That stand looks great , Nice work mate :)
As with the screws in the mouth , You could put a piece of sponge / foam in a container lid Maybe an engine oil lid ? , Then add a small amount of oil ,
Just dip the screw in the foam ,
I've used that for metal framing years ago , It stopped the screw heads breaking and made them easier to screw in ,
Maybe a cake of soap would work well for wood tho ?