Before you proceed to cut things, make sure you understand the workflow and are comfortable with it.
(I have a short section about it here in the ebook).
Check out the tutorials here :
You’ll have to set zeroes every time you load new stock onto the wasteboard or change/adjust the endmill, or load a new G-code file (which may have the zero point defined in some other location). The machine will however remember where you last set your zeroes even when powered off.
It is recommended to add a wasteboard on top of the baseboard that came with your machine (which is much less easily replaceable). So basically you buy a sheet of 3/4" MDF, cut it to the size of the reachable work area, and then typically drill a pattern of holes and install threaded inserts in them, such as to be able to use clamps for workholding.
There are many threads about this if you search the forum, I’m not sure which one is the most up to date and complete, @WillAdams will probably be able to refresh my memory about that.
A good approach on that is a three-layered system since one wants to achieve three different purposes:
structure/bottom: original MDF baseplate (sealed with spar urethane or lacquer) with some holes and threaded inserts installed from underneath for adding points to secure from above — a replacement of the original may be easily fashioned by sourcing a piece of MDF, removing the original, clamping it to the blank and cutting it to size and transferring the holes using transfer punches, drills, and countersinks.
workholding/middle: a threaded insert board no more larger than the working area by the reach of a clamp (but, see below) which has holes in that border area which match up with the threaded insert holes in the bottom layer to secure it (making it the same size as the working area may be simpler), a grid of holes in the working area field for threaded inserts installed for workholding, and additional holes with threaded inserts to secure — discussion of bootstrapping this at: Notes on rapid positions and wasteboard leveling
spoilboard/top: a sacrificial cutting material the size of the supported working area plus the diameter of the endmill used for surfacing along X, and endmill radius along Y, (with a matching radius at the back corner) which has holes in it to match the threaded insert board for workholding purposes (these may be drilled at need) and holes to secure it to the threaded insert middle layer. Wasteboard Plans with threads