I learned to do a lot of things because I didn’t have the money to pay someone to do it. I also learned a lot from helping friends and family in the same situation. I now have a theory that is why should I pay someone to srcrew up what I can screw up perfectly well on my own. Most of my experiences with so called experts haven’t been very positive.
You might be interested in this or know something who is. It’s a collaborative effort to build machines. There’s also the list of links that I posted earlier in the thread.
Machine Builders Network
http://kramerville.net/mbn/
I’ve also seen quite a few repair and home build projects at the following. Ignore the ads.
TractorByNet.com
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/