I'm out of the carvewright madness club...

[phoenix02]

Hello all,

Just wanted to say bye. I'm out of the club- have fun. My third system took a dive and I'm done. The most I got out of one was the second- 3 carves before it took a dive.

1st machine-
burned through flex shaft sleeve- first project

2nd machine-
cut motor error
blew a hole in the dust bag
drilled through indexing sensor
burned all the wood I tried to use CL with

3rd machine-
x axis overload- first project
x axis off 1/4"- first project
cut motor error- second project
drilled through indexing sensor- second project

I called and spoke with Lisa and then Michelle- Michelle was very curteous, Lisa had a case of mistaken identity- told me I had just called- but was otherwise amicable. I am trying to get a refund on the centerline text, as it was purchased in good faith that LHR could provide a worthwhile, reliable machine. Of course, they say it is non refundable and that's that. I have filed a claim with the BBB and am looking at any other legal recourse. If anyone is interested or has information, feel free to PM me.

The carvewright gives great results- when it works. It's just not functional enough of the time to be a worthwhile purchase for $1700. If you have the perseverance and patience to have a brick a good majority of the time, have fun.

Thanks a lot for your help everyone, and have a Blessed and Merry Christmas.

-Michael

[forqnc]

I have filed a claim with the BBB and am looking at any other legal recourse.-Michael

Sorry you feel you had to go that route.

Good Luck in your future and sorry to see you leave.

[oldjoe]

Sorry you had so many problems with you machines who knows maybe someday you will get the bug and try again. Hope you the best. The only question is what are you going to do with your $1700?

[Gman_Ind]

Wow that is a run of bad luck there. I hate to see someone get that frustrated, I see it too often in my line of work (PC support). The usual answer is a relatively cheap upgrade. With this tool the next step is a huge one.
If you get the itch again I hope you have much better luck.

[stephanilynn]

Dont worry you're not alone, I have about $100,000 worth of machinery in my shop and the carvewright is the only machine that breaks down every time its used.

[Pratyeka]

Dont worry you're not alone, I have about $100,000 worth of machinery in my shop and the carvewright is the only machine that breaks down every time its used.

You know you are replying to a 2 year old thread?

[Digitalwoodshop]

Dont worry you're not alone, I have about $100,000 worth of machinery in my shop and the carvewright is the only machine that breaks down every time its used.

Good Point bringing a 2 year old post to the surface to give it another kick....

$1700.00 = Hobby Machine.....

$100K = Industrial Machine......

Not fair.... Not the current state of the machines....

AL:D

[rcdages]

Good Point bringing a 2 year old post to the surface to give it another kick....

$1700.00 = Hobby Machine.....

$100K = Industrial Machine......

Not fair.... Not the current state of the machines....

AL:D

You so correct AL.

No way one can compair, two worlds apart. $1700.00 to $100K.

My goal from the first day I got my CW at LHR was and still is to add two to three more CW's, as you have already done Al.

Robert
rcdages

[Digitalwoodshop]

Robert,

Yes, working in the limits of the machine, it can be a work horse.... I made 2 Quilt Racks yesterday with it, 4 wood signs and tried an experiment to see if I could engrave a brass tag... No on the brass tag... I will use another machine to to that.

Having 2 or 3 machines when you start production type work, having the backup ready to fill in is great.....

AL

[rcdages]

Your correct about the machine when one gets in to production.

I have a couple places were my Koi carvings could prove to be taking my CW in to a good state of production.

Once I pick it up at LHR, I am going to hit the carving mode.

You do a really nice job with your carvings.

Do you have any idea if the Carvewright Conference 2009 is falling in to place for OCT.? If it all comes together are you going to atten?

Have not seen anything posted by Janson about it as of late?

For my growth, I am looking to the first of the year for CW #2, then I can say two CW and looking for more. Love how you state three CC and looking for more.

Robert
rcdages

[stephanilynn]

yes I know it was a 2 year old post and the point is they are still mechanical nightmares. I understand the difference between hobby machines and industrial. I am not trying to use the carvewright to do production carving. I used it maybe once a month to cut out a circle or make a curved template all things the cw should be able to handle with no problems.

By the sounds you are all happy with your machines, so congratulations atleast someone is getting their moneys worth.

[jwhllh55]

yes I know it was a 2 year old post and the point is they are still mechanical nightmares. I understand the difference between hobby machines and industrial. I am not trying to use the carvewright to do production carving. I used it maybe once a month to cut out a circle or make a curved template all things the cw should be able to handle with no problems.

By the sounds you are all happy with your machines, so congratulations atleast someone is getting their moneys worth.

I do understand what you are saying. I use my machine the same way. It's easier to have the CW to outline a cut out and use the bandsaw to do all the work. My machine breaks down everytime I try to use it for a complete carving. I have had machine apart and cleaned hundreds of times, and getting good at it. That post that is two years old, is holding up even today.

[John57]

Well, let me bring it back up. I have had my machine for about 3 years. Unfortunately, I had problems from the beginning and basically put it in a corner discouraged and then took my new job covering 13 states. No time.
Got it back out this week (no use for about 1.5 - 2 years) and have seen many errors on it including one which lost a project. I did get 3 of 4 projects through it (each about an hour and a half in length - but took me a good 14 hours to accomplish)
This machine is an engineering marvel before its time. Right now I am re-fighting a clear board sensor error. I have had this message several times and have been able to overcome it with minor cleaning. Cant any longer. (15.4 hours on it)
Also overcame a problem with the device not sensing the bit. The arm was not swinging out - hung a modified curtain hanger in it so it wouldnt return the full distance and that fixed that issue. (Set cardboard in it originally, but it came out each time and had to be replaced)
In general this machine needs a lot of retooling. I would think that if it would run under water in testing, it would avoid issues with its biggest enemy - the dust. That would at least assure me that fine dust wont be the problem
Right now I am in a quandry. Deciding what to do. After reading this forum for several hours and some of the discouragement that some (many?) of you are having, I am wondering if it would be better to create a YouTube video extolling the "virtues" of this machine - so others will be aware.
Even those of you that like the machine talk about a ton of maintenance - for a guy thats not retired, I dont have that kind of time now and not sure I want to spend it doing repairs when I do retire.
As it stands right now it doesnt run. That would be the opening of the video......since Im not a demolition expert, I need a different ending.....

[AskBud]

John57,
Since you are starting over, why not go back to the beginning.
Do all the lube and cleaning to make sure nothing is dirty, out of place, or rusted.
Make sure you have upgraded/downloaded to the latest version (1.153).

If the Touch Plate is not moving correctly, something is dirty, needs adjustment, or needs lubed. You should turn off the unit and move the truck to the far side (it should move with no effort, after the power has been off for about 30 seconds). If you have to force it along, you know some of the things to check/correct. If movement is easy, but it is hard to operate the Touch Plate, the track may have a dust/dirt build-up, the TP nay need lube, or a wire may be out of place just behind the TP (toward the back of the machine).

Fooling the machine with anything only tells you that you need to take the time to look for the actual reason the parts are not working properly.
AskBud

[Smoken D]

Know how ya feel. Mine has been down since Aug after 50 hours on the new machine. Every time fixed something, another item was out. Did get another 10 hours out of it after sending it in for fixen ( I thought ) after the 3rd brake down. Course that cost me for parts and sending. Around $220. Have spent another $130 for parts since. All under warranty of course (Right!). Tried to sell it with no luck. Will try again, now another $150 for the rock and will build a dust collector system. Maybe not too much money there (Right). Will do after Christmas. After trying this maybe only one more fixen possible. The #12ga! At least I have learned how to take this machine apart time and time again.:mrgreen:
At least I finally got to vent;)
And the amount of Cherry and Walnut that was wasted:(

[luckettg]

Know how ya feel. .....Tried to sell it with no luck. Will try again, now another $150 for the rock and will build a dust collector system. Maybe not too much money there (Right). Will do after Christmas. After trying this maybe only one more fixen possible. The #12ga! At least I have learned how to take this machine apart time and time again.:mrgreen:
At least I finally got to vent;)
And the amount of Cherry and Walnut that was wasted:(

I am just curious at this point, but may I ask how much you were asking for it when it did not sell earlier? If you like you could send me a PM rather than respond here.
Greg Luckett
Michigan

[Smoken D]

Here's the thread;

http://forum.carvewright.com/showthread.php?t=13898

[PCW]

Here's the thread;

http://forum.carvewright.com/showthread.php?t=13898

Don't take this the wrong way but just for reference I'm getting ready to put a Compucarve machine in the paper locally for $600.00. It has 89 cut hours on the motor and has the new z bundle and never had any problems with the machine other than the typical belt drift. In the original box with everything it came with.

[Smoken D]

Yea, that's what made me so mad. Pay $1700 for a new machine and 6 months later with 50 hours only worth $600. Something just wrong there:(

[edutrisac]

I've had mine for a little over 2 years now before it was available in Canada. Smuggled it in ;) Before ordering it, I asked them if there was any issue if I were to buy it abd bring it into Canada. The lady I talked to told me that my warranty would be void as they didn't have anyway of servicing it or ship me any parts to Canada. That nor any of the negative posts that I've read on here or the Sears thread detered me from ordering it.

I've only got a little over 60 hours on it with my only issues being in the last week. A torn belt and the common L2 Power supply issue. The belt was probably because I've been using it in colder temperature (about -5 C in my garage). I usually bring it the house first for a few hours to warm it up. Once I'm ready to go, I quickly set the board up and measure it and get the project going. If it's too cold then the head won't lower properly or sometimes not at all, I sometimes help it along by putting some pressure on the head and turning the crank. I'm probably asking for trouble by doing that and probably what caused my belts to roll over. And I tipically just do a quick vaccuming before the next project.

I'm either lucky or mine was made on Wednesday. :D

Again besides the L2 issue, all my issues have been either environement or not cleaning properly. From what I've learnt on my own and read here, you just can't use it like a regular router or circular saw and then throw it on the shelf for the next time, the CW is like a child, it needs a lot of love and tender care.

Haven't ordered the Rock yet but from what I read, seems like it will save alot of wear on the CW and prolong it's life.

I've read alot of tip & tricks in many posts, is there anyone who's compiling a list of all this info? I haven't really looked but it seems it would be very usefull to have such a document with important maintenance info and best practices that many of you's have figured out on your own.

I really like the CW, need to insulate and heat my garage so I can use it more. I bought it in the fall a few years ago, and only had time to get a few test carves in before putting it away for the winter.

Anyways, just my 2 cents (or maybe 10 cents after this long post :D)

[John57]

John57,
Since you are starting over, why not go back to the beginning.
Do all the lube and cleaning to make sure nothing is dirty, out of place, or rusted.
Make sure you have upgraded/downloaded to the latest version (1.153).

If the Touch Plate is not moving correctly, something is dirty, needs adjustment, or needs lubed. You should turn off the unit and move the truck to the far side (it should move with no effort, after the power has been off for about 30 seconds). If you have to force it along, you know some of the things to check/correct. If movement is easy, but it is hard to operate the Touch Plate, the track may have a dust/dirt build-up, the TP nay need lube, or a wire may be out of place just behind the TP (toward the back of the machine).

Fooling the machine with anything only tells you that you need to take the time to look for the actual reason the parts are not working properly.
AskBud


John57,
Since you are starting over, why not go back to the beginning.
--Do you mean pre-ownership? lol

Do all the lube and cleaning to make sure nothing is dirty, out of place, or rusted.
--Those are my thoughts.

Make sure you have upgraded/downloaded to the latest version (1.153).
--Have doen this - couldnt upload a project without doing so.

If the Touch Plate is not moving correctly, something is dirty, needs adjustment, or needs lubed. You should turn off the unit and move the truck to the far side (it should move with no effort, after the power has been off for about 30 seconds). If you have to force it along, you know some of the things to check/correct. If movement is easy, but it is hard to operate the Touch Plate, the track may have a dust/dirt build-up, the TP nay need lube, or a wire may be out of place just behind the TP (toward the back of the machine).
--Wires were fine. Touch plate moves freely. The truck is not moving far enough to the right to actuate the touch plate - or the touch plate is stuck slightly to far and the truck cannot get enough leverage on it to move it. Its the board sensor that has me shut down currently.

Fooling the machine with anything only tells you that you need to take the time to look for the actual reason the parts are not working properly.
--You are right in that its not working properly. Sadly, its about the equivalent of 10,000 miles (or less) on a new car and no one would tolerate that. If Consumers Report tested this machine and wrote about it between chuckles, CW would be out of business, or there would be a machine with a ton more reliability. This machine has now stopped me from puchasing a similar machine for cutting steel.

--On top of the hardware problems, the software is also bad. I get errors frequently and the software closes down, losing my work. If the software worked like Powerpoint - I wouldnt need a manual. I really cant find anything good to say about the machine right now - and I wish I could read more positive things about it on here. Its lemon engineering and lemon software. Maybe the Japanese can do something better. I'm out of time for now, but thanks for the help. Barnum was right....... :(

AskBud


And finally, I tried to submit this thread and it said my message was too short? lol Even the web page is a joke!!!!

[andes]

John57, were are you located, state wise?


And finally, I tried to submit this thread and it said my message was too short? lol Even the web page is a joke!!!!

[Digitalwoodshop]

John is in MI.... Upper right corner of his post.....

A year and a half old machine without the changes could be a pain in the.....:sad::lol::razz:

The board detector problem is due to the circuit board not being glued like the current configuration. Dust can get inside the plastic window. LED's can vibrate and break off. New board detector will solve that problem.

16 pin or 14 pin FSC Cable? Do you have the new Z Bundle? The 14 wire cable lets current flow better and you get less Z Stalls.... Order the new Z Bundle and install it...

The Cut Motor most likely does not have the new cut motor retainer... A $5.00 +- fix.

Latest Designer... 1.153.....

So either get with the program or sell the machine... Being insulting may make you feel better.... I see it all the time on COPS.... The guy in the back of the Squad Car pitching a bitch... Makes HIM feel better.... But it came down to "Choices"... Get with the Program and read about issues you are having and learn to deal with them. Many people like me spend a lot of time giving FREE advice to members like you, helping you understand the machine and give you in-site on how to fix and learn your machine.

The machine in it's latest configuration WITH a ROCK and DUST collection is a very reliable machine.

Good Luck... I hope you decide to KEEP IT and get your machine updated and learn to use and maintain it.

It can be FUN and you can make money with it.

And Yes it is too bad you will need to spend some MORE money to get your machine up to current standards but that is the price you pay for buying a NEW Innovative Wood Working Product.... LHR has learned over time things that make the machine MORE Reliable and have implemented them to the Manufacturing Chain.

All 4 of my machines needed the same parts as you need....

OR.... Sell the machine and invest in a NEW machine with the Warranty and has all the upgrades.... And get the 5 year warranty from Sears... That gives you lots of Hand Holding when you do have a problem. The hand holding will keep you from posting insulting and unnecessary negative opinions.

There are VERY few KICK the CW posts as more and more people are getting all the changes, reading tips and tricks, and learning how to use the TOOL without all the Pilot Errors.....

AL

[wasacop75]

Well, I guess Al said all that needed to be said. If your machine needs updated, do it. If you have problems, ask for answers. Or sit there and bitch while the rest of us carve and make people happy with the final products...

[Ike]

Well, I guess Al said all that needed to be said. If your machine needs updated, do it. If you have problems, ask for answers. Or sit there and bitch while the rest of us carve and make people happy with the final products...

No Mike Al said what is needed to be done, but you said it all!


Ike