I have a old CD player that I no longer use, I have seen people make their own lasers from DVD lasers but would a CD laser be powerful enough to do this?
Well I have read about 52x cd burners having anywhere from 80 to 150mw IR diodes in them. They are almost inviable and not something you should use for your first DIY laser.
And yes, PM SenKat to see if he has any left. He is no longer doing group buys and this may be you last chance to get an unused diode for a DIY.