Hi, I want to buy a Shapeoko XL but I need to work with some 3 1/2 inch thick materials.
What is the maximal material thickness on the Shapeoko XL?
I don’t need to cut through the whole thickness but want to engrave thick materials.
I don’t need to cut through the whole thickness but want to engrave thick materials.
You can remove the waste board and gain some extra height. You can also prop it up on the corners/ replace the leveling feet with All thread and remove the center support straps and gain a lot of extra height as long as you bolt it to a stiff enough chassis.
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how deep do you need to mill into it, that would affect the answer since the bit has to stick out the bottom of the router.
1/3 inch (8,5mm) will be enough.
It’s damn close, but this picture is from my 1/4" pegboard wasteboard so there’s another 1/4" available.
EDIT: This is a SO3 not the XL sorry, I think the XL is taller though? Take it as good news but let someone with an XL chime in.
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Yes, the XL and XXL plates are taller — I get about 4.25" below the bottom of the carriage to the surface of the wasteboard — that includes a roughly 1/2" lip where the front and rear plates are higher than the wasteboard.
nice! I just placed my order 
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