Quote Originally Posted by routercnc View Post
How about as pastry cutter tool (in the shape you want) and a fly press?

If you want a cnc machine for £500 that is a very low budget. Using some very low-end bits you might be able to knock something together (e.g. wood frame, gas pipe rails, home made v-bearings, all-thread leadscrews. . . .) but it would not be much good for anything more demanding. But that might be good enough for cutting cardboard with a drag knife.
Thanks for this I am really starting to believe that I should go with a manual approach until I get some traction and cash to go for the full CNC machine . Only thing is how do I make the cutters and can this be done to cut right through cardboard ?