Im also cooling a 9700, but a non pro. With vgpu at 1.75v and overclocking the core to 450mhz, I was limited by the heat it was producing when just using a flat silver base (on the inside, no channels or pins etc...). Ive been chaning the waterblock recently so that It can remove all the heat better. Pic attached if you want to see what done.
As for tools, to do the channels you dont need any expnsive tools. I just used a hand drill and a cutting disk and I think Ive done it well... I could have cut much thinner channels with a different disk but I decided this would be quicker. It took me about an hour or 2 to do this.
first pic is off the channels. in background there is the lid I intended to use, but it was too hard to solder together, so ive made a simpler plastic lid. The drill thing there I used to clean up the channels afterwards.
Pic 2 shows it from the top what the channels/lid will be like.
pic 3 shows how it was before and the cutting disks I have, I used the brown reinforced one for the channels.
have a look at Bladerunners site, this page shows how he made a block that is similar to your design but with different channels. If you make this type of channel, that will probably be the best way to make it without a mill,
http://www.zfz.com/projects.asp?requ...quidgf3&page=4
Bladerunner I noticed you have 90o brass elbows for your gpu block on that page, would you have any spare or know anywhere online I can get some? Also how good was araldite at holding in the barbs?
Your site is good and I learnt a lot from reading it btw.