It is a tight fit, but they do line up. You just have to push and twist while trying to finish up with the holes aligned. The ice pic may help but you cannot pry with the pic to line them up. A little wd40 on the shaft may help some.
The screws are not to big, they are self tapper screws. If you use a drill/driver or a reg phillips driver you just have to press hard to start them then they go in easier.
Yes, has a metal edge along the bottom.