William Duffield
That brings back memories. I built mine maybe 18 to 20 years ago. I made a blade from a cement nail, and later replaced it with one from Lee Valley. My first handles were borrowed from my L-N #98 and #99. I turned the handles in the pics from cocobolo. The lost wax casting was done well enough that the holes for the handle screws don't need to be tapped. The bottom needed a whole lot of flattening. I drilled out and countersunk the holes for mounting a larger bottom plate. Where did you get your blade clamp? It doesn't look like the cast one that came with mine.