Vic, thanks for the reply and information.
I ended up ordering a Bob’s CNC E3 router kit. It’s a bit lower end than Brian’s (at least, what i can determine from the pictures) but should certainly be sufficient for my beginner’s needs. All up cost, including buying $200 in Amara bits, totals to about $850. Reusing an OLD laptop from my mom and that cost is not factored in. If/when I grow out of this machine, I’ll simply use it to make a bigger and better one! 🙂
The kit arrives tomorrow, weather dependent (expecting 8-12″ of snow in the Northeast). I’m excited.
I’ll investigate free software to begin and then dive into Mach3/4 or other commercial solutions if the free stuff is not sufficient. We’ll see how it goes. Good luck to you as well.