My first and last message

[dhegyi]

Words cannot adequately express my disappointment. The CompuCarve I bought just one week ago with the highest of hopes has been returned to Sears.

At just 6 hours the 1/8 cutting bit broke, ruining my grandson's round box (adapted from the free round box project available on CarveBuddy.com). Sears replaced the bit at no charge, however when I tried to run it again both the 1/16 carving bit and the 1/8 cutting bit broke. Besides that while carving the back of the project I got first a Y-axis stall then a Z-axis stall and then finally a board thickness measurement error - it suddenly became too thick to cut. All this on 3/4 inch thick pine boards.

Last but not least the carving was all over the board and very poor quality. So finally with just 7 hrs and 32 min on the machine, I threw in the towel. When I showed the wood to the guy at Sears, they processed my return without question. I have also uninstalled the software from my computer.

I will keep watching and hoping that they are able to produce a more reliable and durable machine in the future. When that happens, rest assured that I will be first in line to purchase it.

Goodbye for now. I hope to be back soon.

[jab73180]

you didnt give it much of a try. you should try and use the forum to fix the problems, or even get a new machine from sears. a lot of great people here willing and able to help.

[Jeff_Birt]

I suspect that after only having the machine a week you had not really learned how to use it. Bits breaking are usually a sign of improper project layout or using too short a board to keep it under the roller at all times. I've had my machine more than two years now and have not broken a bit yet. (I have broken a bunch of 1/8" 'V' bits on my Taig trying to dial in on the optimum feed/speed/depth for engraving aluminum.)

[Digitalwoodshop]

I have over 1000 carving hours between my 3 machines and I only broke one bit when after cleaning the machine I left the head in the down position and shoved a new board into the machine and it struck the 1/8 inch cutting bit and snapped it off.

I agree.. It's all about learning and knowing the machine.... Too short a board, poor quality wood loosing contact with the brass roller.... Board tipping up only being held by one roller loosing contact with the brass roller and then breaking the bit.....

Sorry you gave up.

AL

[Dan-Woodman]

and don't forget the " forgot to put the decimal point in the number".
later Daniel

[badger]

Its amazing to see someones #1 post and its about how they are returning the machine.

The first post should have been, hey guys im having trouble doing this and heres the image of how it turned out. Any suggestions.

Trust me dhegyi, they would have started pouring in. Posting about how you hate the machine and its a piece of junk isnt going to get you much around here. Its been proven that the machine does work but only if you spend the time reading these post and asking for help when you need it.

Numerous people not paid by LHR have spent many hours of their own time putting together fantastic tips either written or in video form for all to use here. All that is needed is a machine and a user that is willing to put in some of their own time to view these tips.

Otherwise your just wasting your time and money.

[BBrooks]

Sorry to hear about the bad experience but I have to agree with all the previous. I've got 120 hours on my CW and have cut out a lot of pine, oak and walnut without ever breaking a bit. If a carving bit was broken there is either a serious flaw with that particular machine (not all of them) or a serious operator error.
cheers,

[ChrisAlb]

I have to agree, perhaps you gave up too easily. My baby will be two in August 09 and I have "almost" 600 cut hours on it. I have never once broken a bit and although they're a tad worn, I still have the original carving and cutting bits.

Not that it needs it but, If you're waiting for some huge jump in the technology before you try again, I fear you'll miss the chance to do something nice for your grandson as he'll be grown or you'll be gone.

Knowledge and patience are the keys here.....

[ajk]

I Agree With All. I Can Tell Probably I Am The One With Less Experiece In All Of That . We Broke About Two Cutting Bit. We Post About 100 Times Looking For Help And Always We Get. We Use A Lot Of Wood And I Will Like To Show You That With Perseverance And All This Forum You Will Get. This Is My Last And I Did About Ten Times To Get. THIS WAS MY SON PRESENT.

[rickyz]

I understand your frustration. When I first bought my compucarve from sears, I was having all sorts of problems with it. axis stalls, errors, all sorts of stuff. I have never used a cnc type machine before and there is a huge learning curve for this stuff. It is definitely not a plug and play machine. I actually wound up letting it sit for almost a year. working on my muscle cars and other projects. then the carve bug decided to hit me again. it's amazing how much information is out there after a year went by. I purchased a few patterns and projects from the carvewright store and was amazed at what this machine can do. there is a lot of maintenance to the machine. cleaning dust, lubrication, etc. the guys on this forum are so awesome I couldn't keep my machine running without them. if you decide to try it again, read all you can about troubleshooting, maintenance, the pattern depot, any information you can get your hands on. I love this machine now but I was one dissatisfied customer in the beginning. the carvewright people at lhr are very helpful. now, I get people at my work asking for stuff all the time. Someday I just hope to give back to the all the great people that have helped me.