> anyway, any tips/gotchas i need to be aware of when cutting these
> things by hand ?? the finger joints that is...

Erm, the finger joints in such boxes were machined joints from the 
start,
a way to get something of the strength of dovetails without all the hand
work.

A true Neanderthal might do them with saw and chisel, but there is a
Galootish solution.  Charles Holtzappfel shows a treadle operated
table saw in either volume 1 or volume 2 of his five volume work, 
Turning
and Mechanical Manipulation.  There's one that is wooden construction,
and another that is metal (illustrated).  They're pretty much the
table saw we all know (but called a "sawing machine" in the text). They
have a fence, and they have a slot for a miter gauge.  The miter gauge
looks like any miter gauge found on a table saw you can buy today at
any dealership in tailed apprentices.

Mike in Sacto