Hey Kevin.
Schmalz is capable of making any size plate you need, you supply the phenolic table and Powerstick and send them your measurements. They can make them to order. Regarding our BT48, if we had larger nested sheet good parts, I think it would have made sense to consider a fixed table machine instead. But that is not what we needed. Besides, there are other resources available if you need the parts. Find another Botter who can cut what you need. If you are into the sheet goods production line, you need a fixed machine. The buddy was designed for portability and a smaller footprint when not in use. I would suppose potentially you get into all sorts of engineering issues with more weight and a longer stick as you mentioned, not so much so with the Alpha. Of course you would loose the storability with a big table unless it was removed all the time. Begs the question, why? If you need a fixed table, then that is what you should use. We have an 8 ft. powerstick as well, but rarely cut anything larger than 42 x 42. If we need to, we change tables for specialized work, but those situations are rare.
So far, it works well for us. We are getting a solid hold down.