Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)
Hi Don

Prevention of spelching comes down to a few factors: the sharpness of the edge (which is a reason for good steel), the technique when chopping (take thin slices to reduce wear at the blade edge), and the nature of the wood itself (softer woods are generally more vulnerable than harder woods).

I wrote up a pictorial a few years back on the sequence I use for clearing the waste from dovetails. This featured Tasmanian Oak, which is not a true oak but a Eucalyptus. It is similar in feel and look to White Oak (or what I know as White Oak).

Here are a few (self-explanatory) images:

A good test of the cleanliness of baselines is the inside of the drawer ...

The article is here: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/ThroughDovetails3.html

Regards from Perth

Derek