Community College teacher wanting CNC recommendations

[Brandon MacDougall]

This guy made his own ER spindle, he will try anything! Here is a small thread about his dust cap he made http:// forum.carvewright.com/showthread.php?18608-To-Carve-the-Dust-Cap

[james mcgrew]

that is a right cute dustcap, so i guess the answer is it is not worth fixing the carvewright ? i am still at a loss for what the brass button has to do with the spindle as an er collet is a wrenched item

i was watching some of his other vids it looks like he siezes the shaft for a bit change, seems carvewright would want this

[Brandon MacDougall]

so i guess the answer is it is not worth fixing the carvewright ?

Run it down to your local math lab I am sure one of the kids could fix it for under 300 bucks that is if your not just pulling my leg...

[james mcgrew]

i would really like to fix it would you mind giving your friend my contact, i can probably find him thru you tube. not sure i would go as far as he did, is the upgrade spindle a wrench use or is it still the click and hold collet

[james mcgrew]

no need to hijack this thread, been studying the carve tight and may just tackle this thing again !!

[Brandon MacDougall]

You could just need a "carvetight" it's a new spindle replacement around $200.00.

[james mcgrew]

i destroyed two of the qc collets, this was the reason i put it down (that and my 100.000.00 cnc addicton) the new collet looks good, mine still runs

thanks

[Brandon MacDougall]

i destroyed two of the qc collets, this was the reason i put it down (that and my 100.000.00 cnc addiction) the new collet looks good, mine still runs

Hi Jim,
the old Qc is a bad choice and not reliable so the "Carvetight" is the replacement part for the CNC it's a good chuck and the way to go " I own one" also as a option, the "Rock chuck" made by a master machinist in Ohio "I own three" and custom ER ones built like the one above.

Brandon

[AL Ursich]

I am with Brandon on the School or Community Colege getting a few CarveWright's as a starting point for learning the ways of a CNC. Having say, 4 machines would help prevent the bottleneck of getting projects done. And with the Free Software Download, Students could work at home and with the cost of the machine possibly purchase one for home to continue process.

Sure we would like to all start out cutting a sheet of plywood into kitchen cabinets. Making Small Signs, Clocks, Games, CO2 Slot Cars is a excellent starting point.... School is a Starting Place.... what better place to start than easy to use Designer Software. With Memory Cards being cheap, Students could buy there own CW card to store projects or even Easier... Store them on USB Pocket Zip Drives... From Home to School...

Sure, it would be great watching a Shop Bot cut a single project while the Class is in session, but imagine the excitement when 4 projects can be carved at once.

I post over on the CarveWright Forum as Digitalwoodshop and my 2 websites reflect my 7 day a week bussiness.... What better thing for a old Retired Navy Chief to do... Get 4 CW's.... I cut tag stock for my Successful Fire Accountability Tags Products as seen in the scrap FRP sheets.

I once dreamed of getting at Shop Bot..... It was PERFECT for my buisiness... Then I saw the Sears TV Ad on the Discovery Channel target to guys like me... I had one ordered by the end of the night..... The more expensive Shop Bot was 5 years away....

Now at the almost 5 year point, I will be spending that Shop Bot Money on a Direct Jet 2-17 Full Color Flatbed Printer. The 4 CW's do everything I need including cutting PVC Letters for a build sign.

AL

[james mcgrew]

ok, ok, so i can see why brandon thought i was pulling his leg and this is fair i kinda felt that way earlier as it invoked feelings i had when i and many others were put off by the CW company in the beginning, many know my story, i was eating lunch with the employees had a pocket full of money from a job finish and the sears commercial came on, ( june of 07) well i got right up and went to sears, they had no clue what i was asking for (and still don't) t took a bit to convince them to take my money (never had to teach the salesman like that before) and two days later i got my CW (compucarve) off i went just like the commercial i was cutting in minutes !!! in a few days the collet (QC) came apart, ok ok got a new one and purchased the centerline (vcarve) text. well one breakdown after another and i quickly saw this was not going to cut it in my world, it is just not the industrial quality i would need in the world of cabinetmaking (and what would become the chess players, 72" eagle,globe and anchors etc,) on the other hand it is what i expected a desktop with some limitations,yet it is in the right price range for that,,, after CW said the screws for my cover (which vibrated out) was about 200.00 plus shipping 300.00+ there was no way i was spending any more money on it... (carvewright used a good many customers as guinea pigs till they got the machine right)

and off to CAMaster i went...but that is another story

so fast forward to today

i went out and cleaned the barn (i knew i would not do this without some stageing) i got the CW out and put it up on the table, found the reader with the card in it (notice the blue tape replacement cover hinge) lo and behold the card still had the last file i ran in it so i figured what the heck without even lubing up the shaft i ran the machine and it did exactly what it was supposed to !!!!!!!!!!!! as i told brandon earlier today (and man i absolutly admire his work !!!!) i am gonna spend a few more bucks and clean her up for some small use around the farm (gonna put a new 510 CAMaster atc out here in the fall) but there are some signs (horse barns which need upgrading) so i am gonna fix her up one more time (it has had less than 8 weeks actual use including today)now i know Al,s work well i still follow the cw forum and am well aware of the capabilitys for a tuned individual with this machine, unfortunantly a school is not that,, where the true enthusiast will do what ever to obtain sucess with a machine a school will not, niether will most if not all employees in a commercial shop, for this reason i would not recommend a carvewright for institutional use, the turnover just will not follow what it needs nor will it prepare a student for operationg commercial machinery, now for an introduction possibly yet it (the carvewright) is such a fantastic machine at simplification it almost removes all elements of geometry, physics and machine operation.

i can truley respect the passion for one who owns these type of carving machines and i am well aware the CW has come a long way!!

i own one and today i got reaquainted with it,, yet for a school,, sorry i cannot go there


IMG_9107.jpgIMG_9106.jpgIMG_9105.jpgIMG_9104.jpg

[AL Ursich]

Well said, Great points.... A Ringneck Blues Dust collector and $50.00 investment would be a great investment.

Good Luck,

AL

[Brandon MacDougall]

i still follow the cw forum and am well aware of the capabilitys for a tuned individual with this machine, unfortunantly a school is not that,, where the true enthusiast will do what ever to obtain sucess with a machine a school will not, niether will most if not all employees in a commercial shop, for this reason i would not recommend a carvewright for institutional use, the turnover just will not follow what it needs nor will it prepare a student for operationg commercial machinery, now for an introduction possibly yet it (the carvewright) is such a fantastic machine at simplification it almost removes all elements of geometry, physics and machine operation.

James a little harsh to say the least and kinda insulating to a lot of people who can't afford your CNC's.


Here is one of the types of instruments we build including a newly designed electric bridge carved on the unit with internal wire and pickup chases. I set it up so a 19 year old could do it Hehh heh.

http://www.liquidguitars.com/LG5RR001.jpg
http://www.liquidguitars.com/assets/...ngreenR001.jpg

[james mcgrew]

last week a client (a school) want a piece that was real tricky,, she also came up with a deadline of september 7 and we had started fabrication, she came to see the piece and decided on a major change without any consideration for what she had approved,, we also were working with a material and a bend (radius) against grain we had never done, looking at her changes, lack of understanding of the process i emailed her and cancelled the delivery date,,, boy was she pissed and a few right pert emails later in which she did everthing she could (including shame) to get me to re enter the work, she told me she was going to have to inform the principle of my failure to deliver and the consequences........ sure enough the principle showed up and said, " boy you sure have rocked her boat (his diplomatic way of saying i pissed her off) yet i came to thank you as we (the school) can ill afford to make mistakes as our budgets are sooo tight we have no room for mistakes.. now when can we reset the date and see what has to be done to accomplish the project.. i looked at him and said " Doing the right thing is not always popular nor easy,, but it is a requirement of my job"

one of my largest reasons for my not seeing the CW as a school machine is the in ability of the common school shop to work on it, all parts are propietary and so is the software, (and it is some cool software) i downloaded the software last night and it is not free one must register within 30 days, this is done to keep control of an income stream both initially and in the future, CW is not gonna give licences out at random to students. the issure of future repair is another, with a joes cnc, camaster or shopbot the local mechanic, cnc operator or machine shop can get parts and keep it running (and quick too!) i work with two local schools (donated a cnc to one) consult and guest teach for free, (although the reward to me is greater than that) i make these observations with an intent of being non biased and in the best interest of the school not the machine as i own or have owned a shopbot, camaster and a Carvewright, i met joe in texas and he gave me a set of plans i may just yet build that one too!

the Carvewright has a place (well earned) in the cnc world, Brandon and Al's work is proof of this,, i personally do not think a general shop class is one of these places.

one more small note, i do not sell cnc machines. many here on this forum have been to my shop and seen first hand what i do, yet i am flattered that someone thinks i could !!

[Connie Ratisseau]

There are many CW's in classrooms from middle schools to universities to prison systems; rehabilitation centers (even for the blind), commercial shops and artist studios. CW is more affordable for most schools and it is a great introduction to CNC. It has it's fit and it's purpose. I hear too, that it gets along very well with the "big boys" that it shares a shop with.

As far as the software goes, with DXF & STL Importer and the ability to export to STL using the Scanning Probe & Pattern Editor, proprietary software is more of a non-issue. Technology advances. Just because you no longer program in Fortran or Cobol, does not mean you are not a computer programmer. You no longer need to know html in order to create a website. Software has moved more object oriented.

Preventive maintenance is key with the machine and the new C version is much more solid. One of my favorite posts on the CW forum is from Al Ursich (digitalwoodshop) where he posted:

Well look at that.... 33 Posts chasing a 3 inch tail Pilot Error... LOL....

Glad you got it working correct.... I see a former 3 inch sled getting the Fire Wood Treatment...

Well, at least is was a Troubleshooting Post.... Darn Machine is getting so reliable that it is putting the Maytag Repairman like me out of business... LOL...

AL

[james mcgrew]

"There are many CW's in classrooms from middle schools to universities to prison systems; rehabilitation centers (even for the blind), commercial shops and artist studios. CW is more affordable for most schools and it is a great introduction to CNC. It has it's fit and it's purpose. I hear too, that it gets along very well with the "big boys" that it shares a shop with."

could not agree with this more, espaecially the word "introduction" it worked for me...and it is safe enough for small children,,,, yet


we are members of the AWI, cabinet makers in the commercial world, the end users along with many other industries (printing, metal signage etc) where the result of an education is paramount to manufacturing, that said if a young fellow/person came to my shop and represented himself to be capable of operating a cnc machine and on the level of experience he listed "Carvewright" he would be shown the door. sorry i want autocad, gcode, and safety operations, this machine has a reason and a place, but i do not see its methods as better than industry standards. this would be a case of saving too much money which while that sounds redundant is a very real problem.