Richstag,
Lookin' GOOD, amigo!! 
:thumbup:
Couple quick points:
1. While hockey tape offers lots of grippiness, you may want to look at the handles of traditional kukri's for another approach. The flaring butt of the handle works against the kuk taking a flyer when chopping. I'm not sure how needed this is with the light whipping strokes usually taken with a machete, but as long as you are experimenting....
To attach wood or, preferably, micarta scales, you could use Chicago screws (screw & hollow post), which are very commonly used for handle attachment. If you can machine a recess into the wood (plunge router or a Forstner bit in a drill press), a nut-and-bolt ala' Becker knife handles (now made by Kabar) can also be used. While plain rivets have been used for a very long time, I don't recommend them due to the loosening that can occur, especially with the swelling/shrinking of wood with seasonal relative humidity changes.
A planer will make parallel-sided slabs, assuming one side is already flattened with a hand plane, jointer, or even sandpaper taped to a flat surface. For the sandpaper method, you can use coarse grits like 60- or 80-grits for hogging wood off, then work up through finer grits like 100-, 120-, 150-, 220-grit for smoother finishing.
2. If you do stick with the straight-profile handle slabs on the machetes, the link below is for a paracord lanyard loop that is resistant to snagging on branches. It does this by dissolving from a loop into two straight strands.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=395370
Ron M80, You're right -- using a belt grinder is a **LOT** faster than stones. Harbor Freight has
a 1"x30" belt sander for $40 that is what I use for quick 'n dirty removal of edge material. For $70 they have
a 5" disc sander added to the 1"x30" belt sander.
When using this type of relatively high-speed sander, keep a bucket of cold water handy to dip the metal in any time it **STARTS** to feel warm. I keep my thumb pretty much right on the edge of the blade so I'll know immediately whenever any heat starts to build up. If the metal gets too hot, you can destroy the temper in the blade, which can make the edge too soft to hold in use the sharpening you are giving it.
