brilliant thanks for the reply... is there anything else that looks out?? i did wonder if the gantry would need any triangle/cross bracing from top to bottom outer corner?

what i might do to start with is use one screw and then if i find myself cutting or want to start cutting metal on a regular basis i'll upgrade to a second screw.

the chances are if i get the bug i think i'm going to get from this machine i'll end up re-building and making a bigger machine anyway as i originally wanted a 4'x4' machine but cant justify the cost until i can get this machine to prove itself.

thanks again for the input i'll work on locating motors, mounting plates and anything else thats missing, i can also start to work out screw sizes so that i can get a price for my missus from chai