Great looking table Mark. I agree that hand mortising for a table is nothing to be afraid of and can be faster (and less scary) than mortising with,...
I also use magnets and a tip I picked up from Ramon Valdez is to wrap in blue tape with a tab for a handle. Makes much easier to slide across a wall...
I had the 52" version on a PM saw for years and loved everything about it....except the two issues you bring up. The fence is just a space hog, both...