Can you make a jig on the bottom of the machine?

Hi,
I want to set up a cutting jig to register a part in the glowforge, but I am planning to do a thick piece, i.e. too thick for the crumb tray. In the past, I’ve done simple jigs by cutting cardboard scrap. For example, if I want to line up my workpiece at 1" in both X and Y, I put in a scrap of cardboard and cut out lines at 1" in either axis. But my understanding is that this would not work if you were aiming for the bottom of the machine with the crumb tray removed.

Has anyone got a solution for this? The reason I ask is that I want to transfer a part between the Glowforge and my CNC router and want to have the same 0,0 point on both machines. Typically I would do this by lining up the workpiece against a known reference on each machine as described above.

On the other hand, I noticed after a recent job that the camera view seemed to be a lot better aligned than previously.

To compound matters, the part I want to work on is an irregular piece of live-edged wood, so I would likely be dealing with that, too.

Thanks for any suggestions.

What’s your tolerance?

The recommended methods will change radically depending on the answer.

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Since the bottom is steel, I would try using magnets to secure some blocks or whatever and use the focus ruler to elevate your platform into range.
On a block of wood (the top of your platform) you could try finish nails to pin an irregular shape around the edge.

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I’ve done this. You have to find a way to elevate the cardboard to the same surface height as your final material, which can be a challenge.

1mm? I had previously posted about my cribbage board hole making and wanted to use the cnc router to do the holes and the glowforge to do the lines.

I’m keen to find out if anyone has a good solution. I just did 2 cribbage boards with the cnc using it to score the lines and drill the holes. Now I’m going to use the glowforge to engrave them. For me that’s easier than trying to go the other way I think.

OK so my method would be roughly what @geek2nurse said combined with what @beerfaced said.

It’s easy to make a jig at height with a couple of GF-made boxes to elevate materials to the right height… 9" x 1" x 1.35" boxes ought to do it. Secure them to your GF base, and secure cardboard to them. Cut the cardboard like any other jig. Lay your material in place.

I’m paraphrasing, but that’s how I’d do it.

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