I have always chopped out my dovetail baselines because I could never consistently make a coping saw work for me. I never felt I could control the cut to stay close to the baseline without cutting into the base line and working the blade down the saw cuts to get down towards the baseline with the coping saw blade further degraded the appearance of my saw cuts (and I definitely don't need any more of that). I basically quit trying to use a coping saw and stayed with chopping. Due to reading daily (and watching You Tube videos) of others sawing out the bulk of the waste, I recently afforded myself a basic ("entry" level) Knew Concepts fret saw. Oh my, I now see what everyone has been talking about with this "just saw out the waste, then pare to the line" business. Hey Presto, it is so much quicker than chopping and, when the blade starts getting too close to the baseline, the blade obeys the command to climb up and away from the baseline. Chopping works just fine, but it takes quite a bit more time than the one dovetail (to date) that I have used the saw on. I got the 5" saw without the quick release function and the blade turning capability to hold the cost down because I truly can't afford a $100 fret saw at this time, but could go the $65 or so. I have been converted by the fine blade kerf and the tension available to apply to the blade by this saw as compared to my older coping saw.