Saw this article on making a phone cradle at Make, the coolest part was that the parts were created using CAD software then sent over to Big Blue Saw to be cut. The person actually worked for the company, but the concept is cool - upload a drawing and choose a material (aluminum, plexiglass, steel, etc.) and a thickness and they cut it out and ship you your custom-designed part. Optimal for the DIY guy wanting custom brackets or plates without access to that kind of shop locally. Big Blue Saw has a demo part where you can see how the process works and what kind of materials you can select. The prices seemed reasonable for a custom-made part.

Cool

it kinda reminds me of there guys at emachineshop.
Also never underestimate the power of the cardboard mockup.