You are right Scott, the handle is just begging pitifully for some help. A year or so back, a friend asked if i wanted some funny looking crate lumber that he had just unpacked. He thought that it was walnut or something. When I got it home, got the crate apart and chipped off the hot glue and brown paper stuck to it, I was the proud owner of four planks of purple heart! It is amazing what asians use for shipping crates. 15/16 X 5 X 44 Purple Heart Crate lumber! I probably won't start right away, but a new PH handle is on the list.
I think that the tiny holes in the top of the uprights are for oil, not a crossbar. The uprights are VERY solid iron castings that look very stable. If anyone knows where there is a pdf of a 50's Stanley catalog, please let me know. Thanks.