Hi Irving,

Thanks for your welcome and reply.

I had in my mind that I'd use two holes on the board for registration, either drilled just for that purpose, or possibly making use of diagonally opposite pads. However, I expect the custom holder with registration pins will be a much better option. I'm assuming that CAM software such as Mach3 will naturally handle the recalculation of relative co-ordinates.

Spindle runout may be an issue - it would seem daft going to some lengths for repeatability just to consistently gouge furrows out of the board. The Kress datasheets don't specify runout, and I can't find any reference to people who have measured it. Can you suggest an entry-level spindle that might do as an alternative?

I've also found it difficult to find any other UK manufacturers of entry-level XYZ tables. I've read mixed opinions on the Merchant Dice kit, but that mix includes positive reports too. If I didn't need relatively accurate PCB tracks, I probably wouldn't think so hard about this - nothing else I need requires much precision. I just want to be sure I don't have copper remaining at one end of an isolation path, or wiggly diagonal tracks, for example.

I'm realistic about what I might expect from a £1500 machine - as long as I can get milled and drilled double-sided boards that are as good as I get with single-sided toner-transfer and manual drilling, then I'd be more than happy.