Machine

Machine settings define how a project item is prepared for cutting.

Each project item can use one of three machine workflows:

• CNC
• Laser
• Traditional
• Table saw
• Router
• Other manual shop workflows

These settings mostly affect the 2D layout and cut preparation, not the overall idea of the project. Choose the workflow that best matches how you plan to make the parts.

CNC

Use CNC when the project item will be cut with a router bit.

CNC settings include:

• Router diameter
• Safe area
• Part offset

Router Diameter

Router diameter is the size of the bit you plan to cut with.

This is important because round router bits cannot cut perfectly sharp inside corners. GCrafter uses the router diameter to calculate dogbones in corners, so parts can still fit together after cutting.

A larger bit creates larger dogbones. A smaller bit creates smaller dogbones.

Safe Area

Safe area controls how close parts are allowed to get to the edge of the material in the 2D layout.

A common starting point is about:

2 × router diameter

You may want a larger safe area depending on:

• How you clamp material to the machine
• Whether clamps are near the edges
• Whether you need room for tabs
• How much edge material you want to preserve
• How confident you are in your machine setup

Part Offset

Part offset controls the spacing between parts in the layout.

A typical starting point is about:

2.5 × router diameter

This leaves material between parts so the tool has room to cut without accidentally weakening or destroying nearby pieces.

You can override safe area and part offset if your setup needs more or less spacing.

Laser

Use Laser when the project item will be cut with a laser cutter.

Laser settings include:

• Tolerance
• Safe area
• Offset

Tolerance

Tolerance represents the laser beam diameter, or kerf.

This does not change the 3D model. It affects the layout and optional cut path.

GCrafter can provide a cut path in the 2D layout that accounts for the beam diameter. This can be useful if you want the exported tool path to represent the adjusted cut.

However, many laser workflows handle kerf or offset inside the cutting software, such as LightBurn.

If you export an SVG with Tool Paths turned off, the SVG represents the actual part shape rather than the adjusted beam-compensated path.

Safe Area

Safe area controls how close parts can be placed to the edge of the material in the layout.

Use this if you want to leave a border around the sheet, avoid clips or honeycomb edges, or keep parts away from areas you do not want to cut near.

Offset

Offset controls the spacing between parts in the layout.

For laser cutting, this can usually be smaller than CNC spacing, but it depends on your material, heat, charring, and how much room you want between parts.

Traditional

Use Traditional for table saw, router table, or other shop-based workflows where you are not directly using CNC or laser cutting.

Traditional settings include:

• Kerf
• Safe area

Kerf

Kerf is the thickness of the cut made by your saw blade or cutting tool.

For a table saw, this is usually the blade kerf.

For example:

Kerf: 3.175mm

or:

Kerf: 1/8in

Use the value that matches your blade or cutting method.

Safe Area

Safe area is the amount of space you want to leave around the edges of the material.

For traditional workflows, this can be whatever makes sense for your process. You can set it to a useful margin, or set it to zero if you do not need one.

Quick Reference

Workflow	Main Settings	Used For
CNC	Router diameter, safe area, part offset	Router-bit cutting, dogbones, layout spacing
Laser	Tolerance, safe area, offset	Beam compensation and laser layout spacing
Traditional	Kerf, safe area	Saw/router/manual cutting workflows

The Main Idea

Choose the machine type based on how you plan to cut the project item.

For CNC, router diameter is especially important because it affects dogbones.

For laser, tolerance can help create beam-adjusted tool paths, but you may also handle that in your laser software.

For traditional workflows, kerf describes the cut width of your blade or tool.

When in doubt, start with the defaults, check the 2D layout, and adjust spacing or offsets to match your actual shop setup.