I need help seeing if this is for me!

[geekyqueen485]

Hello all,

I am Shannon, a 20 year old mechanical engineering student and i love to tinker around with everything. I have worked in machine shops in the past and have 7+ years of machining experience(i was trained very young =] ) on metal mills and lathes.

I have always wanted to have a mill of my own. I recently came across the carvewright/compucarve and fell in love.

I have some extra money available from my student loans and am thinking about buying a machine. BUT before a college student should drop that much money... this is a HUGE investment for me... I want to know that it can do what i want it to.

I was wondering if any of the members of this forum would be willing to mail me samples of one of their lithograph pieces. I am most interested in these pieces and i think i need to see one up close before i take the financial plunge. i would be willing to pay postage, and i can send it back to you when im finished checking it out.
If anyone has any advice or ideas I would love that as well.

Thank you all.

[BruceH]

Hi Shannon,

I can't supply you with any Lithographs as I don't pick up my CompuCarve until this afternoon. What I have done in the past couple days may be of some value to you and my save you postage.

On the CarveWright.com site you can download a trial version of the software. It is the full version with a 30 day use limit. Then go to various sites where you can evaluate different projects and even download some into your trial software. In the software, you can even rotate the piece so you can view it at different 3d angles. This way you could literally look a hundreds of works from the comfort of your computer.

Here are some of the sites you should go to:

http://www.carvebuddy.com/
Look at Michael's 17" wreath. Also download the instructions on how he carved it and finished it. You'll really like it.

http://www.ddsf-ent.com/gunnywoodshop/
At this URL Dan has some beautiful shots of his work. I really like the 2 hearts carved with Chris and Dan's name. In some of Dan's folders on his site he has filles you can download and play with in your trial software.

And there are many others too numerous to mention. I've looked at so much stuff I can't remember where it all is but I think it was on Michael's site above where he has a video you can watch on how to scan a 3d article into the software.

Also you will want to look a the following link in this forum. It has pages and pages of submissions that you can look at or download for a closer look.

http://www.carvewright.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2046

I wish you well in both your schooling and tooling.

Have Fun
Bruce

[geekyqueen485]

Thanks for your reply, it was helpful.
And i have played around with the trial software.
I still think that it would be very helpful for me to hold a completed piece in my hands and see the way the light passes through it etc. and those arent things that the software can express.

Shannon