The Veritas dovetail guide clamps in position and holds the saw at the correct place and angle for a perfect cut. Rare-earth magnets are embedded in the anodized aluminum guide and are covered with a layer of Low-friction UHMW plastic to keep the saw perfectly aligned as you cut. You still have to chop out waste from the tails and pins, but the detailed instructions give you tips on how to do this quickly and accurately. The Clamping capacity of the guide covers material from 6 to 25mm(1/4" to 1") thick. The guide can be used with any backless saw that has approximately 0.005" of tooth set, but works best with the Veritas dovetail saw that has been designed specifically for it. The 50 x 215mm(2" x 8.1/2") blade has 22 tpi and 0.127mm of tooth set. The dozuki tooth form is effective in both crosscuts and rip cuts.