I'm currently making a product that involves making custom beech handles, as I need a size that I just can't find ready made.

At the moment, I buy planed all round blanks, screw a template to them, rough cut them on a bandsaw, trim them to the template on a router table, remove the template, switch to an ovolo/roundover bit to round them in the table, manually thin down the end to fit in a bit steel box section, and then sand them to smooth out the inevitable ripples from the router table bouncing as it profile cuts a full 32mm depth.
I reckon I could get the time down to 30 minutes per handle if everything goes to plan, and I make another jig/sled for the final sizing.

But I've been wondering if it would just be easier to build a suitable CNC router table. Screw some blanks down, hit a button, and walk away. Flip the blanks over, and do the same again.

Work area size, at a minimum all I'd need is 4ft by less than 6 inches, but it would obviously be wiser to make it bigger. I'm probably thinking about 4 x 2 to avoid it taking up too much space and to minimise component sizes/reinforcing, but could probably stretch to 4x4.

I'm thinking throw together some 30x30 or 40x40 box section.
Bolt some rails on top (would profile be good enough, or would full linear be worth the extra cost?)
Build a gantry from some Ali plate/profile.
Add ballscrews (or would R&P be simpler, to avoid having to shield screws?)
Add a water cooled spindle.
Add some steppers and a controller.


Can anybody give a rough cost of what something like that will cost in parts?
I'm trying to make a decision before I spend too much time on this idea, as I've never really paid much attention to the woodworking machine builds on here previously, as I've never had a need for one :-/