A wire cut electric discharge machine which has a first wire guide movable relative to a workpiece in a first axial direction, and a second wire guide movable relative to a workpiece in a second axial direction which is parallel to the first axial direction, for machining the workpiece by generating an electrical discharge between a wire electrode traveling between the first and second wire guide, and the workpiece, where the sum of the degree of movement in the first axial direction and the degree of movement in the second axial direction is limited in order to prevent component parts of the device from striking one another.