Yes, in concert with a heat gun, the paint scraper gets enough off that I can finish with the orbital sander. The heat gun softens the glue just enough for the scraper to get a hold on it... Without the heat the scraper just rides over the glue without actually taking much off. I've got two rails ready for the extensions and will likely get another couple done today before I have to leave.

Does anyone have a source for wood in the proper thickness to do the extensions? Moving from what I believe were 5" pockets to just under 4 1/2" means I'll need something like 1/4" on each side, right? I believe the rails are currently oak and I'll have to sand the extensions a bit to change the angles, but don't want to have to take too much off. Currently the angles are actually pretty close, 142º instead of 141º and 103º instead of 102º, so I shouldn't have to take very much off... I haven't measured the down angle yet.