Thread: CarveWright

Originally Posted by jfwood

if any one has a question just ask . .

ok,...... whats a CarveWright

Google is your friend...

http://www.carvewright.com/

Carvewright is an cnc machine for carving wood go to Carvewright.com and see dimo.

I know this will probably open a whole can of worms on this forum but here goes anyway. Why is it that there are people out there who think that buying a machine to do the work for you is somehow related to actual woodworking. Machines like this take all of the skill and practice and I believe all of the enjoyment out of woodworking. Whatever happened to developing the skills actually required to doing it by hand. Much more rewarding and you end up having something that is unique rather than something that looks like it was stamped out in a production line. I can understand if you are making a high production item but for the majority of woodworkers on this type of forum I don't believe this is the case.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Tony

Hi Tony you have the wright to say this and i due agree but i and a lot of other
people cant carve but we like to due the rest of the wood work. it's funny that one of thr owners of the CW has 2 carvings in the white House that go on the tree each year.

It's the age old argument isn't it. Probably goes back to the industrial revolution and when the luddites resisted mechanisation. Or even earlier when those using iron tools complained about the advantages of steel or when those using bronze tools complained about iron, or when those using stone tools lamented the loss of flint napping methods to bronze... or maybe not....
I was once at a meeting about setting up a new woodworking workshop/club where I made the suggestion that a chisel morticer would be a good investment to help quickly get some benches made, when some w**nker shouted me down that this is not the done thing, one must cut M&T joints by hand, he went on to add some drivell about being wood machinists, not wood workers.
I you buy the CarveWright to help in your business, that is prudent, if you buy it to make some nice things for your family and friend, isn't that fine? If you buy it and call yourself a woodworker or carver, that is just self deception. If you buy it and flog the results off as 'handmade', that is a whole other kettle of fish.

Cheers
Michael

Thanks from John JFWOOD That was well written.

Originally Posted by mic-d

It's the age old argument isn't it. Probably goes back to the industrial revolution and when the luddites resisted mechanisation.
Michael

ironically, it was the industrial revolution that instigated the craft/arts movement,
wealthy industrialists recognising the loss of skilled craftspeople, started collecting big time,
though I agree, cnc machines are great,
using one to carve and calling yourself a woodcarver is a bit rich

Originally Posted by mic-d

It's the age old argument isn't it. Probably goes back to the industrial revolution and when the luddites resisted mechanisation. Or even earlier when those using iron tools complained about the advantages of steel or when those using bronze tools complained about iron, or when those using stone tools lamented the loss of flint napping methods to bronze... or maybe not....
I was once at a meeting about setting up a new woodworking workshop/club where I made the suggestion that a chisel morticer would be a good investment to help quickly get some benches made, when some w**nker shouted me down that this is not the done thing, one must cut M&T joints by hand, he went on to add some drivell about being wood machinists, not wood workers.
I you buy the CarveWright to help in your business, that is prudent, if you buy it to make some nice things for your family and friend, isn't that fine? If you buy it and call yourself a woodworker or carver, that is just self deception. If you buy it and flog the results off as 'handmade', that is a whole other kettle of fish.

Cheers
Michael

I have no problems with technology changes otherwise I wouldn't own any woodworking machines at all and I wouldn't work in a metal machining workshop that utilises top of the line CNC machines. What I have a problem with is this type of machine requires very little skill at all to use. If it was a CNC machine that required you to write the programing for it to operate, I can understand that, as it is a skill that can be developed. There is no doubt that this type of machine has it's place in a commercial setting, however I don't believe that a home woodworker requires this type of machine.

Also the comment about not being able to carve I believe is a bit of a cop out. If you really wanted to learn to carve then I do believe that it is a skill that can be developed just like any other woodworking skill. If you have enough mechanical dexterity to wood turn or cut joints then why wouldn't you have enough dexterity to carve. I would much rather see someone spend that type of money on a set of carving tools and lessons.

Lets face it, if a few woodworkers within your area had this type of machine what is the consumer going to like. Something that looks like it came out of some production factory where everyone looks the same or something unique that is made by hand and designed to suit the timber used. I think we should leave the cookie cutter industry to those who believe that thinking and design isn't a requirement of work or workmanship.

I am not too sure why anyone would want to spend that much money on a machine that dumbs down your skill level rather than something that can help improve it. Isn't that what life is about - improving and developing whatever we put our minds to, not dumbing ourselves down.

Let him enjoy his machine and his wood working. Hand him a lump of wood and he'll hand you a nice carving a few days later, who really cares how he got there, as long as he's honest about it. The art is in the design, not the process or style of manufacture. This sentence from Michael sums it up:

"If you buy the CarveWright to help in your business, that is prudent, if you buy it to make some nice things for your family and friend, isn't that fine? If you buy it and call yourself a woodworker or carver, that is just self deception. If you buy it and flog the results off as 'handmade', that is a whole other kettle of fish."

turns craftsmen into proccess workers i reckon . anything that can be done by unskilled labour, is done overseas by poorly paid workers . cheers bob

Sorry to drag up this old thread, but I found an funny youtube video that follows up my earlier post.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpeqPdVyQd0"]YouTube - That Mitchell and Webb look se2 Bronze Age Orientation Day[/ame]

Cheers
Michael