Welcome to The Village! I had the same problem with Leslie's. The price was good but took forever to get them. Never again. Hope your blades show up soon.
A three-legged stand will stand on the floor without rocking even if the floor is uneven. (Remember geometry...three points make a plane.) If the floor is uneven one of the legs may rock and you will have to make adjustments.
My stand has three legs and is of a triangle shape. The narrow side goes to the back because that is where you can adjust the front to back tilt of the saw to make scrolling more comfortable. The stand if very stable.
The fun is in the making, so enjoy your new stand!
Sounds like a good deal compared to what Rockler wants for Baltic Birch. I haven't bought any birch plywood in a while so I'm interested in seeing what people are paying.
I cut mine freehand. I find it more difficult and time consuming to use a pattern. Once you do one or two you'll get the hang of it. Besides, you can be more creative and cut various shapes to go with a theme.
Cherry will burn if you're not careful so go a little at a time. My drill press also goes 620 rpm at it's slowest. I drill a very shallow hole, wait a few seconds, then drill another and repeat until the hole is complete.