Originally Posted by
louieatienza
Well, if your cutting area is 4' x 5', you have to consider the largest tool diameter you're going to use, plus over-travel for limit and home switches (though with Mach3 and others you can use limit switches as home switches.) You may have to "lead in" to the edge of a workpiece and that adds additional travel. Add to this, the width of the extremities of your bearing blocks. If the spindle center is outside the footprint of the bearing blocks, that too will require more travel. The seals will add to the block footprint. Every inch wasted is money...