ART at WORK
Member
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2010
- Messages
- 211
I got my Carvex 420 yesterday but havent had any time to play with it or to make a film as cutting it is just not possible at the mo.
So here are some pictures and a few comments. Most of you have seen the 400 reviews and I cant see a lot of differences.
I bought the one with the handle as I prefer this smaller grip when Im cutting for a longer time the big barrel is tiring for me.
The first thing I noticed at the dealers was the weight difference. My old Metabo must be double the weight of the carvex. Nice weight loss.
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I don't know what the old 400 was like so I can't make any comparison. I use a jigsaw to cut out shapes seldom to cut a straight line.
I think the only change is the clamping function of the saw guide.
[attachimg=#]
It has an screw which is tightened with an allen key. In the instructions they say you have to “adjust the saw blade guide after every blade change” Would make sense, but a fiddle job every time.
So I started off with the S75/4 FSG which comes with the saw. Shiny golden look.
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There is a bit of movement front to back even with the pendulum is on zero. the blade sits about 2 mm of the guide face.
[attachimg=#]
So I tighten the screw as best I could to fit the blade.
[attachimg=#]
I tightened the blade with it pushed back against the roller, as I said a bit of a fiddle.
[attachimg=#]
My first test was cutting out a series of figures of Kokopelli from a stack of very soft ply. The big blade did an amazingly good job in such soft easily splintering wood.
[attachimg=#]
I had some difficulties with the small curvers, not surprsing. So I chanded to a small curve cutting blade. So it was back to adjusting the guide again. Good job one can take the base off or it would really suck getting at the little grub.
[attachimg=#]
I had to close the jaws almost completely for this little blade.
[attachimg=#]
I must say I like the blade eject system, a little leaver is simply pushed to rotate by a leaver way back on the body. Fingers away from the hot blades.
[attachimg=#]
Push the leaver
[attachimg=#]
I know the blade is already released its just to show the leaver.
[attachimg=#]
Another feature I liked was the clip you can stick in the on off swith so when you have it fixed in a base you can operate it from the dust collector.
[attachimg=#]
Push the leave over and insert the clip which come on a short key ring lanyard.
[attachimg=#]
Tug it and the machine stop amazingly fast. I was happily surprise by the breaking speed and the blade always stops at the top of the stroke out the way.
[attachimg=#]
Working with the small blade the Carvex really started to become a carving tool. It cut very cleanly in a stack of 25mm material. Very little break out even without the splinter guard. I will try this addition another day.
I just used the standard base, would have loved a smaller base to get round the clamp more easily.
[attachimg=#]
You can see the foot got burnt by the larger blade trying to get round the corner.
The smaller blade was fine in the curves. What annoyed me was when I wanted to back up the blade it started jumping out of the giude and I was worried it was going to snap. So this wobbling from front to back is a problem for my way of working.
If one looks closely at the back of the blades you can see where the guide has worn away the edge of the blade. I think there must be some wear issue on the guide and in time it will need replacing.
I will try to find time to do some circles and straight cuts and play with the 45 degree foot in the near future.
The instructions state clearly not to cut circles or straight lines with the guide rail in material thicker than 20 mm.
Was this in the 400 instructions? Or are they just covering for the problems people were having with the circle cutter.
I like the low weight, the excellent dust removal, the strobe light (the blade really looks like its standing still), the blade eject, and all the different base plates. I can only compare it to a 20 year old Metabo that has done me sterling service, just made a heck of a dusty mess.
More to come when I have some time.
So here are some pictures and a few comments. Most of you have seen the 400 reviews and I cant see a lot of differences.
I bought the one with the handle as I prefer this smaller grip when Im cutting for a longer time the big barrel is tiring for me.
The first thing I noticed at the dealers was the weight difference. My old Metabo must be double the weight of the carvex. Nice weight loss.
[attachimg=#]
I don't know what the old 400 was like so I can't make any comparison. I use a jigsaw to cut out shapes seldom to cut a straight line.
I think the only change is the clamping function of the saw guide.
[attachimg=#]
It has an screw which is tightened with an allen key. In the instructions they say you have to “adjust the saw blade guide after every blade change” Would make sense, but a fiddle job every time.
So I started off with the S75/4 FSG which comes with the saw. Shiny golden look.
[attachimg=#]
There is a bit of movement front to back even with the pendulum is on zero. the blade sits about 2 mm of the guide face.
[attachimg=#]
So I tighten the screw as best I could to fit the blade.
[attachimg=#]
I tightened the blade with it pushed back against the roller, as I said a bit of a fiddle.
[attachimg=#]
My first test was cutting out a series of figures of Kokopelli from a stack of very soft ply. The big blade did an amazingly good job in such soft easily splintering wood.
[attachimg=#]
I had some difficulties with the small curvers, not surprsing. So I chanded to a small curve cutting blade. So it was back to adjusting the guide again. Good job one can take the base off or it would really suck getting at the little grub.
[attachimg=#]
I had to close the jaws almost completely for this little blade.
[attachimg=#]
I must say I like the blade eject system, a little leaver is simply pushed to rotate by a leaver way back on the body. Fingers away from the hot blades.
[attachimg=#]
Push the leaver
[attachimg=#]
I know the blade is already released its just to show the leaver.
[attachimg=#]
Another feature I liked was the clip you can stick in the on off swith so when you have it fixed in a base you can operate it from the dust collector.
[attachimg=#]
Push the leave over and insert the clip which come on a short key ring lanyard.
[attachimg=#]
Tug it and the machine stop amazingly fast. I was happily surprise by the breaking speed and the blade always stops at the top of the stroke out the way.
[attachimg=#]
Working with the small blade the Carvex really started to become a carving tool. It cut very cleanly in a stack of 25mm material. Very little break out even without the splinter guard. I will try this addition another day.
I just used the standard base, would have loved a smaller base to get round the clamp more easily.
[attachimg=#]
You can see the foot got burnt by the larger blade trying to get round the corner.
The smaller blade was fine in the curves. What annoyed me was when I wanted to back up the blade it started jumping out of the giude and I was worried it was going to snap. So this wobbling from front to back is a problem for my way of working.
If one looks closely at the back of the blades you can see where the guide has worn away the edge of the blade. I think there must be some wear issue on the guide and in time it will need replacing.
I will try to find time to do some circles and straight cuts and play with the 45 degree foot in the near future.
The instructions state clearly not to cut circles or straight lines with the guide rail in material thicker than 20 mm.
Was this in the 400 instructions? Or are they just covering for the problems people were having with the circle cutter.
I like the low weight, the excellent dust removal, the strobe light (the blade really looks like its standing still), the blade eject, and all the different base plates. I can only compare it to a 20 year old Metabo that has done me sterling service, just made a heck of a dusty mess.
More to come when I have some time.
