I hate this machine

[alan.galbraith]

I would like very much to close out my registration for this piece of you know what, but if I want to fix it, which I have not decided on that part yet. but if I want to get most of my money out of it, I probably will have to fix it.

As for this forum, I guess I must have been blackballed, because no one answered my last post. So Good bye to all and I hope you keep spending money on this money pit.

I sure this post will disappear soon.

[robbrigg2]

I would like very much to close out my registration for this piece of you know what, but if I want to fix it, which I have not decided on that part yet. but if I want to get most of my money out of it, I probably will have to fix it.

As for this forum, I guess I must have been blackballed, because no one answered my last post. So Good bye to all and I hope you keep spending money on this money pit.

I sure this post will disappear soon.

I feel your pain... I was in your shoes once... but I had so much invested I couldn't just "Suck it up and drive on" so I put it on the side for a few days, and started fresh.... If you decide to get rid of it I would completely understand but once you get it going it is worth it's weight in gold, well an inferior metal at least.

[c6craig]

Sorry you feel that way. Sometimes it's better to walk away and lose money rather than endure frustration. This is supposed to be fun, and you pretty much have to take the good with the bad on these machines.

Good luck on your decision, I hope you decide to get your machine fixed and stick around.

Craig

[Digitalwoodshop]

Alan,

Call me... Sent PM...

AL

[castingman]

alan
pm me as well we are pretty close.

Michael

[will george]

April here And I found your post... I like my machine but I have had problems with it.. Not many I could not solve on my own or with help from in here...

Nothing in life is simple! A machine takes a bit more of a challange to work with OR was it the two year old child that you never gave up on? I would think from your post that you give up very easy.. It should give you a new, whatever, to solve for the next BETTER.. day.. Hang in there SIR..

[dmede]

I gotta say, these posts are very discouraging to me. No because the OP is having trouble as much as the response is so much apologizing for the quirkiness of the machine... it makes it clear that these problems are not just user error but that these machines really are this fiddley.

I'm still curious about the CW but it's not encouraging to see that the solution to so many of the problems people are having is "just press on" or "it takes time to know your machine and get it working right". I'd wager that no other wood working machine in your shop, or piece of computer equipment in your office comes close to the lack of reliability I'm seeing in the CW. I hope I'm wrong but man you'd think this was a antique British motorcycle not a modern piece of wood working equipment.

[chkorte]

I gotta say, these posts are very discouraging to me. No because the OP is having trouble as much as the response is so much apologizing for the quirkiness of the machine... it makes it clear that these problems are not just user error but that these machines really are this fiddley.

I'm still curious about the CW but it's not encouraging to see that the solution to so many of the problems people are having is "just press on" or "it takes time to know your machine and get it working right". I'd wager that no other wood working machine in your shop, or piece of computer equipment in your office comes close to the lack of reliability I'm seeing in the CW. I hope I'm wrong but man you'd think this was a antique British motorcycle not a modern piece of wood working equipment.

I’ve decided to put in my 2¢ on the complaints that have been posted on this forum about the CW. I am by no means an expert on the CW but I have owned my CW for about 5 months and have had my share of problems. I have carved several projects and had several error messages and some parts failures. I can honestly say that I have felt the frustration and irritation that the CW can leave us with as well as the thrill of the end result of a successful carve. More than once I found myself cussing out LHR for the shortcomings of the CW and asking myself why I spent so much money on a machine that at the time seems so unreliable. Of course the answer is obvious to most of us. We put up with the shortcomings of the CW because of the outstanding things we can create with it. Let’s face it. This machine can produce some absolutely marvelous carvings with minimal input from us. And the software is fabulous. It is easy to use yet extremely powerful. This forum provides outstanding support and insight into the workings and functions of the CW, advice for fixing problems as well as additional patterns posted by CW users. All this having been said, if you are considering buying a CW you should consider a few things. The machine needs regular attention, it has its idiosyncrasies. It likes to be clean. Its’ almost obsessive about it. I clean mine after every carve. Its’ a simple enough thing to do but you have to do it! It also wants to be lubricated. I wipe down the Y and Z tracks with silicone lubricant after every carve and clean the vertical guide rods regularly. I also fitted it with a dust collector. I have found that if I do these things it minimizes errors and down time. If you’re thinking that all you will need to do is feed it a piece of wood and push a couple buttons and walk away with a work of art this machine is not for you. You will have to tinker with it and will need patience and a certain level of mechanical aptitude. I am starting to believe that the machine is basically sound and that LHR is doing all they can to improve it. Whenever I call LHR for assistance I have always been treated well and received help. It would be nice if LHR had a toll free phone number but that’s a topic for another time. At this time my CW is operating reasonably well. I am hoping my problems are all behind me but if something pops up I will stick with it and get it fixed because I look forward to completing that next project. If I were to ever buy another new one I would get it from Lowes or Sears, somewhere I can get an extended warranty. So if you are considering buying a CW don’t be scared off by all the negative comments but be prepared to tinker with it. It can do amazing things if you stick with it.

[temler]

I would like very much to close out my registration for this piece of you know what, but if I want to fix it, which I have not decided on that part yet. but if I want to get most of my money out of it, I probably will have to fix it.

As for this forum, I guess I must have been blackballed, because no one answered my last post. So Good bye to all and I hope you keep spending money on this money pit.

I sure this post will disappear soon.

I am so sorry for your pain and problems on this. with me when my machine give me problems i just start looking at the machine i use to fix before my injury. here is a company that paid 90k for a used machine and they are paying me a ton to work on it and the price of one part could buy me a new CW machine and then I stop griping about my little problems i have with my cw machine. I know this doesn't help you but these 90k machine can't do much more than you are paying less than 2k for so for me this makes me feel better. i know this doesn't make you feel better, but if you decided to fix it let me know and i will be glad to help. I like working on this machine almost as much as i like carving with it.
I know i am nuts, and you would be right.
I hope you will stick around with this group. some time a post will slip through the cracks, sorry no one got to you

Take care
Tim

[dmede]

I’ve decided to put in my 2¢ on the complaints that have been posted on this forum about the CW. I am by no means an expert on the CW but I have owned my CW for about 5 months and have had my share of problems. I have carved several projects and had several error messages and some parts failures. I can honestly say that I have felt the frustration and irritation that the CW can leave us with as well as the thrill of the end result of a successful carve. More than once I found myself cussing out LHR for the shortcomings of the CW and asking myself why I spent so much money on a machine that at the time seems so unreliable. Of course the answer is obvious to most of us. We put up with the shortcomings of the CW because of the outstanding things we can create with it. Let’s face it. This machine can produce some absolutely marvelous carvings with minimal input from us. And the software is fabulous. It is easy to use yet extremely powerful. This forum provides outstanding support and insight into the workings and functions of the CW, advice for fixing problems as well as additional patterns posted by CW users. All this having been said, if you are considering buying a CW you should consider a few things. The machine needs regular attention, it has its idiosyncrasies. It likes to be clean. Its’ almost obsessive about it. I clean mine after every carve. Its’ a simple enough thing to do but you have to do it! It also wants to be lubricated. I wipe down the Y and Z tracks with silicone lubricant after every carve and clean the vertical guide rods regularly. I also fitted it with a dust collector. I have found that if I do these things it minimizes errors and down time. If you’re thinking that all you will need to do is feed it a piece of wood and push a couple buttons and walk away with a work of art this machine is not for you. You will have to tinker with it and will need patience and a certain level of mechanical aptitude. I am starting to believe that the machine is basically sound and that LHR is doing all they can to improve it. Whenever I call LHR for assistance I have always been treated well and received help. It would be nice if LHR had a toll free phone number but that’s a topic for another time. At this time my CW is operating reasonably well. I am hoping my problems are all behind me but if something pops up I will stick with it and get it fixed because I look forward to completing that next project. If I were to ever buy another new one I would get it from Lowes or Sears, somewhere I can get an extended warranty. So if you are considering buying a CW don’t be scared off by all the negative comments but be prepared to tinker with it. It can do amazing things if you stick with it.

I'm not totally put off by all this... yet. And I have pieced together that at least most of the basic issues seem to stem from either the CW's compulsive need for religious cleaning or the user not understanding the limits of the machine and trying to force the work in some way (too deep a cut, too fast, boards not square or flat etc). that and the unbalanced OEM chuck. I'd liken this to the early days of computing when a small group of diehards fawned all over the new "personal computers" that essentially did very little and had constant problems, but were so novel that it was worth all the trouble. LHR has a great concept that seems to do amazing things for little money... when it works right. They just don't have the execution or manufacturing down as far as I can tell.

Take this all with a grain of salt, I haven't even run a machine myself yet, but I have been reading the board and there is definitely a story to be told here. And an opportunity for anyone who can duplicate LHRs success with a more reliable machine.