Greetings Bruce and L6.
I've added a photo for you that shows the back of the guard. It's funny that you ask about this because several other people have as well. Steve Dunn, the master smith I met at Arkansas this spring explained to me how he makes a "framed" haft and it made a lot of sense after haveing looked at his knife picture book. I've studied "relic" pictures of old bowies(scales missing) and many had this type of handle construction (Wade & Buther for one); not all that rugged really. Sheffield however, (America as well) by the late 1870's/80's was doing a lot of simple "driven" guard knives; they simply have, as mine does, a tapered tang, a stop at the heel and toe of the ricasso's back side where it meets the tang, then cut with the file across the flat of the ricasso to a depth of 1/2 MM or so, then the hole in the guard is carefully cut so that it fits right up to about the last 5/32 or so from butting up to the ricasso and then you just "drive" it on the rest of the way with a squashed down piece of pipe the appropriate size. I had to practice at this a little because, from simple observation of specimens, and about a handfull of words from Harvey Dean a few years or so ago, I figured this is how you make tecnically decent period bowies.
Harvey Dean as I said got me started on this after viewing one of his unfinished bowies at a hammer-in at Johnny Stout's a few years ago. He neglected though to relate the particulars but if your are interested in trying this, I bet I can save you some time with some tips and a picture or two (for one, use a file guide! I did'nt even know what one was till this spring...), I'd be glad to send'em to you.
L-6; to do pins like that, I just take them down to about a millimeter or so from the stag, peen them down, first with the "ball" end of a ballpeen hammer (which mushrooms them) then flatten them out with the other end, then I use a "convex" burr (I'll send you one if you give me an address, I use'em in diamond setting all day long) to take off the rough edgeds if any, then a small rubber wheel in the dremel to finish'em off fairly well and lastly, a quick polish on the wheel. This is all done in no time at all really once you know the drill. The escutcheon is done the same way and pinned to the stag slab. Not that it makes a tinker's damn to most people, but this knife has no adheseves at all in it's construction. Cutlers back then did however use a substance called "culters cement" for which I've found a reciepe:"three parts rosin, one part bee's wax, one part brick dust" (from "The Knifemakers of Old San Francisco"; Levine). I'm actually going to try it.
