Rob Cosman, out of New Brunswick and representing American Craftsman Publications, came in to share with us some of the tricks to making the strongest corner joint in woodworking, the dovetail -- and making them by hand.
He had some nifty layout tips for making wide tails and narrow pins, but his real weapon is the Lie-Nielsen dovetail saw. From a distance it looks like any other really nice back saw, but? It is the only back saw with rip teeth -- exactly what is needed to cut dovetails on the ends of boards. And it has very little set to the teeth, to assure a smooth cut which can serve as a finished surface without any clean-up.
He then uses a coping saw to rough out the waste and a chisel to clean up the bottom of the cutout. Beautiful perfect-fitting joints.