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All custom planemakers are judged against the work of Karl Holtey. His work has the precision of a Swiss watchmaker, and the tools are finished to such a degree that some might classify them as jewelry , if they weren’t such hardworking tools.
Many people have wondered how Holtey makes his tools, and all the steps that go into building an infill smoothing plane that costs thousands of dollars.
Last month, Holtey started blogging and has been posting dozens of photos of work in progress. If you have any doubts that Holtey doesn’t earn every cent he asks for his planes, read through the blog. His attention to detail is amazing.
You can start reading his blog here.
– Christopher Schwarz
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I was fortunate enough to meet Karl Holtey and handle some of his planes recently at a Hand Tool Event organised by Classic Hand Tools here in the UK. What a charming, modest guy and what fabulous planes – they really are as good as you say.
Cheers 😉
Paul Chapman