I finally got around to calling Wy Saw and spoke to a helpful fellow there. From the description I gave him, it rang no bells and he said he has been with them for about 20 years. I sent an email with a couple pictures and got the below response:
"Paul, I discovered this saw was sold briefly by us over 35 years ago. To get the blade to fit the handle requires the frame to be pushed or flexed against a fixed object (like the floor). The frame will flex just enough for the blade to fit the pin in the handle."
I tried it this morning and it in fact worked. They also offered to 'make it work' if I couldn't get it to flex enough...I assume by retrofitting a tension screw. A pretty good offer, but I think I'll probably just rely on the flex approach to get it assembled.
Thanks to all for the help and suggestions.
