using and selling new machines, I sell a line of vinyl cutters that will also cut paper and chipboard, they have been out about a year and are very similar in nature to the CW, I also use and sell small metal printers which work on the same principles but are very limited in size 3 1/4x3 1/4, so I was looking for a machine to cut out the small shapes in acrylic and other materials and came upon the CW and let the Ebay auction thing get out of hand and made the purchase. I will be wanting to cut out shapes mostly in acrylic sheets in about 1/4 inch thickness (any hints or tips on that?) while I wait for my carveasaurus to get it's new parts. I am able to engrave photos and dog tags with the smaller engravers but it's limited to the shape in plastic and acrylic so I want to be able to cut out Texas, dogs, animals and letters etc.
So glad to find this forum it's a great group of real users so it's very helpful, I am excited to realize I can also carve too that's a bonus to the simple cut out shapes I w ill be doing, If not a shop vac what's a good method to suck up the plastic shavings since it warns to be careful for build up etc.?
I am also anxious to carve in corian that looks fun, I do all the dog breeds and lots of dog shows, tractor shows, craft shows, motorcylce rallies etc.
Any input on plastic would be much appreciated...glad to be part of the group!
CRYSTAL OF
CRAFTASAURUS

[Jeff_Birt]

I think this attitude sums up LHR, doing what ever it takes to keep the customers happy.


I voiced my concern that the Compcarve machines were having problems different than the CarveWright and this looks like a Craftsman off the shelf.

I am getting a new top that says CarveWright. Has any other Beta tester that opted for the Refurbished machine experienced the same problem.

So, even though there is only cosmetic differences in the two machines, they will still go the extra mile and send you a top with the CarveWright label on it.

[rjustice]

;)HI I'M A NEWBIE
I just got one off Ebay, it's a refurbished one and it's a Craftsman, my husband yelled CRAFTSMAN! He still doesn't know how much I paid or he'd really YELL!
First problem out of the box was a corrupt memory card, display wouldn't come on (did find the contrast button that helped) I was able to upload projects and after cutting about an inch Error NO PROJECTS ON CARD...then it erased all my projects (but they where really still there) called tech so glad to get someone in person ON A SATURDAY! He was real nice and said it was the memory card and will send a replacement...I am hoping that is all it is to begin with anyway. I have had some experience using and selling new machines, I sell a line of vinyl cutters that will also cut paper and chipboard, they have been out about a year and are very similar in nature to the CW, I also use and sell small metal printers which work on the same principles but are very limited in size 3 1/4x3 1/4, so I was looking for a machine to cut out the small shapes in acrylic and other materials and came upon the CW and let the Ebay auction thing get out of hand and made the purchase. I will be wanting to cut out shapes mostly in acrylic sheets in about 1/4 inch thickness (any hints or tips on that?) while I wait for my carveasaurus to get it's new parts. I am able to engrave photos and dog tags with the smaller engravers but it's limited to the shape in plastic and acrylic so I want to be able to cut out Texas, dogs, animals and letters etc.
So glad to find this forum it's a great group of real users so it's very helpful, I am excited to realize I can also carve too that's a bonus to the simple cut out shapes I w ill be doing, If not a shop vac what's a good method to suck up the plastic shavings since it warns to be careful for build up etc.?
I am also anxious to carve in corian that looks fun, I do all the dog breeds and lots of dog shows, tractor shows, craft shows, motorcylce rallies etc.
Any input on plastic would be much appreciated...glad to be part of the group!
CRYSTAL OF
CRAFTASAURUS

Crystal, Welcome to the forum. As you have already recognized this is a pretty well informed group of people... out of all the people, doing all different things, stretching the imagination, and abilities of the machine you will find out that someone out there has most likely "been there, done that".... Its almost as unbelieveable as the initial internet revolution, where you could simply go to google, and type in anything, and it would come back with information about it. The forum is just about that good. (that was a little plug for our vast knowledge base that has been built)
Anyway... with that said, i would first do a search on sleds. Sleds are another word for a fixture that you use to hold your parts while you are carving them. There is a boat load of info on them. You will have to have one to do your thin work, as the machine can only pick up parts that are 1/2 inch or thicker. The next thing would be to do a search for dust, dust removal, or downdraft tables. Eventually i would bet that you will end up with the downdraft table if you use the machine very much at all. It takes a lot of time out of cleanup, and machine maintenece. My motto is "a clean machine is a happy machine"... it is common to have errors pop up that will go away after a good cleaning.

Hope that helps,

And Happy Carving!

Ron

[Gman_Ind]

Welcome aboard,
Plenty of good info here use the search feature it is as Ken says your friend.
Craftsman is distributing the CW and branding like they always do. The local store is nice if on the rare case you need to return it for some reason.
Done laughing?
Sears has some bit holders for use with your 1/4 and 1/2" bits. Ron Justice is the guy to ask if you need an 1/8" adapter.:D

[Aaron B]

Don, I think that there is a time limit for making the exchange, I'm not sure though. I see that you can probably just drive yours over, looks like you are in Houston. I've had my "exchange" machine for about 2 months now, I only have about an hour on it. I guess I better burn some time before I let the warranty get out.


I believe amnisty is over for Beta owners, but call CW to verify. The deal did have a time limit.

Just an FYI, there is no time limit for the Beta users to turn theirs in. I have called and talked to two separate people (not just customer service) and they both said we could keep the Beta as long as we wanted. When the machine breaks they may not have the parts for it and then you will have pay to get the new one.

[NoviceDude]

I would like to do 1 job and do not want to buy one, can someone contact me if interested to carve & ship me the project? Essentially I want to make a mold for a planter maybe 4' x 2' tops. and around 1.5' high. Obviously I would be paying you for it.