I think you have the right attitude. In the CNC world, you will always find a wide range of opinion from "utter rubbish" to "gee whiz" about any machine or process. The reality is that even the worst machines can be made to do some amazing things if you work at it. I have a little extruded aluminum VWheel CNC router that you will find people saying can't do anything. Yet, I've been able to make a number of really nice things with it. Granted, it took more time than the big boys. If you stick at it and don't push the machine too hard you will likely be able to do what you want. By far your biggest challenge is the learning curve, not the machine. Good luck and please report back with show and tell when you get some results. I (and lots of others, I suspect) am very interested in the outcome.