Wife decided to pick me out a nice toy since I did such a good job on the kitchen this past summer. I've looked at it for over a year and can see some use for it.... But it really seems to be shunned by the woodies! How come?
It has limitations of depth and precision. Was discussed fairly extensively when it first came out. I don't think anybody here has actually gotten one and played with it.
Read the reviews on the Sears site and the posts at
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and if you still want it, let us all know how it works out. This is one tool that I would buy _with_ an extended warranty because apparently it needs it.
When people look at some item I've made and ask, "How'd you do that?", I sometimes tell them I have a computerized woodworking machine in my shop. I tell them I just throw a stick of firewood in one end and it comes out the other end as whatever I want it to be. I think most of us see computerized woodworking tools as just a little too close to my imaginary machine. Sure, it will make neat things, but it's just not woodworking to me. Buy yourself a good hand plane and learn to use it. Then you'll understand. Or not.
DonkeyHody "There's a difference between doing things right and doing the right things."
Y'all are missing the point entirely. The point wasn't about different ways to get a relief carved panel. The point was about the pleasure of working with your hands as opposed to pressing buttons on a machine. Maybe I should have attempted some eloquence about the deep spiritual experience when a razor sharp carving tool trails a curly shaving as it leaves a perfect groove in a panel of good wood. But I've never used carving tools, although I have used a good plane. I expected you to make the leap to the philosophical, but you remained mired in the literal. Pearls before swine.
DonkeyHody "Every man is my superior in that I can learn from him." - Thomas Carlyle
I got your point. One can spend years trying to develop the skill to do what a CompuCarver can do and never get there. Where does one want to put one's effort? And where does the joy derive? For you it's making shavings, for others it's design or finishing or some other aspect. And for still others it's getting paid for the finished product.
Don't assume that your values are the only ones that are valid.
The point was never missed... the kitchen cabinets all made and finished by hand including the island. There are very detailed carvings that I would like to create and duplicate and since I have only one life span the Compucarve could save a great deal of time and offer a lot more options then dying of old age leaving the job unfinished. Some of us really don't have the time to carve specific items that may take months of spare time for one piece whereas in under 5 hours and I can duplicate it, modify it and recreate it at anytime I wish. At some point the finished product simply outways the "process" regardless how noble or spiritual. Having the literal in hand beats 2 philosophicals in the bush.
I don't often troll, but sometimes the Devil makes me do it. I'm pretty much a Normie myself, but I'm discovering the Zen of Neander. Y'all have fun with your compucarver. That's why they make chocolate and vanilla.
DonkeyHody "Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we rushed through life trying to save." - Will Rogers
I got an extensive demo at the AWFS show. Really nice product manager. Great little machine. Not really production shop ready because the work cycle life is too short but great for home work. I think you should pull a few of those upper cab doors in the kitchen and add some nice wheat stocks or other appropriate carving.
I think you can ad lots of interesting elements to custom hand worked projects so it not just a computerized project.
I have been w> Wife decided to pick me out a nice toy since I did such a good job on the
Thanks! Someone is actually helpful! Basically, from my looking into it is that there is a great deal of either time or money into the artwork alone and from some reviews they do question the life cycle of some of the major components. With a 200 hour warranty..... that's most likely half of the learning curve and you know at 201 hours it'll croak.
I downloaded the carvewright software demo and if that's a sign of the product, I'm REALLY concerned it simply crashes. So I went to the Vector Arts and downloaded their application demo and that works fine. I'll play with Corel and the various CAD and see what works best with what. I also don't like their proprietary memory cards.
Overall the good seems to beat out the bad IF you get some life out of it. The uses and freedoms are enormous. The wife was able to get it at $1,699 so I don't think it's that bad of a write off.
I've already got the mantle on the fireplace as well as new crown molding above the cabinets lined up!!!!
I have zero experience with the machine but one of the complaints that I have heard is that you are restricted to the designs that they publish. If true, that would make it a nonstarter for me.
Does anyone have the machine? If so, can you create entirely new designs?
I wouldn't worry about a breakdown. I think the PM said he thought the the main bearings would last over 2,000 hours, but that's just a year in a production shop. He also indicated it would be totally maintainable and is built with standard parts, so I wouldn't expect any reliability problem.
Software can be a problem, that's my business. I didn't do too much looking at that but hopefully that works out OK.
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