I must be honest; I don't hand cut dovetails, but I do use a dovetail saw to make fine, straight, and very accurate cuts on other types of woodworking joints. For those cuts, nothing but a quality dovetail saw will suffice. And as long as I'm being honest, I'll admit one more thing; this saw is down right cool looking, and that is what initially "lured" me to buy one. I have not been disappointed. I use my Veritas 14-tpi (teeth per inch) dovetail saw to rip as well as crosscut. It works great for both types of sawing. Since getting my saw, Veritas has expanded their line of premium saws to include a 20-tpi dovetail saw, and a 16-tpi crosscut saw.

All three of the saws are 14-1/4 in. long overall with 9-1/4 in. long blades that cut 1-9/16-in. deep. The tooth geometry of each saw is different to accomplish a different task. I'm told the 14-tpi dovetail saw is best used to cut dovetails on 1/2-in. and thicker stock, and the 20-tpi dovetail saw is best used on stock thinner than 1/2-inch. The 16-tpi saw is designed to excel at crosscutting. Truly, the 14-tpi saw I have suits my needs just fine. One last thing to note: These saws are super sharp "out of the box." The first few cuts you make, the saw will seem to grab. This effect goes away rather quickly after you make a few full stroke cuts in dense hardwood.

Veritas Premium Saws - Lee Valley Tools
800-871-8158