Adam- Close observation of early work will show evidence of v-tool use, and certainly not restricted to any particular city. To make these cuts such as the veining in leaves would require two cuts to meet at the bottom cleanly, which is slower, although I'm sure some guys did it that way.
Like v-tools, I believe rasps were available almost everywhere. I don't believe carvers used rasps much, but if they did I think they wouldn't have left the evidence lying around for us to see anyway, so it's hard to tell. Also, Philly carvers didn't all come from the same place or train under the same master, so I wouldn't expect to see consistency in rasp use any more than in any other aspect of their work.
As far as stabbing in versus v-tool outlining, I think it's a matter of taste and they're not mutually exclusive. Sometimes I do both and sometimes I just stab in. Stabbing in is good when you're using the tools to design the leaf shapes, which I believe was done a lot. As John pointed out, if you just stab to the line you may be surprised later when those edges splinter and come apart. I use a safety cut about a sixteenth to an eighth away from the line to preserve the integrity of the element, like a thin leaf edge.When the real cut is made, the breakage will occur towards the waste side. I question your comment about rounding off the edges of stabbing -in tools, as this would leave an uncut end where two cuts meet, the place where you really want a nice crisp inside corner to make the removal of the ground easier.
If a v-tool is ground appropriately, there is practically no sideways pressure, so you can vein the leaves close to the edge with no damage to the edge. You can also do the same with a small 11 if it's ground back so that the wings cut first.
Bent gouges are a group I personally don't use much, but the times I do it's usually a tighter than usual inside hollow where the bending gives you clearance.
I think that carvers in the period had access to as many or more patterns than we do. The early manufacturing catalogues have a really good selection. A good workman can do a lot with a limited number of tools, or can design the work around the tools he has. I always design carving with my tool selection in mind.-Al