CoRE for Dummies (How to get started and make your first Piston)

I have followed the instructions to install CoRE and it is installed and in my smart apps tab. My problem is that when I try to create a piston, a spinning wheel pops up momentarily and then goes away. Nothing happens then.

If I leave the app and go back in, there is a blank line with an arrow over the piston line. The same thing happens if I click either one of them…spinning wheel then nothing.

Does anyone have an idea as to what might be going on?