Precision cuts and joinery is the mark of a skilled carpenter. Dovetail joints often have an aura of mystery about them. Dovetails can be tricky, but with a little practice you can have others envious of the decorative hand cut character that only a dovetail joint can bring to your next project.

When using dovetails for a joint that requires strength, end grain must be used. Side grain was used in this instructable because it was for demonstration purposes only. The same steps and techniques will work with end grain dovetail joints.

Step 1: Tools

Marking gauge
Hand saw
Square
Pencil
Chisel

Step 2: Layout One

Measure the thickness of the second board using the marking gauge
Transfer that thickness to the first board with the marking gauge
Mark the middle of the board
Decide on a layout for the dovetails (my layout is shown in picture 3)
Make sure to mark the sections that you are wanting to remove

Step 3: Cut

Using a hand saw, cut close to the line while not removing it till you reach the line left by the marking gauge

Step 4: Removing Wood

Use a chisel and mallet to remove the excess wood. Holding the chisel perpendicular to the wood piece, cut along the line made by the marking gauge. Flip the chisel over to cut toward the line made by the marking gauge. Do this over and over till the wood is removed.

Step 5: Repeat

Using the same steps shown before, remove the remaining excess wood from the first board.

Step 6: Layout Two

Using the first board as a pattern, transfer the outline of the dovetails
Using the marking gauge, transfer the thickness of the first board to the second board
Mark the sections to remove
Using a square, connect the lines to the line left by the marking gauge

Step 7: Cut and Remove Wood

Repeat steps 3 through 5.

Step 8: Final Fitting

If the previous steps have been followed, the two boards should not fit together. In order to get the tight great looking dovetails that every carpenter wants, carefully shave wood off the second board in the interface between the two. I used both the chisel and small sanding block to get them to fit.