Thanks Routerdriver - good advice I will look into that area too. I expect that its a bit chicken and egg - i.e you need to know what machine to know the software or vice versa?

Ive been looking into my plans (small business idea) and I think I can increase my budget to £1500 as I hope to make this back with sales.

Sorry to sound like a complete scatterbrain but if we were looking at £1500 what does that do to the prospect of a machine that will cope with ply cutting?