Very excited to get started with cnc! Hello by the way.

[Doddy]

Now why do I get the feeling Doody was prepping you for ME.!! . . .

Moi?, If I wanted to call you a salty-arsed Yorkshireman, I wouldn't pull the punch!

Lion/Mike, I'm curious and somewhat disheartened - you're ignoring the advice already trying to compromise on your requirements to try to get down to a price that is unachievable in the shiny-new domain. Space envelope is the last thing I'd sell out on - you have a good understanding of what you are looking for and that's not all that generous for sheet timber. unfortunately machines don't scale cost/price proportionally - you have fixed costs for the drive systems, control electronics spindles, etc. Yes, building big does add complexity and cost, but not at the rate that you can scale down from a 3'x2' machine to come under budget and still have a useful machine for you.

Re. the X-Carves/Shapeokos, yes, ask for real-world experience of these with the type of work you're looking to perform. They're not in the league of the machines that Jazz et all build, but are they adequate for your need? See if there's someone local (50-100 miles!) prepared to give you a demo of one (conventional currency is usually HobNobs for a chin-wag).