Rear plates for tower conversion?

[danbeaver]

I take it that your local machine shops are not helpful?  Those that have a web presence are more geared for complex 3D or a high return on their time spent -- high volume or such. Most university machine shops will need someone affiliated with the physics or engineering departments, although they might free lance for you.

[danbeaver]

A Dremel-like tool and a carbide cutting wheel will do a fair amount on a $10 sheet of steel or aluminum from Lowe's or Home Depot; combine that with a drill and a set of Craftsman files and most small projects can be done in a few hours.  I am surprised that there are no cheap machine shops around; even vo-tech high schools have the basics, and car repair shops can handle a lot of the work.