WCF

Buy the lathe first.

You will get far more use out of it and it will do lite weight milling jobs as well with a tool post mounted milling vise ( Brownells stoch one for a couple hundered dollars)and some collets in the headstock.

You will not need a mill realy unless you are building lumps etc. You can get by with a file and flycutters in the lathe.
Soft soldering parts to a parrelell faced piece of scrap block clamped to the face plate will thickness material for you for most jobs very accuratly, you just have to be creative.

As for the footings, cast blocks for the feet to sit on. I would recommend at least 2' cubes. Whatever machine you get, that initial leveling is critical !! as you cannot use a level on the job unless the machine is spot on before you begin. Thus angles and plumbs are a complete lottery.

Regards

Huvis

Have you ever seen metal spinners going at it forming shapes by hand with a lump of wood from a disk going at full tilt. I was in awe !! It was like watching a man juggle razor blades :-)