Hello, I am in the process of my alpha whitewood (mainly a scrap board I use to make sure I have all the needed tools so I dont get into hiccups in the future.)
I want to advise with the people in this forum:

- is it advised to install a side rail on the playfield itself or use the cabinet walls as the "edge" of the game?

- in pictures I've seen of the cutout of the pop bumpers on the playfield the skirt has an irregular shape cut out of it (looks like three circles overlapping eachother) yet when I've installed mine I needed only to drill 2 small holes that are spaced away from the center hole of the skirt. (I assume this doesnt matter but I hate the nagging feeling I'm missing something)

- designing the playfield, I am using a mac what is a recommended software that works? Will autoCAD or solidworks be good if I use examples from pinball makers?

- regarding the previous question, I might be able to have access to a CNC machine big enough for a playfield from a local maker shop, I'd like thoughts about using a CNC instead of drilling my own holes.

I apologise for the nooby questions but these have been nagging me and I always appreciate opinions from other people, furthermore I've yet to find an answer to these during my research.

Thanks for replying, so the measurements I see of standard playfield sizes includes the width these rails take along the border?

Thanks for the tips!
In my mind I have finished phase 1 ( which is checking that I have the right drills and tools to insert the different basic parts).
Now I'll move to phase 2 which is to acquire a proper sized non bended playfield and build a cabinet around it.

another thing I've been wondering, is there a recommended spacing for pop bumpers that are placed in triangular positions, or is it a check for yourself depending on power and playfield position...