I just read through this entire thread to catch up, and...wow!
it's coming along nicely even if you may think it's going slow. doing something right takes time, and from what I've seen in your progress, you're definitely doing things right. 
sorry to hear about the sander btw 
when the DT gets done, all the time you put into it will be apparent to anyone who knows what they're looking at. so stick with it, and i can't wait to see the finished product. :cheers