The danger of not staying under the rollers then having the machine do cutting or carving within 3.5 inches of the end of the board is that while the board is only being held by one roller it can sag on the heavy end sticking out of the machine. When it does, it lifts the board at the BIT... So if you are carving you will see a line that carves deeper as the board was lifted into the bit. If you are doing a Cut Path then the lift can bind the 1/8 inch bit and snap it... Also while the board is lifted the BRASS ROLLER will loose contact with the board and the board will drive and offset your X Cutting.
MY Cure for FrugAL use of WOOD is to tape a 4 inch piece of scrap wood on the board and draw a 4 inch rectangle in Designer and keep your art out of the 4 inch scrap area. NOW the board will be held by BOTH Rollers and yet STILL Get to the end of the board.
The first picture was a 4 pass cut path where the board was being held by only 1 roller and offset every pass in X.
Other pictures are how I cheat to keep the board under both rollers. I also use masking tape on the bottom of the board.
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