Thanks Mike
I have an MKS gen L board which I'm using to make my 3d-printed CNC so can offer some comparison. The GEN L board is super easy. Basically you only need to wire power and the motors. There's a bit of extra work to connect the SHC, but it's not much. Downside is that it is only 8-bit so can't handle high microsteps on fast slewing. It's possibly you can replace this with the SKR board which is 32 bit (in 3d printing you can, but not sure it's supported for onstep yet).
The bluepill is a very easy build. Only challenge is in getting reliable chips. My first batch was bad, so I ordered more after a refund, but the 6-week wait from China is an irritation. My one board is working, but I need another stm32 board for the other. The motors are hardwired to the board for testing rather than being connected via the RJ45 connectors, which are still in transit. I'll wait to finish the board before posting. If you're interested in making a blue pill build, I have enough surplus for one or two kits.
Regarding the 3d printer - I have an anycubic i3 mega. It has a large base (210x210) but any 3d printer will do. The hand controller is not a big part.
Link on thingiverse to the handcontroller I have:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3534640
There is another nice version of the handcontroller which is still being developed -
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4552376