diff --git a/include/base/dof_object.h b/include/base/dof_object.h
index 8591ea085db..49f7fab0fc6 100644
--- a/include/base/dof_object.h
+++ b/include/base/dof_object.h
@@ -67,7 +67,6 @@ class DofObject : public ReferenceCountedObject<DofObject>
 
   /**
    * Copy-constructor.
-
    */
   DofObject (const DofObject&);
 
@@ -446,6 +445,13 @@ class DofObject : public ReferenceCountedObject<DofObject>
    * The ending index for system \p s.
    */
   unsigned int end_idx(const unsigned int s) const;
+
+  // methods only available for unit testing
+#ifdef LIBMESH_IS_UNIT_TESTING
+public:
+  void set_buffer (const std::vector<unsigned int> &buf)
+  { _idx_buf = buf; }
+#endif
 };
 
 
diff --git a/tests/Makefile.am b/tests/Makefile.am
index 6dff518e5f7..0f64941567b 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile.am
+++ b/tests/Makefile.am
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@ AUTOMAKE_OPTIONS = subdir-objects
 AM_CXXFLAGS  = $(libmesh_CXXFLAGS)
 AM_CFLAGS    = $(libmesh_CFLAGS)
 AM_CPPFLAGS  = $(libmesh_optional_INCLUDES) -I$(top_builddir)/include \
-               $(libmesh_contrib_INCLUDES) $(CPPUNIT_CFLAGS)
+               $(libmesh_contrib_INCLUDES) $(CPPUNIT_CFLAGS) \
+	       -DLIBMESH_IS_UNIT_TESTING
 LIBS         = $(libmesh_optional_LIBS) $(CPPUNIT_LIBS)
 
 unit_tests_sources = \
diff --git a/tests/Makefile.in b/tests/Makefile.in
index 15f6da30af3..fead2feb6e4 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile.in
+++ b/tests/Makefile.in
@@ -572,7 +572,8 @@ AUTOMAKE_OPTIONS = subdir-objects
 AM_CXXFLAGS = $(libmesh_CXXFLAGS)
 AM_CFLAGS = $(libmesh_CFLAGS)
 AM_CPPFLAGS = $(libmesh_optional_INCLUDES) -I$(top_builddir)/include \
-               $(libmesh_contrib_INCLUDES) $(CPPUNIT_CFLAGS)
+               $(libmesh_contrib_INCLUDES) $(CPPUNIT_CFLAGS) \
+	       -DLIBMESH_IS_UNIT_TESTING
 
 unit_tests_sources = \
 	driver.C \
diff --git a/tests/base/dof_object_test.h b/tests/base/dof_object_test.h
index c16368ebfca..32da9b19f73 100644
--- a/tests/base/dof_object_test.h
+++ b/tests/base/dof_object_test.h
@@ -12,7 +12,8 @@
   CPPUNIT_TEST( testValidProcId ); \
   CPPUNIT_TEST( testInvalidateProcId ); \
   CPPUNIT_TEST( testSetNSystems ); \
-  CPPUNIT_TEST( testSetNVariableGroups );
+  CPPUNIT_TEST( testSetNVariableGroups ); \
+  CPPUNIT_TEST( testJensEftangBug );
 
 using namespace libMesh;
 
@@ -119,6 +120,40 @@ class DofObjectTest {
 	  CPPUNIT_ASSERT_EQUAL( nvpg[vg], aobject.n_vars(s,vg) );
       }
   }
+
+  void testJensEftangBug()
+  {
+    libmesh_here();
+    std::cout << "Debugging DofObject buffer\n"
+	      << " https://sourceforge.net/mailarchive/forum.php?thread_name=50C8EE7C.8090405%40gmail.com&forum_name=libmesh-users\n";
+
+    DofObject aobject(*instance);    
+    unsigned int buf0[] = {2, 8, 257, 0, 257, 96, 257, 192, 257, 0};
+    aobject.set_buffer(std::vector<unsigned int>(buf0, buf0+10));
+    aobject.debug_buffer();
+    std::cout << "aobject.dof_number(0,0,0)=" << aobject.dof_number(0,0,0) << '\n'
+	      << "aobject.dof_number(0,1,0)=" << aobject.dof_number(0,1,0) << '\n'
+	      << "aobject.dof_number(0,2,0)=" << aobject.dof_number(0,2,0) << '\n'
+	      << "aobject.dof_number(1,0,0)=" << aobject.dof_number(1,0,0) << '\n';
+
+    CPPUNIT_ASSERT_EQUAL (aobject.dof_number(0,0,0), (unsigned int)   0);
+    CPPUNIT_ASSERT_EQUAL (aobject.dof_number(0,1,0), (unsigned int)  96);
+    CPPUNIT_ASSERT_EQUAL (aobject.dof_number(0,2,0), (unsigned int) 192);
+    CPPUNIT_ASSERT_EQUAL (aobject.dof_number(1,0,0), (unsigned int)   0);
+
+    unsigned int buf1[] = {2, 8, 257, 1, 257, 97, 257, 193, 257, 1};
+    aobject.set_buffer(std::vector<unsigned int>(buf1, buf1+10));
+    aobject.debug_buffer();
+    std::cout << "aobject.dof_number(0,0,0)=" << aobject.dof_number(0,0,0) << '\n'
+	      << "aobject.dof_number(0,1,0)=" << aobject.dof_number(0,1,0) << '\n'
+	      << "aobject.dof_number(0,2,0)=" << aobject.dof_number(0,2,0) << '\n'
+	      << "aobject.dof_number(1,0,0)=" << aobject.dof_number(1,0,0) << '\n';
+
+    CPPUNIT_ASSERT_EQUAL (aobject.dof_number(0,0,0), (unsigned int)   1);
+    CPPUNIT_ASSERT_EQUAL (aobject.dof_number(0,1,0), (unsigned int)  97);
+    CPPUNIT_ASSERT_EQUAL (aobject.dof_number(0,2,0), (unsigned int) 193);
+    CPPUNIT_ASSERT_EQUAL (aobject.dof_number(1,0,0), (unsigned int)   1);
+  }
 };
 
 #endif // #ifdef __dof_object_test_h__