Dovetailing Continued

I thought a follow up in order on my dovetailing efforts. Dovetails, especially hand-cut dovetails, are very intimidating to most of us. I have unveiled the mysticism behind dovetails but I do still need a little help with my hand tool usage. Here is a pic of some of my early dovetails...

The top one is red oak and the bottom is treated pine. These where just some boards I had laying around the shop. Thought It would be good to do both a hard and soft woods. Here is a pic of workbench and tools I've been using to cut the dovetails. You could probably get all of the tools, workbench and and all, for under $200.

I haven't had time to cut and dovetails for a few days so I thought I better get back out there keep this fresh in my mind. I'm a little amazed that these dovetails look ok...not great...but not bad for a guy who has cut less than 10 dovetails joints in his life. Here's some pics of the Latest attempt...

And The Money Shot...

You don't have to be a critic to see a ton of flaws with what I have done. Bad sawing, poor chiseling, and careless dings just to name a few. After all is said and done...those look undeniably like dovetails. A little glue and a goining over with a plane and I think they would look pretty reasonable.

Now that I have the concept down I'm looking for a few tools that will make my life a little easier. Like a dovetail layout tool, butt chisel set, maybe a 2" engineer square, or even a LN Progressive Pitch Dovetail Saw. I know upgrading the tools probably won't make me a better dovetailer but maybe they will make practice more enjoyable. Who knows maybe I'll find some new tools at the Woodworking In America Conference this weekend?