Wall mounted Plane and Tool Cabinet - Part 5 - Drawer parts (Dovetail boards)

To a non-woodworker dovetail joints are like a puzzle from Escher and have a certain mystique about them. In reality they are strong and easy for a woodworker to do but do take time, practice and patience to get right. The most important thing when dovetailing by hand is to cut square to the face of the board. The tails can be any shape or any angle you want and cutting them square will make subsequent operations so much easier.
My minimal toolkit for dovetailing drawer parts (and yes I also do dovetailing with a router template as seen in the carcass of the cabinet) comprises the following:

• Marking gauge - I like the Veritas one
• Various bench chisels
• Right and left hand skew chisels
• Brass hammer
• Dead blow hammer
• Dovetail saw - I like the Veritas pull saw
• Crosscut saw
• Hand brush
• Rule - I favour the Incra tee bar rule
• Marking implements - 0.5mm mechanical pencil with HB leads
• Dovetail gauge - 1:8 Veritas gauge is good for hardwood
• Shop music system playing your favourite relaxing tunes (I like cool jazz when dovetailing)

Some dovetailing tools