Is this machine really a quality product ?

[flyingemt]

I have been tossing back and forth the purchase of this unit, which Sears now has on sale for $1804.00. Been reading a lot of threads, playing with the trial software, etc. Still trying to get the boss (wife) to agree, I just need some honest opinions from real people who have used this product. Good or bad, just gimme your honest answers........

Mike

[rpringle]

Mike,
This is a machine with great potential.
It seems one or more times each week someone comes with a new way to use It's carving abalities.
It is not intended for comercial use ( 8 to 20 hours a day ) it is better used as a hobby machine. Although several members are using it a lot and have documented some weak parts.
After the first few (breakin hours and parts from China have been replaced) most machines work very well.
I have wasted more wood than I care to think about, but on each screwed up carve I learn something and this is what I wanted. Something to chalenge my tinkering restlessness.
Probably for some people this is not the right machine, you must be able to work computer design software and also understand the machines mechanical limits/requirments.

If you want to invest the time you will be favorably rewarded.

Depending on the wood, most will require sanding by a Dremel type unit.
Some carving I have produced looked rather shaby after a carve but when it was sanded/polished and finished it looked very proffesional.

I could add much more about the difference in carvings, best design depth and height and much more, but part of the fun of this machine is expermenting and trying new ideas.

Russ

[Hawg_man]

Mike
I agree with Russ 100%................Great hobby machine not commercial use. I have over 145 hours on mine and only problem I've had is a torn traction belt..my fault....used a bad board. For it's size you can't beat it. Check out the new site with samples of the forum members work and the broad range of projects they have done. Come join the fun and satisfaction........I'm not a salesman......just have a passion for my hobby.

Bob

[oldjoe]

I think for the money it is a good machine to have. As stated before you won't get rich off it and I would not base a living off it. I do enjoy watching it work and the carvings it turns out. It is a great addition to have to your workshop because you can add some interesting features to your projects. Which that number will increase as you come up with more and more ideas for it.
You can't expect to get a Lexus for a Hyundai price. Sure there are people here that posts a lot of complaints and problems But nothing made today is without some issues, and just because they have a problem does not mean it isn't self inflicted. If you buy one take your time with it baby steps if you will. Follow the advice of all the good folks on this forum and read what they say. Ask questions no matter if you think its dumb or not. I have been told that several times on this forum.
The newer machines are less troublesome then the earlier ones. Still not perfect but better. And the company really does what they can to help you if you do run into problems. Great people coarse I only dealt with them on one occasion. And if you buy from Sears 90 days to try it.

[Andy C]

The machine is great for what it does.

It's a big price jump to the next unit that can carve like this.

Is it a turn it on and forget unit with no maintenance? No. The only tool I have like that is my hammer.

In my estimation I'm getting the fun I expected when I purchased the CW. Details and carvings that would have never happened with my poor artistic ability.

As to warranty concerns etc. take a look at the warranties on your other products. TV's and air conditioners you have to carry in for service. Who pays for the hernia operation? I spent considerably more than what a CW costs on a laser engraver. It had a problem the first month of the two year warranty. They just shipped me the part, same as CW.

Is this for everyone? No, neither is a jointer, planner, etc.

The best quality project I make is sawdust, and with the CW my output is way up.

Andy

[Digitalwoodshop]

I am a supporter of LHR as my many posts can attest.

As a Sony Service Center Tech I would get a unit on my bench to work on off the conveyor and just looking at the model know it would be one of a few known problems.... Did cordless home phones for for 2 years of the 4 years and just by the time of year and the return address I knew.... Lightning... Rural USA.... City addresses were usually bad keypads from hand lotion getting in the carbon contacts.... So you knew what to look for.

With Play Stations 2's if you opened the box and it smelled like a ashtray you knew the optic had tar on it and couldn't see the disk.

So with the CarveWright, I agree that with use, the bad parts get weeded out and then it's just the normal wear parts. Bit holders, Chuck, Sand paper belts, X Gear, and Motor brushes at 250 hours.

At 500 to 600 cut motor hours I expect to see some bearing problems in the Z and Y. By Christmas I expect to be to 700 hours...... 335 now. An yes it is OUT OF WARRANTY.... My main unit with 40 hours just sits and watches for it's turn to take over. The second unit is just peace of mind for me so I can meet my deadlines.

AL

[Traveler]

If you have been reading the forum posts, it is obvious that this machine is not only unusual, but difficult to categorize. Looking at its construction, it appears to be a light duty office machine being used in a dusty difficult shop environment. As an engineer, if I were to redesign this machine, I think I could make it much more robust, much more trouble free, much slower and certainly much more expensive. All engineering involves tradeoffs and those who designed this machine made some unusual tradeoffs. That is the contradiction. When it works, it is a bargain and when it doesn't it is amazingly frustrating. I have done some woodcarving by conventional methods and have found it very rewarding and very slow. If you think the money is excessive and have plenty of time, get some good chisels and start chipping. If you have plenty of money and no time, then get the CW. If you are in the middle, .....

T

[TerryT]

When I first saw this machine advertised, I wanted one. Then I started to read the forums and started to rethink it. Finally I went ahead and bought one. I have not been sorry since.

It is a new and very high tech machine so yes you may have some small problems but in my estimation it is worth it. I haven't actually had any problems with mine except for the check cut motor warning. It works great, I think I'm at about 45 hours of carving time on mine and I am glad I bought it. The only thing that bothers me is that I know I will have to buy another one when this one wears out.

Terry

[JOHNB]

It Has The Craftsman Name On It. The Majority Of My Tools Say Craftsman. Wait For A Club Sale.

[Hexe SA]

doesn't matter if it's Carvewright or Compu Carve. They stand behind the product and LHR is awesome with their customer service. So you have to wait a couple of hours to get an answer from Tech Service. At least I always got an answer from a real person and not: push 2 for English, 3 for billing , 4 for whatever. As far as Sears is concerned they could improve on the manual, but the forum and it's members have made way up for it. The price, there is a guy out of Houston that sells them on ebay, used, AS-IS, for arround $1200-1250. As far as I can tell 1-2 per month.
Personally, get a new one with warranty, because operator errors are common and I believe it saves frustraton.
Eva
I'm on my 2nd one, first one went back to Sears after 90 days as unable to repair. Had this one for a month absolutely no problems but I learned on the first.

[Ivanq]

I’ve only had my machine for a week or so but I in no way regret the purchase.

Before I bought it I downloaded the software and played around with it quite a bit. As I’m a retired programmer I did notice it was version 1.x – that told me the machine was version 1.x too. Brought back memories of other products that I have bought or created that were brand new releases and I knew there would probably be some problems. What convinced me to go ahead with the purchase was this forum. I read ALL of the posts as far back as I could go. CW does have a great customer service reputation but this forum supplies support that is priceless.

One day there’ll be version 2.x with lots of fixes and new features I’m sure. I think sometimes we think the machine is two grand or so and forget about the software. In my opinion the incredibly easy software is worth at least twenty five percent of the purchase price.

If you like learning new skills, being creative and making sawdust this machine is a blast (I still love to watch it do it’s thing). If not it may not be a wise purchase.

Cliff - - - -

[RC Woodworks]

Mike, I own 2 CC and I use mine commercially. I bet the use is the same as those who say they don't use their commercially! I own a sign business and I make signs at county fairs. Sometimes the machine is running all day long and between fairs I use it at home.

The thing is you need to figure out if this machine will help you in your shop. This machine can make so much more then signs. If you think you will use the machine say like as much as your tablesaw or any other tool. Then I say ask the boss to let you get one!

You will be happy with the results. But be prepared to give this tool a little more attention then the rest.


Rick

[Digitalwoodshop]

With my motor inspection this week seeing the quality of the motor, it gets my vote for a Quality Machine. Brand name bearings, Quality Electronics, Great Design.

AL

[3DbME]

I've seen many good machines of varying capabilities used incorrectly with poor results and the operator swearing the machine is crap.

On the other hand a skilled, knowledgeable user can produce gold from crap.

I've been taking CNC machining classes and am familiar with the larger metal brother to this machine and can say, as the smaller brother, it operates and produces quality results very well. I'll give you an example.

I just produced a 5"x5" CNC'd metal "Branding Iron" which will be used to "sign my work" when the large carving job is finished.

http://forum.carvewright.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=17686&stc=1&d=1227852136

I did a reverse reading Proving mock-up in plastic prior to commiting the program to metal.

http://forum.carvewright.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=17690&stc=1&d=1227852298

And then after gettng the Carvewright this week I did the same design, right reading, to see how I would like the feel and weights of the font layout. In 45 minutes I got a great result that verified my design decisions and can now burn my Brand into finished pieces of work.

http://forum.carvewright.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=17689&stc=1&d=1227852300
http://forum.carvewright.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=17687&stc=1&d=1227852300
http://forum.carvewright.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=17688&stc=1&d=1227852300

[Kenm810]

3DbME,

Thank you for Sharing your project and results with us.
Your Photos show the detail of your design and carving.
Will Done. http://forum.carvewright.com/images/icons/icon14.gif We'll be looking forward to more.

[ScottS]

I've seen many good machines of varying capabilities used incorrectly with poor results and the operator swearing the machine is crap.

On the other hand a skilled, knowledgeable user can produce gold from crap.

I've been taking CNC machining classes and am familiar with the larger metal brother to this machine and can say, as the smaller brother, it operates and produces quality results very well. I'll give you an example.

I just produced a 5"x5" CNC'd metal "Branding Iron" which will be used to "sign my work" when the large carving job is finished.

http://forum.carvewright.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=17686&stc=1&d=1227852136

I did a reverse reading Proving mock-up in plastic prior to commiting the program to metal.

http://forum.carvewright.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=17690&stc=1&d=1227852298

And then after gettng the Carvewright this week I did the same design, right reading, to see how I would like the feel and weights of the font layout. In 45 minutes I got a great result that verified my design decisions and can now burn my Brand into finished pieces of work.

http://forum.carvewright.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=17689&stc=1&d=1227852300
http://forum.carvewright.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=17687&stc=1&d=1227852300
http://forum.carvewright.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=17688&stc=1&d=1227852300

After a while you'll find that it takes too long for the branding iron to heat up and just start signing them with a magic marker under the coats of sealant.

At leas thats what the wife And I have found. Good luck in your carving adventures and if your ever in thye area look us up.

ScottS

[3DbME]

Hi Scott,
Yeah I have a couple smaller (individual letter) brands that work well with a small propane tank and even in a BBQ. BUT... I got the answer. I have a small electric kiln that heats up to 2400 degrees. Hot enough to melt the metal if taken to the max. The handle is seperate so that it can be screwed into the back back of the brand when the apropriate 'redness' is acheived.

If not, I'll use a marker and sealer. Thanks for the input

[liquidguitars]

I get calls from people who think of themselves as high end
instruments builders working for university's and the like. Mostly they do not have a clue on how I build my instruments on the CW using 3D. typically they say the the CW is a joke, but the joke is how behind their thinking is. :)

LG

[3DbME]

Those who can do those.... Well you know!

Some call themselves purists and won't have anything to do with mechanization or advancement. And there's a place for them.

US, we see things differently and what ever I can do to achieve things quicker, simpler and with more predictable control the better.

Basically, Whatever tool works for you is right.

[fwharris]

Those who can do those.... Well you know!

Some call themselves purists and won't have anything to do with mechanization or advancement. And there's a place for them.

US, we see things differently and what ever I can do to achieve things quicker, simpler and with more predictable control the better.

Basically, Whatever tool works for you is right.

3D,

Great point and a good example of that is when I visited the CW booth this month at the Denver woodworking show. I had a great conversation with the 2 reps that led into how other sellers are doing little to promote or sell the CW. I told them how the local WoodCraft store has had a machine in their workshop for over 4 months without even running it. They said I should go talk to the WoodCraft rep that had the booth just down the isle from them. They tried and got a very cold shoulder from him.

Well I took a walk down there just to see. Talked with the guy for a while (just general BS stuff) and found out he is from the store I was talking about. So I asked him if they have fired up the CW yet. Said he wouldn't even touch it. "Any body can carve with just the drag and drop method and that it was kind of an insult to the purist carver. " Then he just walked away from me. End of conversation!


I had been at the store when they got the CW in for their workshop. Talked with the lady who was one of the store manager and she did show some interest about having it in their shop. I gave her my info about being a local who has the machine and one of my business cards. Told her that I would be more than willing to help train and even do some demos.

Have been back several times, CW still sitting in the same place..

[sweliver]

is the machine really worth it?

YEAH!!!!

The lithos are dynamite gifts. Everything else is just as cool.

sw

[CraigBrownDesigns]

Don't be too offended by the "Purist" behavior. I use too hand carve it all, spending hours that I don't have and I'm very grateful for the CW. I walked into a "Purist" sign shop several weeks ago and complimented his work. When I mentioned the CW his smile went away and that was the end of the pleasant conversation. Couple of days ago I walked into another sign shop with the most beautiful work I'd seen as of yet. Come to find out the owner uses a large CNC and he was leaps above in quality presented to the customer. A Master Carver is a wonderful achievement, but I'm content being an apprentice to the CW.

[3DbME]

SSSHHHHHHHHhhhhhh!

Don't let them know what we know. OUR STUFF KICKS A$@!!!