I was looking at some plunge routers the other day and in mindset of KISS, why could it serve as the basis for the movable z-axis?
You would need to fix the base, and attach the router body to a screw, but could this not work???
First thing that I hear you say is that it depends on the uprights in which the plunge action happens, but most of these are pretty sturdy and move quite easily.
Hmmmmmm, any thoughts?