I've wanted to 'get into' metal working for quite a while but just haven't
found the time.

My current experience is limited to a being a former farm boy who can use a
cutting torch and welder well enough to keep a grader blade or bush hog
running but I haven't done any real machine work.

Now if I had the money I'd find a school and take a few classes then buy a
room full of machines and go at it but I don't so. . .

I have been reading online about how to build a multimachine using old
engine blocks (because they are machined where the cylinders are at 90
degrees from the heads) as the base.

http://opensourcemachine.org/node/2

Sounds like a cheap way to get started as well as a good leaning experience.
In the machine info it talks about casting your own parts and following that
I have been reading up on casting and building your own foundry.

Now with all that said the questions for ya'll:

1) What books would you suggest for a pre-newbie?

2) Does starting off building a machine sound like a good place for a
pre-newbie to start or should I try to scrap up enough money to buy a small
used lathe and/or milling machine and/or multiemachine?

3) Does anyone here cast their own parts? If so how hard was it to learn?
3a) Did you build your own furnace? On a scale of 1-100 how would you rate
the difficulty of doing it?