Continuing the discussion from Cancel and go with a different laser that's available?:
Here is a really long post about a custom laser build that I’ve been folllowing. He just got it running and it’s pretty impressive:
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Holy Moly! That is amazing. Simple in one sense but dimensions make it quite the build.
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I saw that earlier today… love the cupholder!
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Wow! ! !
“This could explain why I’m not married” 
That’s what I’m struggling with myself - build one of those or wait for my GF. So far waiting is winning because I don’t have the time to do the build. Although I really really want that bed size (and 130W).
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Just came here to post this!
Love it. Someone was very determined! 
Thanks, looks like he did a terrific job. It was a hoot in the shot where he built himself inside the frame and had to partially disassemble to get out.
Post-GF, I may have to start digging into the DIY laser culture more.
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Almost all of the components are done designs. The movement controls, the rails, housings, etc all taken from CNC work so the materials are readily available and relatively cheap because you’re not looking for laser-specific stuff. The only exotic stuff are the laser tubes and power supplies.
The build is definitely a tinkerer’s (or Maker’s) project but the end result is pretty much analogous to an Epilog or Universal so designers can use them without any big issue.
Of course that gives you a solid Chevy truck vs the GF Tesla with its autofocus, live trace, etc.
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Live trace is pretty gimmicky imo. Autofocus will be nice, but with the limited z, it’s almost is kinda shooting itself in the foot a bit. Slightly curved surfaces will be the sweet spot, but I’m curious to see the difference
I’m hoping. That and the folks here are the reason I’m sticking vs. grabbing a big bertha Chinese laser 
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I was thinking about this and deciding that (in addition to simply removing one fiddly annoying step from the workflow) irregular materials would be the sweet spot. I’ve cut some veneers, for example, that took a lot of strategic weighting to get “flat enough”. If I could just lay a sheet of something down and not worry as long as it was within the focus range that would be delightful.
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Dang…that’s impressive
Finding the “done designs” was part of what I meant by digging more into the DIY laser culture. If it’s at all like prosumer/hobbyist CNC machine tools, one needs some time and effort to find reliable resources and opinions. Then too, most of the components in @drandolph’s build looked reasonably easy to find but a thorough BOM with recommended sources sure makes the job a lot easier. I’m sure that there are lots of resources out there, but just haven’t taken the time to find them. Since the GF is now getting pretty close, it’s making more sense to spend free time on creating designs for things to “forge”. Later may be another story.
Check out the Lasersaur GIT site. All the BOMs and sources are there (even if you’re not building the Lasersaur design). There are a few good reliable onshore places to get everything you’ll need. As with everything else, you can find cheaper sources the closer to dealing direct with China you’re willing to go.
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Thanks - bookmarked.