Ok, it might seem like I've been a yo-yo with in-stock, outta-stock, back in-stock announcements for the Rockler CNC Shark and the Shark Pro...

Fact is, these cnc routers are very very popular and in huge demand. To help keep these things in front of you, I'm happy to announce that I'm now one of Rockler's affiliate outlets.

This means that you can buy these puppies right from the source. In addition to the two Shark models, you have full access to Rockler's entire product line.

I'm very excited about this new development and I hope you will be too.

CNC Shark Pro Routing System As the bigger brother to the original CNC Shark™, the diversely capable CNC Shark Pro™ offers twice the workable area and increased strength, making it perfect for a wide variety of larger machining, .. CNC Shark Pro Routing System

CNC Shark Routing System Now includes 5.0 software, 1/2'' dia. V-groove router bit and two hold-down clamps! Bring the speed and precision of computer-controlled machinery to your shop with this top value CNC system. CNC Shark Routing System

Bosch Colt™ Variable-Speed Palm Router Kit Put power and precision in the palm of your hand! While it may look like a laminate trimmer, this compact (7-1/2" high) and lightweight (3.3 lbs.) router is more than shop-worthy with a 1.0 HP motor. Bosch Colt™ Variable-Speed Palm Router Kit

Got myself sitting in the warm sunshine of Palm Springs. Still lots of stuff to do before I can consider myself settled in but at least the big drive is over.

Now to get a permanent home established and I can continue my work with this favored hobby of mine.

Going to be offline for a while as I make my way from Wisconsin to California.

I'm really excited about starting this new chapter in my life. I'm also excited about all the new ideas I want to bring with me into this website.

There's going to be a small pause as I move from the midwest to the west coast but that shouldn't be more than a couple of weeks.

Till then - You keep carving. See you soon.

Just issued the next release of my wood carving tip newsletter.

This is tip #8 and the theme of the newsletter is "How to Find Help". I show you how to find help on user forums when you have a problem or question about your wood carving project. It's a little secret that generates huge results and gets you the answers you need.

Of course the only way to start receiving these tips is to sign up for my newsletter. It's fast, easy, and FREE!

Just fill out the form in the sidebar on this page or go to the main page and fill in the form there.

Starting to excited about my move to the west coast. Not going to be taking much in the way of personal belongings with the exception of my tools. I began putting the tools aside that I want to take with me. Room is limited so I have to plan accordingly.

I have a living place lined up but there isn't any provision for a workshop so I will have to see what sort of garage or workspace rental I can find once I get to Palm Springs.

Hello again everyone. I just posted another video tutorial for using the Carvewright design software. This episode teaches you how to customize the tool bars to your own liking. Head over to the Video Tutorials page to watch.

I began a new series of video tutorials today on how to use the Carvewright Design Software. This is going to be a very comprehensive series. The software is pretty sophisticated so I’m anticipating there will be quite a few videos to this set. Scoot over to the Video Tutorials page to watch the first in this new series.

I want to thank Don and Andes for pointing out a problem with my Tip #6 Newsletter. I also want to apologize to them and to any other subscriber that was unable to click on the links.

The original newsletter contained two links for books I thought were pretty interesting. These books dealt with making mechanical toys.

I believe I have fixed the problem so that future recipients will be able to click thru.

For those of you that had the same trouble, here are those links.

The first is called AutoMata and Mechanical Toys
_Be sure to look at the inside flap and back cover for examples of some of the neat toys this book will teach you how to make.

The second is called Making Mechanical Marvels in Wood
_Toys here are more complex and showcase some very interesting mechanical attributes.


NOTE: Since putting the newsletter together, I found a new book on making mechanical models out of wood.



It’s called Making Wooden Mechanical Models
_This is a book for the serious model maker. I salivate when I look at these pages hoping that one day I will be able to complete a couple of the projects shown here. This is a VERY interesting text!!

I made a huge mistake and made someone look bad at the same time.

Michael Tyler from CarveBuddy.com put together a posting on the Carvewright forum stating that I had put together some nice videos showing how to use the Carvewright machine.

I truly appreciate this nice gesture and it sent about 2 dozen people to my site. Unfortunately, last week I updated the website software and in the process screwed the video page up big time.

Mike’s recommendations carry a lot of weight and my site being broken was not a good thing to have happen. I got the problem fixed but now I have to figure out a way to make it up to Mike.

Started reworking the Store page(s) to create categories.

Also added an AUCTIONS page for those of you looking for a bargain on pre-owned carvewright machines, woodworking tools, and wood carving accesories.

Some pages are still under construction so please be patient.

Introduced my nephew to the Carvewright. He's been building decorative boxes since he was a sophomore in high school. He'd never seen one of these contraptions before and was amazed at what it could do. Now he wants a machine of his own.

Told him now is the time to buy - they’re on sale and he could use the savings from both the machine and the free shipping to apply towards getting that accesory bit set. He rubbed his chin and I could tell he was thinking it over real serious like,

Spent some time on the CarveWright forum looking for some answers to a few questions I have about dust collection.

I put together an extra video describing the great deal now being offered by my major affiliate sponsor.

To take advantage of this super program, watch the video and then click on the saving link.
CarveWright Best Deal EVER!!

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Whether you are looking for your first machine, or another additional machine for your shop, this deal can't be beat anywhere else on the internet.

Get in on the savings and start a new adventure in wood carving by clicking here.

Made a new video to followup on the last. Titled: How to Clean Your CarveWright
Visit the video tutorials page to view it.

I spent quite a bit of time trying to find a software tool I could use to modify image colors as I had described in my last post. I tried half a dozen different packages and none of them seemed to do what I wanted to do. It seemed like a fairly simple task and yet there was only one tool that held out any promise...
Then, I decided to do some reading and found my answer. I say I did some reading, because I really need to drive home the fact that even though I've been preaching about reading the manual, I failed to do so with a software tool I've been using for years.
When I read the manual again, I found that what I wanted to do was right there!!! What a dork I was - if I had only followed my own advice I could have cut weeks off of this process.
I will be making a screencast soon to illustrate the process.

I've been working with the software to design patterns... The software can import pictures, graphic elements, clip art, and a lot of other forms of digital artwork. It converts those images into a grayscale format. It does this by taking the pixels and changing them to different levels of white and dark. These differing shades of light and dark are then converted to depth. the darker the pixel, the deeper the depth.
While trying my hand at scanning images and converting them to patterns, I found that I needed to do some manipulations to the scanned images. This especially true of clip art. Clip art is strictly black and white and so the carving would turn out to be very exaggerated. What I need to do is find a way to adjust the images and change or rather swap colors.

The next video is now available. I want to thank all you folks for being patient with me (again). I hope you enjoy this film. I finally get the machine doing some work. I realize I'm new to this tool, but I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoy working with it. The video is a bit longer (15 minutes) than my usual lot, but I do cover quite a bit of material.
Visit the video tutorials page to view it.

Having a blast putting some of my ideas for patterns into action.
The scanner I was using gave up the ghost and my newest multifunction printer/scanner/copier/fax machine doesn't do a very good job so I had to resurrect an older scanner. I stopped using it when I bought a multifunction machine some time earlier. It's one of those things that end up working for the better cause I forgot how nice a job it did and how good the software worked. I gave up a lot of quality for the sake of convenience with the multi machine.
A good scanner and software doesn't cost much and yields great results. A definite must if you plan on creating your own patterns.

I've been working on a number of patterns the last couple of weeks. It's taken me a bit of time to get comfortable with the software (which is to be expected). I think I still have a long way to go, but I feel I'm over the major hurdles. I got a good grasp of the basics and now I can go about trying to learn a new tidbit here and there.
This is the part of software use I like the most; finding those little things that make your project pop! It's like being on a treasure hunt and finding the magic ring.

Hello fellow carvers...
i want to apologize for not being very topical of late.
i'm in the middle of some family stuff, and as you might imagine, it's consuming a bigger amount of time that i would like.
i haven't forgotten about you - in fact, i've been working (albeit slowly) on developing some patterns. every spare minute i get is going to that endeavor.
i know you've all had moments like the ones i'm having now, so i feel pretty confident knowing you'll understand.
thanks as always, for stopping by and hold your patience for just a bit longer and i'll be back with stuff to share.

my best,
_Matt

submitted this site to Technorati - the tracking code lies within. want them to start crawling and indexing this blog.
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Got the "GO" from Rusty - thinks this is a great idea and so i went and ordered the machine today. last day to get the "GET-IT-ALL" deal. took a few minutes to register a new user name and join the forum and order the machine.