2. Are there any good plans that don't involve buying large pieces premade
or making large castings? Ideally plans on the Web?

I remembered a series from HSM called something like "Metal Melting Furnace".
It was a very good project, I remember it being really well done. I'm going
to probably suggest they use that plan for now.

Weird that the Pyramid Web site went away, though.

GWE