100K?? for a decent CNC machine??
Yea, back in the 80's that was the case, but now there are plenty in the 20k range or cheaper that will crank out production type parts all day long.
I have a Shoptask 3-n-1 (mill/lathe) that I converted from ACME screws to Ball screws and I have also converted it to full 3-axis Servo CNC control which runs off of an extra PC in my garage...I have about 4k into the machine (not including tooling)
I would
not recommend a Shoptask, at least not the older unit like mine (1720), the newer ones I hear are much better, but I'd try to find one near by to take a look at it.
Right now with the economy the way it is, lots of shops are going out of business or selling equipment that is not being used. If you have an area with machine shops, go ask around, you'd be surprised at the deals that happen now and then.
I just passed up a deal for a Bridgeport knock off fitted with an older CNC controller for 3k....it had a few k worth of R8 tooling...the Servo controller was shot, but nothing a PC conversion couldn't take care of. The reason I passed this up was due to space, currently I have a 3 car garage with 3 cars actually in it !!!!
I also have the mill/lathe and a bunch of other tools, but my problem is space, i have to move the 911 out of the garage before accessing my mill, 'cause I'd hate to see a part or broken tooling hit the car (I once forgot to remove the key from the chuck on the lathe, it flew up and landed on the hood of my 914....luckly the car already needed a new paint job)
Learning G/M code is not that big of deal, nor is learning a 2D or 3D drawing package....you do not need Solidworks or any of those higher end packages. (I use Pro/E 'cause it's paid for and I've been on it for 8+ years
I use a shareware to create the G code and then another shareware to drive the Servo motors utilizing the G-codes for movment)
Here are a few links that might help you in the furture.
Metal Working Links (great stuff)
Enco Tools
Home Shop Machinest Magazine and Forum