Hi Mal, it's off to a great start, that piece looks nicely detailed already. Looking forward to seeing the whole thing!

re: cutting grooves - check out this post:
http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=817.8
for a technique of projecting curves then using sweep to build pipes for cutting grooves, maybe that method will work for your case as well.

- Michael