Hi George,

I got the aluminium profile for free, as surplus to requirements. It was well used, but I selected the good bits to use on the machine.

To buy something similar would be about £40 per meter. E.g.
http://www.aluminium-profile.co.uk/a...10mm_Slot.html

Good luck with casting parts. Another route to making bits, depending upon what you want to make, is posting a drawing on this site and getting a quote. Put RFQ in the title and see what happens.

If you are starting out on a new design, then you can always post a sketch on this site for constructive critism and comments. I would suggest adding as much detail about your intentions and limitations.