Here’s a neat way to clean out waste between handcut dovetails and pins, without cutting beyond the baseline. First, mark out the tails (or the pins if you prefer) and use a handsaw to cut the sidewalls. Remove most of the material between tails with a coping saw, leaving about 1/8 in. of waste at the bottom. Now, use a small straight router bit in a router table to clean out the rest of the waste. Use the fence to register the workpiece and to ensure the bit cuts to a consistent depth between tails. Don’t let the bit slip into the tails. This process leaves the bottom of the waste area perfectly square to the sides and perfectly straight and flat. All that remains is a small amount of chisel cleanout in the corners. The waste between pins can be cleaned out the same way.

Drawing: Jim Richey

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