Vintage Tools
Karl Holtey Designed Planes
Having set the benchmark for quality with his line of infill planes, Karl Holtey is now focusing his energies on planes of his own innovative design. Karl Holtey has taken all of the lessons that he learned from the manufacture of traditional infill planes to develop planes that incorporate the best features of the traditional planes along with Karl’s own modern innovations.
The question occasionally comes up as to whether it would be less expensive to buy direct from Karl Holtey. If you are in the United States, the answer is no. If you factor in the cost of currency conversion, overseas shipping and insurance, and US Customs, you will find that it is more cost effective to deal through us and take advantage of the economies of scale that we have for shipping, insurance, customs clearance, and currency exchange. And of course, we normally have the planes in stock. We do not have our shopping cart enabled on the Holtey pages because we prefer to deal with our Holtey customers over the phone.
Price: $3749.95
- Cutting irons are made from the best A2 tool steel, cryogenically hardened
- Blade is reversible
- 59 degree blade bedding in standard position, approx. 89 degrees reversed
- Weight: 2.4 lbs
- Length of Sole: 6 5/8"
- Cutter Width: 1 1/2"
The Holtey 11SA plane utilized a bed angle of 59 degrees, which is steeper than any production plane of which I am aware. This is approaching a scraper. The result is that for putting a final surface on difficult wood, you will not find a better plane. This plane works so well on difficult wood that tear-out really becomes the other guy's problem. The blade is reversible as well, which effectively makes the plane a scraper. The small size of this plane makes it a favorite among instrument makers.
The Karl Holtey 98 Smoothing Plane
Price: $5750
- Cutting irons are made from the best A2 tool steel, cryogenically hardened
- Blade is mounted bevel up
- 22 1/2 degree blade bedding, for an effective angle of 52 degrees assuming a 30 degree bevel
- Weight: 4.2 lbs
- Width: 2 5/8
- Length of Sole: 9 1/2"
- Cutter Width: 2 1/8"
The Karl Holtey #98 smoothing plane is an ultra-precision smoothing plane incorporating the Karl Holtey's latest innovations. The sides are fixed to the sole using a machined pin system, rather than the traditional dovetailing. The lever cap features a quick release lug mechanism of Karl's Holtey's own design. The details of this design are shown in our photo. The sole is flattened to perfection and the sides are dead square to the sole.
