Appreciation post: my old boss in Dayton showed me why my dovetails kept blowing out on white oak
He watched me cut three in a row and just pointed at my chisel, said I was paring toward the grain instead of across it, and 20 minutes later they fit like they came off a jig. Anybody else get taught a basic thing way too late in the game?
Getting caught by a shop teacher is like a rite of passage lol. First thing is to slow down and let the saw do the work, pushing hard just makes it bind up and wander off your line. Same deal with a jigsaw honestly, you rush it and the blade bends and your cut looks like a drunk snake. Next time clamp the wood down good so it can't move on you, most bad cuts come from the piece shifting more than the saw. If the teacher is watching, just stop and ask him to show you his grip, they eat that up and you learn way faster.