Hi Rob,

Sadly the truth is that to do CNC properly it can't be done cheaply, by that I mean sub £3k, esp if for business use and more so if using expensive material on jobs that require an accurate and stiff machine.
Andrew was IMO being kind to the Workbee, shapoko type machines, I won't on the other hand pull my punches because I'm sick of people being miss lead into buying machines that are IMO inferior in just about every area to what a good CNC machine should be. Then to make it worse they are conned or lead even more into buying so-called upgrades which are still inferior and lacking to what a properly built machine would be. You simply "can't make a Silk Purse out of Sow's ear" and these machines are Porky Pig's thru and thru.

Now I know some are going to say or think I'm only saying this because I build machines so want to steer people away from competitors but this isn't the case. I don't need to do that as my machines speak for them selfs and sell without ever needing to push, plus they are not IMO a competitor to me, more of an irritation because of the impact I see them having on new CNC users.
I say it because it's the truth and I have people approach me all the time who have taken this route and wasted good money so it really annoys me. I would and will always steer people away from these machines, even if it's to another competitor.

Regards your usage then Andrew makes some good points about the laser for marquetry and outsourcing so you need to think carefully.
On the other hand, having your own in-house CNC machines opens up many different avenues for revenue and can take you down profitable paths you never dreamt you'd go.
I see this happen with customers all the time, they start off thinking to go in one direction, and within not long periods of time, they have gone in a completely different one which they never even had thought about.

Good luck and research well before spending your hard-earned cash.!