1013 IntelliCarve Automatic Carving Machine

I was very excited to try this product. Unfortunately, I could not get the proprietary software to install correctly. I followed the provided instructions but can't get it to work on my pc, an hp pavillion dv7.The manufacturer explained that the program needs to be run as an administrator, this allowed me to get it running. I was cutting moments later. The controls are pretty intuitive and simple. I have since cut mdf, plywood and corian using the files provided.I have also been able to take images and have the system cut them. This is really gratifying. The Oliver Machinery 1013 works perfectly, I am working on mastering my photo processing software so I can get it to cut with better resolution.Cutting Corian with this is awesome. The detail is fantastic. I hope I can get it to cut lithophanes soon, at this point tho, it is clear that the machine is quality and competently constructed. I am just learning how to give it what it needs.I feel that the documentation could offer a lot more detail and support but the system is simple enough that the fact that the documentation could be better is not an impediment, just a minor inconvenience.Now that I have cut some objects I am much much happier with the product and my initial frustration is gone.Rusty

The most positive things I can say about this machine is that it is built like a tank! Very sturdy and I could find no flex in the gantry or anywhere. It carved images very well and the spindle is surprisingly quiet, I could listen to the radio in my shop while it was carving. The way the images supplied with the unit are carved is interesting. I carves a lot like a printer prints. The "X" axis moves the Cutter across the wood while the "Z" Axis provides the relief to the image. As the "X" axis reached the end of its programmed travel the "Y" axis, which is the table to which the wood is secured, increments on the order of seven to ten thousandths of an inch. So in the analogy of the printer, the wood is the paper.Using the software is easy. once the image is loaded and a few simple data boxes are filled in it generates a file with the extension of .GEE. This is copied to a flash drive. The flash drive is then inserted into a USB port on the carver. The system is homed first by the software using prompts on the LCD Panel. Then a zero point is chosen by the user on the wood for X, Y and Z using the key pads. The position is then zeroed using the key pads. Finally the carver is told to "process" the file. Sit back and watch it work.The manual states that the carver can accept G Code to carve other things. This is the downfall of the carver. I tried 5 different well known software packages widely used in the CNC world, none supported the Intellicarver directly. For the most part the carver did nothing. The iPicture software included was supposed to be able to translate a G Code file into a .GEE file. It did so but the carver failed to carve anything. It appears to append only a header to the file and change the extension to .GEE. I had moderate to low success using one of the software packages to carve a wing spar in pine. The problem was that the Y axis could not position the table accurately to allow several passes through the wood where the Z Axis was incremented to carve a little deeper each pass. I even tried to "Air" carve the file where I set the carver up so it thought it was carving wood but in fact was above the wood. Even then, the Y Axis became lost after the first pass. The X Axis made a horrible racket, louder than the spindle noise!I packed it up and sent it back to Amazon. In retrospect it is possible that the Y axis was designed to accomplish what I wanted, but the control software in the carver was not able to process the commands. I might have been able to replace the "brains" of the carver with another computer/driver set up and then it might have worked as a free carving machine using standard G Code. I thought this option was probably not a good one at the time. It would have cost several hundred dollars more. I might have been able to petition Oliver to update the internal firmware as well. But but if they never did so, I would have been stuck with the machine.If you want the capability of lithopanes and carving relief panels and that is all, then this is an option at a reasonable cost. If you want to carve objects then it is not. I gave it a two star rating because of the sturdiness of the machine, this would be a 4 or 5 star by itself. But the fact that I could not carve objects, like a mantle clock body, I can only give it a 2 star rating.One further note, the box my carver came in had two additional packing memo pouches on the box not including the one for my purchase. There was saw dust inside the machine as well. I suspect that this machine was shipped at least twice before it was shipped to me. So I think it might have been defective, or, two owners before me found it lacking in capability as I did and sent it back.

Does what it says it does, however all curves are stepped and require substantial sanding or other hand work. As a solution you can run Artcam (additional purchase $149.00) and this does a reasonable job however, as stated in the manual, problems do arise in the Y axis. The Y axis gets out of calibration as the machining proceeds, this causes mislocations when the machine repositions to a new location in the Y axis. This is expecially noticable when through cutting because the deeper levels are stepped, or at the end of a maching operation when the machine attempts to return to it's home position. The out of calibration in the Y axis may trip the manual limit switch and the machine shuts down. This looses the values of the start location in machine memory, and unless you have written down the starting location coordinates to digitally realign with the original start point, it is unlikely you can exactly realign manually with the original orgin. This results in all further machining operations being slightly misaligned with the earilier operations. Hence any multi-step operations, such as when a cutting tool change is required, become unpredictable since the Y axis likely will not experience the exact same changes in calibration.It's too bad there isn't an alternative machine, at least that I'm aware of, priced between this machine at approximately $2000 and others with more capabilities,like the Oliver 1015 or the Shark both priced in the $4200 range.

Easy to set up and start carving, but little or no support from Oliver. No suggested projects to make, you are on your own.