RJT> I also remember a DIY project of some sort in a magazine
 RJT> article,  though just where that was I can't recall offhand.
 RJT> Given enough hardware,  it shouldn't be too hard.  You'd
 RJT> need a base frame,  and the sort of physical transport that
 RJT> you see used in a lot of the older,  bigger printers,  the
 RJT> kind I've scrapped several of,  including saving such stuff
 RJT> as big stepper motors,  driver transistors,  those polished
 RJT> steel rods,  etc.  Maybe someday I'll even play with the
 RJT> idea a bit.  We'll see.  I have *no* idea where you'd go for
 RJT> thinks like the cutters and such,  though.

ummm... some years back, i was highered to install and set up a series of
CAD/CAM workstations for an engraving company... i don't remember the
language spoken between the CAD and the CAM but i believe it was DXF... in
any case, the CAM platform was fixed in place and you anchored the flat
material to be engraved... the engraving stuff was basically little more
than the (old style?) "moving cross" flatbed plotter movement
with a dremel type tool attached to a z-axis for automatic height
adjustment and precision control instead of the pen-up and pen-down type
stuff...

the stuff came with its own CAD package but these guys already had autocad
and just stayed with it... this is why i believe the the talk between the
CAD and the CAM was dxf...

i'd love to DIY one of these... if nothing else, it'd give me something
easy enough to do and market and keep me busy... i've run out of ideas and
the job market isn't giving me any hits, either ;-(

)\/(ark