# Can I use a slightly smaller frame?
**URL:** https://forums.maslowcnc.com/t/can-i-use-a-slightly-smaller-frame/20669
**Category:** Uncategorized
**Created:** [April 15, 2024, 12:09pm UTC](https://forums.maslowcnc.com/t/can-i-use-a-slightly-smaller-frame/20669 "2024-04-15T12:09:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Ghinton](https://forums.maslowcnc.com/u/Ghinton)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2024, 12:09pm UTC](https://forums.maslowcnc.com/t/can-i-use-a-slightly-smaller-frame/20669/1 "2024-04-15T12:09:07Z")
Hello,
I have a wall where I want to mount my Frame but it is about 150mm too narrow for the width of the Maslow.
If I make the frame 150mm smaller, will I still be able to cut full 8x4 sheets of wood?
Many thanks!
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### Author:  [@jwolter](https://forums.maslowcnc.com/u/jwolter)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2024, 12:53pm UTC](https://forums.maslowcnc.com/t/can-i-use-a-slightly-smaller-frame/20669/2 "2024-04-15T12:53:16Z")
Probably not accurately. The biggest constraint on the Maslow 4 cut area is the angles to the anchor points. If certain angles get out of range, two arms will interfere with the structure and the equations that allow the Maslow to know where it is won’t work. To really understand if your setup will work, you need to run the numbers through the [Chain Geometry Spreadsheet](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mv-sUyig7rTph58ell1ETJP32yo1pq4JgaVvp45PKqU/edit).
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### Author:  [@dlang](https://forums.maslowcnc.com/u/dlang)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2024, 2:33pm UTC](https://forums.maslowcnc.com/t/can-i-use-a-slightly-smaller-frame/20669/3 "2024-04-15T14:33:06Z")
There is now a browser-based version that shows the results grpahically
[http://lnag.hm/maslow/maslow4\_frame.html](http://lnag.hm/maslow/maslow4_frame.html)
note that this is showing that even the default 10x8 frame will have problems at
the corners and edges. We don’t know how much trouble, and there are other
issues people are running into with calibration that is taking priority over
researching this.
David Lang
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### Author:  [@GESDesigns](https://forums.maslowcnc.com/u/GESDesigns)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2024, 2:55pm UTC](https://forums.maslowcnc.com/t/can-i-use-a-slightly-smaller-frame/20669/4 "2024-04-15T14:55:22Z")
> [@dlang](#):
>
> There is now a browser-based version that shows the results grpahically
>
> [http://lnag.hm/maslow/maslow4\_frame.html](http://lnag.hm/maslow/maslow4_frame.html)
not working.
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### Author:  [@dlang](https://forums.maslowcnc.com/u/dlang)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2024, 3:13pm UTC](https://forums.maslowcnc.com/t/can-i-use-a-slightly-smaller-frame/20669/5 "2024-04-15T15:13:24Z")
opps typo [http://lang.hm/maslow/maslow4\_frame.html](http://lang.hm/maslow/maslow4_frame.html)
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### Author:  [@gazinux](https://forums.maslowcnc.com/u/gazinux)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2024, 4:30pm UTC](https://forums.maslowcnc.com/t/can-i-use-a-slightly-smaller-frame/20669/6 "2024-04-15T16:30:37Z")
I am probably missing it right in front of me…but do we have any simple frame calculator tool that accepts simple input, two numbers, like the length and width of the desired workpiece (i.e. plywood 4x8) and tool simply reports back frame dimensions that satisfies to enable the Maslow 4 to cut the entire workpiece?
(Where the tool assumes we have standard unmodified Maslow 4, with stock belt length)
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### Author:  [@Bob\_Craig](https://forums.maslowcnc.com/u/Bob_Craig)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2024, 5:25pm UTC](https://forums.maslowcnc.com/t/can-i-use-a-slightly-smaller-frame/20669/7 "2024-04-15T17:25:11Z")
Check this one out: [Maslow frame](https://maslowcnc.nl/frame)
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### Author:  [@gazinux](https://forums.maslowcnc.com/u/gazinux)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2024, 5:58pm UTC](https://forums.maslowcnc.com/t/can-i-use-a-slightly-smaller-frame/20669/8 "2024-04-15T17:58:49Z")
Thank you. Though I suspect a tool could be simplified further where angles and belt sizes are removed from the interface and the input is limited to the workpiece dimensions and the output just tells you how far to space the anchors to achieve the **smallest** frame dimensions that satisfy all constraints to allow a stock Maslow to cut all of the workpiece.
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### Author:  [@bar](https://forums.maslowcnc.com/u/bar)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2024, 6:33pm UTC](https://forums.maslowcnc.com/t/can-i-use-a-slightly-smaller-frame/20669/9 "2024-04-15T18:33:29Z")
I would say just go for it. It will probably be pretty much fine. Theoretically it might be an issue, but in practice we haven’t really tested to see how much of an issue it actually is. I chose 10’ at random because that’s the length that wood comes in here, and I recently discovered that my “8 foot” 2x4s are actually 7 feet 1 inches for some reason.
Don’t let trying to get things perfect in theory stand in the way of building things 😀
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### Author:  [@dlang](https://forums.maslowcnc.com/u/dlang)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2024, 7:46pm UTC](https://forums.maslowcnc.com/t/can-i-use-a-slightly-smaller-frame/20669/10 "2024-04-15T19:46:54Z")
gazinux wrote:
> I am probably missing it right in front of me…but do we have any simple frame calculator tool that accepts simple input, two numbers, like the length and width of the desired workpiece (i.e. plywood 4x8) and tool simply reports back frame dimensions that satisfies to enable the Maslow 4 to cut the entire workpiece?
>
> (Where the tool assumes we have standard unmodified Maslow 4, with stock belt length)
we don’t yet have anything that goes from workpiece size to frame size. In part
this is because there are going to be a variety of frame sizes that will work,
some taller and narrower, some shorter and wider.
the best we have is the page I linked to abvoe that lets you enter the
dimensions of the workpiece, then tweak the frame size until it looks like it
fits, then tweak the width or height (letting it adjust the other dimension) to
confirm that it works.
David Lang