Thanks for the reply - It will be mainly for wood work. That is my main thing. I've made a few end grain chopping boards and have seen some incredible inlay work created hence looking into CNC. The work area is therefore rather important. At least 24" x 18". Metal work is initially not on my radar, but never say never.

It's interesting to hear your opinions on the machine I linked to. Just for my own info, why do you not consider it suitable for aluminium?