There’s definitely a learning curve to all of them. FreeCAD got a lot better once version 1.0 came out. MangoJelly on Youtube has good tutorials.
While that is true, we generally recommend that the X axis (the beam) is shorter than the Y axis. This is because at that size, you need to use the machine to cut 1003mm strut plates. While it’s possible with tiling, it’s definitely more difficult.
All that what you describe is possible. I haven’t done much carving but it does take awhile. That gets into ball nose bits after a roughing pass.
I would consider this an advanced project but check this out.