Hah! Fortunately my goal is to find the bare minimum configuration for effectively machining steel at home to tolerances acceptable for FOSSCAD stuff. Which I think this is pretty much it, $600 CNC, $50 in aluminum plate, and whatever the cost of a 1.5kw spindle and vfd is currently.

Previously everyone would tell you that you need a $3-5k machine for steel and to not even consider the desktop stuff.

You still need a couple hundred for calipers, dial indicator, square, and vise, but you’re still at or under $1k.

Lead screws are probably not going to cut it long term, but anolex has a ball screw upgrade that’s less than $200 for all axes.

Nema 17s may not cut it long term either, but you can get cheap 23s and drivers for ~$100 too.