Now that is much more of a bend than I expected when you first mentioned this on the board...and whether he mentions it or not, I'm betting that that catch scared the pure crap out of your friend. Doug is one of the cornerstones of our turning community from a tools perspective and a first-class gentleman to boot. A short tale. My non-turning son contacted Doug at Christmas time to get me a couple of Thompson tools as a present. Absolutely not knowing what tools might be a suitable gift, my son and Doug exchanged pictures and discussions of my shop tools and Doug led him to what options might be the best for the gift. Of course I love the tools...but the real spinoff is that my son now has this great tale that he shares with anyone within earshot of how Doug worked with him over the course of several days to lead him to select the perfect gift for his Dad. How nice...