Carvex won't start.

[uhyesthatsme]

So, today I was trying to make a soap box racer with my daughter and while cutting out some pieces of pine plywood my carvex just stopped turning on. I thought it had simply come unplugged, because that's what festool tools do, but it was still plugged in fine. I thought it was maybe a circuit breaker that had tripped, but I turned on the dust collector by itself and it turned on fine. I switched to a sander and that worked just fine. I switched out the cord to the carvex and when I flicked the switch the dust collector turned on for a second and then shut off, but the carvex did nothing.
This is beyond frustrating. I pay the premium for these tools because they're supposed to just keep working and be extremely accurate while doing so, but the carvex is really failing at both. This will be the third different festool product I've had to send back to be worked on. First all the screws stripped on my cheap ets 125 sander and it fell apart. Then my beautiful ETS EC150/5 EQ-Plus  stopped turning on just like the carvex is doing now. I own 15 Festool products and three have crapped out on me. That's a 20% fail rate. Not so great. Is there something I'm doing wrong.

Has anyone else had this problem and maybe knows a quick fix?  [big grin]

 

[peter halle]

Welcome to the forum.  Sorry to read about your first post.

With the number of issues you have and after reading here for years I honestly think that you have a bad cord somewhere where the contacts are burned on the tool end and that may be infecting your other tools.

If you use one cord for all tools stop immediately.  Take that cord out of the array and the tools that aren't working will need to be serviced probably.  Just switching cords on them will not work long term if at all.

Sorry.

Peter

PS - Your mention of screws stripping out on your ETS os a new one.  Did they just fall out while using the tool?

 

[rljatl]

...I thought it had simply come unplugged, because that's what festool tools do, but it was still plugged in fine... [big grin]

Came unplugged from the wall or the tool?  If it came unplugged from the tool, you are not attaching the cord correctly to the tool.

If your Festools routinely come unplugged from the wall socket, your wall sockets probably need to be replaced.

 

[uhyesthatsme]

Thanks for the quick responses and thanks for the welcome, Peter.
The tools that stopped starting were used while plugged into two different dust collectors using the cords the tools came with.


Came unplugged from the wall or the tool?  If it came unplugged from the tool, you are not attaching the cord correctly to the tool.

If your Festools routinely come unplugged from the wall socket, your wall sockets probably need to be replaced.
[/quote]

RobBob, the tools always come unplugged at the dust collector. Every time I turn around it's come loose a bit and is hanging out. No matter which dust collector I use.

 

[Bob D.]

"RobBob, the tools always come unplugged at the dust collector.
Every time I turn around it's come loose a bit and is hanging out.
No matter which dust collector I use."

This has been my experience too with my CT-36. The socket on
the CT does not grab the cord snugly, not to the point that it
would resist any pull on the cord. I have not abused mine (I don't
think) as it stays in one place in my shop under the bench and I
use it with my FT sanders only.

 

[peter halle]

What dust collector are you using?  The older CT's had a receptacle that weakened and wouldn't hold cords well.  A replacement receptacle that is designed differently is now available.
Peter

 

[uhyesthatsme]

"What dust collector are you using?  The older CT's had a receptacle that weakened and wouldn't hold cords well.  A replacement receptacle that is designed differently is now available.
Peter"

My dust collectors are about 4 (CT26) and 2 (midi) years old. If that is old enough to have the bad receptacles, can you just order them from Festool? Or maybe just ask for them since the originals are terrible?

 

[jacko9]

I have the CT22 and I have noticed on occasion that my saw wouldn't start until I replugged it into my CT22.  Actually the Festool guys pointed this out to me when I called. 

 

[Holmz]

So, today I was trying to make a soap box racer with my daughter and while cutting out some pieces of pine plywood my carvex just stopped turning on...
...

Well don't do like I do and throw the tool and start swearing like there is no tomorrow...

Rather, scratch your chin and say, "let's do it great Grandpa used to do", and bust out a coping saw.

 

[Bob D.]

What dust collector are you using?  The older CT's had a receptacle that weakened and wouldn't hold cords well.  A replacement receptacle that is designed differently is now available.
Peter

My CT-36 is about 5 years old IIRC. I would have to look it up for an exact date.