Hi Dave, the best way to see my machine is to have a look at the build log, here :
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22101
I probably spent about $1000.00 Australian (about 5 bucks American )
I realized early that it wouldn't be my last machine so I went cheap on components, threaded rod, 125 0z/in steppers, unipolar stepper drivers and so on.
Having said that, the machine is strong enough to cut aluminium, I get 1200mm/min rapid speeds (not the fastest but OK) and I have enough torque on any axis to crush body parts if they get stuck in the wrong spot.
If you wanted to keep things simple and cheap, download JGRO's plans, aimed at the smaller and cheaper end of the hobby side of things and the finished machines are terrific!!! You can use smaller steppers therefore smaller driver cards and smaller power supplies. It will be more than capable of cutting out clock gears and intarsia/inlay work, so long as it fits on the machine. His plans are free and quite good.
You have better access to cheaper/better components in your country, so shop around and check ebay often.
Good Luck.
Russell.