Yeah you're way will also insure flatness as well since it would be easy to shim out and level up the flat bar and have it machined prior to install. I do agree that you shouldn't have to do all of this, but as the old saying goes you get what you pay for. At some point people need to realize as I have there's a reason similar machines cost as much as they do. Overall I'm extremely happy with my machine now that it seems to be reliable. I still think that even with the work you have to put in to get it right it's still worth it considering a Cam Master of a similar size to mine is 2x the cost including all my electronics. And at the end of the day I have a much better controller than the Cam Master comes with.
Dan