You are asking a question that is very hard to answer objectively because most of us love the particular make and model of printer we own. Here is a really good description of the building of a mendel Prusa design: http://3dprintboard.com/showthread.p...ld-by-Printbus

These printers cost $850 plus P/H.

Read through the various model threads to help you make your decision. I agree with you that building your own is the best way to learn about the mechanicals of printers. Don't forget to study the Arduino board as this is the most common type of controller hardware and you will be updating its firmware over time.

OME