Nice set/solo DP. There is little to compare with the Damascus!
Read you mentioning stabilising. If I remember correctly, it was you that might have covered that at LJ and had my attention span for a while, but eventually faded for lack of projects. Any chance of a link (or two) as you might be able to find your stuff better than me.
If your first cut is too short... Take the second cut from the longer end... LBD