welcome to the wonderful world of ML rifle building. my first build was a Southern Mountain from Track, which was a good bit more challenging than i'd first assumed. if you don't already have them, i would recommend you get Alexander's book The Gunsmith of Grenville County as well as Shumway's Recreating the American Longrifle. expensive but worth every penny when you add up the ruined parts, the frustration and the time lost. (avoiding the ruined parts will recover the cost of these books)
you should also check out any (or as many as you can rent or borrow) of the instructional videos which are available through links on this site. there are some tutorials on this site as well, which are really well written and well worth your time. go through the books and the videos a few times before you start, and you'll find that the whole thing will make much more sense.
as regards tools, i wouldn't be without a good set of files, a good set of chisels, a good vise, and a drill press (it need not be a full sized floor model, but if you're going to buy a tool, get a good one and most of the tabletop models are el- cheapo). spring for some extra shoplights- it's amazing what light will do for the quality of your work and most basement or garage workshops have dreadful lighting: more like a warehouse than a shop. i've also found the architect- style lamps which clamp to the edge of the workbench are helpful to get light at the right angle.
good luck with your upcomming project!
msw
