Alternative Stepper Motor mountings, etc.

I'm looking for good cheap / low tech alternatives of mounting size
23 steppers, coupling them to some leadscrews and fit some bearings (
this being on a Taig lathe retrofit ), as the off the shelf
components seem quite pricy by the time you buy a full set.
Also, what's the pros and cons of direct couplings versus timing belt
connections ?
I should mention that I'm not looking for total accuracy just now,
but trying to put together a quick and cheap system to test some
ideas on.

Thanks,

Rab