So I've started getting together the things I'll need to build my biquad wifi antenna. After some scrounging and a few trips to the web, I have acquired the first two bits of equipment I need to start: copper, and an n-connector. They're not much to look at yet, but here they are:
The copper was free -- scrap donated from a local sheet metal shop, and bent into shape very carefully using a couple of bits of lumber. It was fairly trivial.
The n-connector set me back slightly under six dollars. Next, I'll see if I can scrounge some copper wiring somewhere, and bend it into the appropriate shape.