Even more pictures.
I got around to the cutting bed support the last few days. For whatever reason I cut the bed to correct length but totally skipped over the width. I only noticed the error after I tried put the gantry back on the y axis. DOH! It was simple enough to cut the sides to the correct width but I made some minor cutting errors. Fortunately they are only cosmetic and will be hidden when I place the cutting bed itself on. Assembled with the support upgrades the whole unit seems very stiff. Should give me a good base to learn on.
That leaves just the cutting bed and cosmetic enhancements left before I get to the leadscrews and steppers. I'll round off the gantry front corners and box in the unit to make it look pretty. Oh and painting. Something I've been dreading but I realize it's a necessary step. I haven't picked out a color but white seems to be the easiest choice. Brush, roller, or spray? I'll probably just go with an acrylic from a spray can after I seal the edges with dilluted glue. Maybe a urethane sealer to finish it off. Not sure yet.
I'm having issue locating a supplier for leadscrews that will ship to Canada. I'll probably end up paying a premium for the 1/2" 8 two start acme thread I want. Before that I'm going to order a Bill's Mini Cyclone dust collection unit.