SO I had to leave most of the machine behind to save weight, but I kept the guts. In setting it up and playing with it, I wired something wrong on the laser driver circuit and let out some smoke. I was planning to update that part anyway, but this now means that for now I don't have a laser.

I also wanted to make a more compact frame. Before I explain further, some pics.

What I have:

What I did:

What it looks like:

As you can see, one axis is now mounted on the other axis. There are four legs, currently just long 4mm machine screws that will eventually have a base plate to keep them aligned, so that the whole thing can be stood on whatever it is you want to engrave. This means I'm no longer limited to burning stuff that fits inside a machine. I could also theoretically print larger things in sections, moving the platform each time.

Unfortunately, the axis I cut was already sticking before the operation and now is giving even more trouble. And unlike at home, I have no spare drives about. So, this whole thing is going to have to wait until I find me some parts...