Howdy Cuts,
Just read your capping article in the Chronicle. I learned a bunch from it, proving you're never too old to learn new stuff.
Did you ever get any feeling back in the thumb? I mangled my left palm when I tried to "catch a radio control plane back in '71 (another hobby of mine) and over the years the feeling came back. Also ran index, middle and ring finger tips of both hands through a table saw (I love power tools) and only my left middle finger still has no feeling.
ÇR