Trying to understand the workable cutting area of the Shapeoko 5, I have the 4x4. In my head I expected I could cut around anything MDF. When the machine is off, I can slide the gantry to directly in front of the hybrid table and a 1/8th bit clears the edge of the MDF.
However, when homed / on, that is not the case. See the photo below. I am used to using the front edge of the table to align a workpiece horizontally. But, then I cannot actually use BitZero or really cut past that edge.
I am just wondering if I am missing something or how to think about this.
Some of the MDF is expected to be cut by the radius of the tool — the machine also has a bit of a safety margin when jogging in Carbide Motion, so can actually move a bit further when cutting a file.
If you want to be able to interact with the very front-edge you can do the “Gantry Shift” and move the gantry to the forward set of holes, ~3.2" (but then a commensurate area can’t be cut at the back).
The published specs call for the full 4x4 cut area. As @WillAdams said the configuration sets a safety margin so you cannot run into the Y axis rails during jogging. However when executing gcode you could tell the X and Y to go a mile to the side to side or front to back. You would hit the mechanical stops but there is no limit to the gcode when cutting only the mechanical limits of the machine.
