How to Run Long Tiling Jobs Larger Than the Work Area

The Wolfpawn has a 400×400mm work area. For longer parts — a long sign, a guitar neck blank, a shelf edge — tiling lets you cut in two or more passes by repositioning the material.

Concept

Split the design into tiles that each fit within the machine's work area. Use a common reference point (usually a hole or edge) to reposition accurately between tiles.

Method 1 — Fixed Fence Tiling

Best for rectangular stock with straight edges.

1. Clamp a straight fence along the Y axis
2. Mark a precise measurement on the fence (e.g., 380mm step distance)
3. Tile 1: Work zero at material left edge, cut first tile
4. Slide material along fence by exactly the step distance
5. Tile 2: Re-zero X only, cut second tile
6. Repeat

Key: The step distance must be accurate. Use calipers to verify the fence stop position.

Method 2 — Registration Pin Tiling

More accurate for critical work.

1. Drill registration holes into the spoilboard (via CNC — guaranteed accurate position)
2. Press dowel pins into holes
3. Design matching holes into your workpiece at known coordinates
4. Move workpiece to next pin position for each tile

Designing Tiles in Aspire

1. Set job size to full part dimensions
2. Toolpaths → Tiling (if available) — or do it manually
3. Manual method: move design by exactly the step distance between toolpath calculations
4. Generate separate G-code files for each tile

Overlap Strategy

Design 5–10 mm of overlap between tiles. The second tile will recut the overlap area — that's fine and ensures there's no visible seam.

Tips

• Always cut a test tile on scrap first
• The seam between tiles is invisible on V-carves; visible on profiling — plan placement accordingly
• Mark tile boundaries on the workpiece lightly with pencil before starting