Vacuum Forming on a Budget

For an average cosplayer and costumer, shelling out a couple thousand dollars for a vacuum former just isn't feasible. Making one out of some pegboard and 2 by 4s works and I've done so in the past:

The problem with that though, is I'm limited to what I can fit in my oven and even if I can, it's preferable not to have your food taste like plastic. Through some Google-fu I found tk560.com. He set up a table top vacuum former and heavily documented his build process here. 

My build process isn't nearly as in-depth but some of the pictures I took are pretty.

The machine in all its glory:

Want to know what happens when you underestimate the power of homemade circuitry? Keep reading, I was in for a jolt!