I am building the 24" x 48" machine from the original book and i was wondering if anyone can provide me with the actual cutting area possible with that machine.

The cutting area is 20" x 40" for the book machine. This area is determined by the 2'x4' sheets that make up the bed of the machine. You can increase this area if you use larger sheets and adjust the gantry width by the same difference of the width of the sheets. You can also use the plans from Woodsmith magazine to build a larger machine. https://www.woodsmith.com/article/build-a-cnc-router-for-your-own-shop/ Additional Information: need cutting area of 25 x 49 what size of gantry Additional Information: need cutting area of 25 x 49 what size of gantry