Everything on the Carvey is controlled by their website at easel.inventables.com/carvey. You'll need to create an account, then you can get started!
First of all, it's important to know your material. In the top right of the page, there is an option to select your material (circled in red in the above image). This will give a dropdown menu to select your material. Pick the option most similar to what you are using. Directly to the right of that, you have to select your bit. These are differentiated by color and have different purposes for smoother or more precise cuts in certain materials. An exemplar for each type of wood is available next to the machine. These can easily be switched in the machine by using the two supplied wrenches. In the website, select whichever bit you are using. More in depth information on bits can be found here.
You also need the measurements of your material. You can use a ruler for width and length, but theelectronic caliper should be used to precisely determine the thickness of the material. Enter these into the measurement boxes (in the red box in the website pictured above).
Once you have your measurements, you can fix the material into place. Use the screws and stair-like stands to clamp the piece of wood into place in the bottom left of the bird, so the bottom left corner is clamped underneath the built-in corner clamp. Once that's done, you can get to work on your design.
Across the top of the menu are a few options for shapes and a pen tool to draw straight line. However, you likely want to go more in depth than that. The box labeled "T" is the option to insert text (in a green box pictured above). It gives many different font options and lets you enter customized text, which you can then resize and reposition. To the right is an option to insert icons, which gives a large list of built in images on the carved that you can insert, move, and resize with ease.
Most importantly, there is an option labeled "Import" (in the blue box pictured above). This allows you to easily insert an image found on the internet or saved anywhere in your computer. Select image trace from the drop down menu, then upload the image you want to insert. If the image doesn't show up as desired at first, try moving the threshold slider to the left or right. You can also change the smoothness to try to smooth out corners.
NOTE: Be careful not to place any designs where your clamps are attached. You can use the measurements on the cutting board and the website to make sure your design is positioned safely.
Once you have your design, you can edit a few different things. By selecting a piece of your design, you can change the depth with a slider or by entering the desired depth. You can also switch from carving out an entire design to just carving the outline by selecting outline instead of fill and vice-versa.
Once your design is complete, make sure the Carvey is closed and press the carve button in the top right. At any time, you can pause the carve bob pressing the pause button which will replace the carve button or by pressing the blue button on the bottom right of the Carvey itself. Once the carve is done, unscrew the clamps holding your material in place and remove it.
NOTE: Once you are done, use the vacuum cleaner to clean out the inside of the machine of all sawdust.
As you test out what is possible with Carvey, you may start to play with some more advanced features. However, the more complex features are not at all necessary for making the most out of Carvey, especially with a beginning project.
