My first hand-cut dovetail

It was gappy, a little crooked and I was very proud of it. Here is what I would tell myself before starting.

Mark everything with a knife rather than a pencil. The knife line gives the chisel a place to start and makes the joint far more accurate.

Saw on the waste side of the line and leave the fitting for the end. Pare slowly, test often, and resist forcing the pieces together.