It is strange that with all of the electronics that we are now inundated with that fewer and fewer people seem to have a clue how to do anything with the hardware. I do have a couple of eprom programmers and various other equipment and tools, but I have to admit that all that I have ever done is repair stuff and build projects from kits and plans.
I am hoping my next project will be a CNC conversion on a small milling machine. I have a book with plans for building one up from scratch, but will probably get a kit to convert one of the X3 type mills Harbor Freight or Grizzly sells for a few hundred dollars. I always have admired people as creative as it sounds like you are.