re: How Many Tools?

On saws, I don’t disagree, but since I saw out the waste on my dovetails, I need a coping saw or a turning saw or two. I have three, one a short coping saw, and two large turning saws, one with a fine blade for thin stock, and one with a coarse blade for thick stock. But then I also have two dovetail saws, one at 15ppi for 3/4 inch thick stock (and up) and one for 1/2 inch and below which is a 24ppi saw. I also have a cheap crown gent saw at 32 ppi for when I go nuts and dovetail stock thinner than a quarter inch.

I also have a float of a width appropriate to my dovetails for cleaning up the bottoms where most people would pare with a chisel. I find it much quicker to make two passes with the float after I’ve sawn the waste.

For planes, I use a transitional try plane, a wooden smoother, and three different block planes set for different tasks. One is strictly end grain. One is a skew, and gets used as a rabbet plane. And one is a “small smoother” as I use it. But then if I pull down a shoot board, I also get out the shoot board plane. And I have a jack plane that’s only used with the miter jack. And a scrub plane… etc.