Instrument maker

[Clive S]

So, it seems that building a machine is the way to go here?

I'm wondering what the sort of costs would be for my needs - At least 500mm x 200+mm x 120mm, capable of +-0.1mm on wood and aluminium. And then some sort of enclosure, and dust extraction?

Wal built a very nice machine here http://wrbl.tumblr.com/mill-build he is going to upgrade it with linear rails but have a look through his log and you will see the fine detailed work he has done with it.

[Ger21]

Don't forget that when you turn a big block of wood in to a bowl, you'll have about 20x (if not more) the volume you removed in the form of dust and chips.
Routers can make a huge mess, that can be difficult to contain at times.