cropduster

Dovetails are probably one of the most difficult joints to make well. Both woodworkers and laymen alike look at the dovetail joint as a sign of a skilled craftsman. Most laymen wouldn't know a machine made dovetail from a hand cut one. That being said, if you use any other joint, some people (both craftsmen and laymen) will see it as a sign of inferior quality. Why not just get really good at making them. Take a class. Rob Cossman has excellent DVD's as well as great classes on hand cut dovetails. He can make them by hand faster than with a machine and they look awesome. Just takes practice.