There are a lot of projects there, some of them quite complex, and most very current looking. The ONLY photos I saw of powertools were a grinder which was being used to grind a plane blade, and a bench drill used with a jig to make mortises (of course that would not be "needed"). There was a vague mention I read of a saw or saw table being tilted, so think that was referring to a table saw; but the only illustrations were of handsaws (apparently the author took it that most of the readers would not have a table saw). There was one very sketchy drawing of a bandsaw being used to form the curved bottom of a piece of doll house furniture. The directions said to make numerous close cuts to the marked line - then the final shaping was done using a file and sandpaper
(this could be done as easily using a coping saw). All holes were drilled with an eggbeater drill. Instructions for squaring pieces only said plane and square. Oh yes, frequent reference was also made to using nails and/or screws and glue to fasten with. So apparently everything in the book could be done using a plane, file(s), coping saw, back saw (not essential), handsaw, eggbeater drill, mallet, chisels, square, ruler, marking guage, compass, hammer, and screwdriver.

There were detailed instructions given for each project and a materials list, although no specific wood was specified as is so often done with "modern" plans, just "wood". Apparently the author also assumed the builder woud only have one plane, because that was it, no reference to different types, just plane the wood. I love it. But it is nice to have toys.

-For that matter, one could do a lot with only a jack knife if one had to!

-Backin the '50s (starting about 1952) and into the '60s (ending about '65), Stanley put out a handy little paperback (from Penguin) called How To Work with Tools and Wood that does something similar.

I think there is a need for a similar book today, though with somewhat less emphasis on a single brand of hand tools. For all I know, there may actually be one out there, but, if so, I haven't seen it or any reference to it.

With more and more people returning to woodworking after 20 or more years, or picking it up for the first time, a good start-up manual without heavy duty tool emphasis, but with 30 or 40 good plans, might be a real help.