How would you rate the Carvewright system today.

[DaFlea]

I am sure topics like this have been posted in the past, but I would like to catch up on things. I have been watching Carvewright for several years now and I have read through the forums off and on for sometime. My question revolves around the reliability of the unit now that the company has had some time under its belt.

Please note my intention is not to bash the product in any way or to hear every bad experience out there because everyone's skill level is different and everyones requirements differ. I understand maintenance is key for reliability of the product, so I would like to get some good feedback from long times users that have endured the good and bad.

Thank you for your time..

Doug

[CW-HAL9000]

The machine especially the C version is a good machine. There are still hickups on some peoples individual machines that do seem to be manufacture related and not always user error. The major issues seem to now be software related with the new version 2.0. I also personally do not like that the company is now trying to get recurring income by charging for updates to the software. The first was with the new 2.0 software but they have hinted that every year or two a new paid version will be released. New purchasers need to realize that software modules and updates can match or exceed the cost of the actual machine.

[tcough3475]

I purchased a Sears CompuCarve Model A a couple of years ago and had nothing but problems. It was the worst money I've ever spent on a woodworking tool, but the idea of doing some of the great work I've seen here has always made me hope LHR would figure it out. I purchased a CarveWright Model C late last year and have been extremely satisified with it's performance. The only complaint I (still) have is no matter which model I used or how thorough I clean it, those small carve "lines" left in the flat areas annoy me. I can accept the fuzzies and know sanding is required, but a machine this finicky shouldn't have the lines left over. They easily sand out of the large areas, but the smaller interior areas are a real nuisence. I finally scraped the old Model A for parts just last week. Could say I'm a converted skeptic!

[Bigtyme]

I bought my first "C" machine about 2 1/2 years ago. Other than replacing a flex shaft (which was my fault), I have never had an issue with it. I believe one of the primary reasons is I installed a dust collector as soon as I could afford it and it keeps the machine very clean. I have almost 250 hours on it and have done all the recommended maintenance. It is now due for the big 250 hour regiment which I plan to do after the holidays. I have carved countless projects on my CW and it has vastly broadened my woodworking business which I have tinkered with for almost 30 years. Building furniture (which has been the heart of my hobby business) take s a lot of hours and the satisfaction can be a long time coming on each project. It is one of the reasons I started turning pens on my lathe many years ago to let me see some completed fruits of my labor a little sooner. My Carvewright does the same thing. I have carved about 12 projects over the last 2 weekends alone and still have one to go tonight. I enjoy my CW so much, I just completed the purchase of my second machine. It was used, but only had 1 hour on the cut motor. Before I cranked it up, I bought my second dust collector and it is humming along just fine. When I retire in a couple of years, I hope to keep both machines as busy as possible.
One of the biggest assets I have come across is this Forum. The people who are on it are second to none in my humble opinion. Their willingness to help is beyond belief. I am an old dog who has run an engineering company for a long time. I am a whiz on a drafting board, but not so much using CAD, so I am not sure I will ever be able to re-pay all the kindness and assistance given to me by the folks here, but I plan to try as hard as I can.
My CW has become one of the most important and most used tools in my shop. At the small price it costs given the range of things it can do, I can't see any half-a$$ed serious woodworker not having one.
Just my 2 cents.....

[DickB]

The biggest single key to reliability is a good dust collection system. It should really be built into the machine, but good aftermarket collectors are available and you can easily build your own. Next would be maintenance: cut motor brushes, check and lube the flex shaft when needed, etc. After coming up the learning curve, my machine has been very reliable. I have had no real down time for the past couple of years.

[tierman]

I have an A and a B machine. Both were purchase used. I have had some issues with them both but nothing that I could not work through, mainly because of the info on the forum. Whether it be thru the tutorials or thru the input of other carvers, the forum is a priceless source of info when it comes to owning one of these machines. There is definitely a learning curve to using the software, which I continue to learn new tricks each day. I must add this however, both of my machines are equipped with a Rock chuck. I would recommend this machine to everyone BUT, not with the Designer 2 software, especially after the last upgrade of 2.004. Because of the last upgrade I have been have many problems with initializing my bits and it has become very frustrating. Therefore, I rate the machine excellent, my most important piece of equipment in my shop, I also have Centerline, Conforming Vectors, Stl Importer, DXF, 2D and 3D modeling suites, all excellent addons. I do not recommend Designer 2.0

[DickB]

The bit finding was changed to accommodate the new long bits. If you have the CT chuck and use Carvewright bits, no issues with 2.004.

[Proctorw]

I bought mine in April, model C. I have paid for it already with "Projects" I have completed for others. My real job gets in the way of completing more projects. I agree with previous comments, If you are going to buy this machine, add a dust collector and hood. My one "caution" is if you are not mechanically inclined this could be a frustrating unit. You must be religious with cleaning and when something breaks, which it will, you should know your way around a screw driver and socket set to be able to fix it. I am looking at buying a second one sometime next year.

[blhutchens]

I think this machine is awesome !!!! Yes it can and will crash. When you combine something mechanical and something computerized there will be trouble. Most of my troubles were due to the learning curve….trying to make the machine do something it shouldn't attempt. Free patterns gave me trouble before I learned to look at the files and see what they were trying to do before I carved them. I have two machines now with all the upgrades. I will probably keep my ear to ground for a third…..used machine. This machine can do a lot for what it is. It was just what I was looking for, affordable, small footprint cnc. It put me in the cnc game without spending tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars (yet) and taking up a large portion of my valuable shop space.
I have a heavy mechanical background so working on tools is nothing new.
I also have a computer background so hardware and software upgrades are a given as well.
I see this machine just like every other tool in my shop which I have back ups for(at least one and usually two). I don't have time to stop and fix a machine in the middle of a project just to finish, I am always on a timeline…another project waiting with a schedule.

Once again this forum has been an incredible asset. If a machine is down I come on here and read, read, read…………usually back running in no time.

[rcdages]

Flat out I love my A and C machines.

I have all the softwear and I am using 2.004 and love it.
Long ago I found it to be worth keeping up with the newest upgrades.