Purveyors of coveted items

[SteL]

After seeing a reply to a hammer thread today linking to Kinetic Customs it got me thinking what other hand made British tool makers are still going like that? I couldn't buy a hammer at those prices or I'd end up with it inserted somewhere, but they are nice to look at!

I know of Skelton Saws and there's Thomas Flinn that does a variety of tools. Errm... Bill Carter's planes. Am I missing any from this exhaustive list?

 

[Jameshow]

Crown tools Sheffield.

Cheers James

 

[billw]

My god those ARE nice hammers. Bookmarked.

 

[Peter Sefton]

Shane Sketons saws are beautifully crafted and matched in hand made excellence by Bill Carters planes, both highly skilled really nice guys!

 

[Nelsun]

I have to confess to someone [that isn't within inserting it anywhere unpleasant range] to having bought one of the KC bench hammers. An absolutely lovely tool that does get used... and kept in my housebound toolbag.

Superior Level are another UK tool pimping company. All analogue and beautifully made levels to worry a wallet with

 

[Bm101]

If you think those hammers are beautiful, and they are, have a look at Ollie Sparks work...
https://oliversparksmaker.com/

 

[Doug B]

Karl Holtley has come out of retirement "Holtey Classic Handplanes Homepage." stunning engineering

 

[Nelsun]

Oh my. Time to put the kids on eBay

 

[Bm101]

I'd like to know how many Holtey planes are actually in use at any given time. You have to think that most are collectors items? Undoubtedly beautiful and a mastery of form and function.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

You could work your way down through the spectrum wondering that - how many Bridge City? How many Veritas? How many L.N? I don't doubt they are used, but used regularly? Probably as regularly as my Stanley Victor compass plane.

 

[Cabinetman]

£140 for a hammer? And the face isn’t even polished!! I think you’re all absolutely barking mad, and they’re sold out? Ffs, Well all I can say is you’ve got far more money than sense. Or, are you hoping that these expensive bits of kit will give you super skills? They won’t. There is absolutely no alternative but to learn the trade from the bottom up, marking out, understanding the timber and working it with sharp tools, The shape of which and the shine of the finish on them really doesn’t matter a jot.
Some of us also seem to be infected with the American affliction of buying rows and rows of tools and just sticking them on the wall and never using them. Fine, if that’s what you want to do but I shall never understand it.
The skill isn’t in the collecting or spending, it’s in the using, I have said it several times on here you just don’t need to spend a fortune on tools. You’re being deceived. Ian

 

[Phil Pascoe]

An acquaintance, a brilliant silversmith (actual silversmith, not just a silver jewelry maker) has probably forty or fifty hammers. He doesn't believe in paying more than two quid for them, he buys old ones wherever and shapes and polishes them to do what he wants. I've eight or nine that are superb, from a 4oz ball pein to a 2lb lump, all polished - I've not paid more than two quid for any of them. But then, I've never paid more then four quid for chisels - and they were virtually unused Wards.

 

[Cabinetman]

Actually Phil, that’s something I’ve been meaning to mention on here, polishing the face of a hammer is so important, no more blood wheels or dints in the wood. It doesn’t seem to be common knowledge. Ian
PS yes, I did silversmithing at TT college, raising silver bowls etc, polishing planishing hammers was all the rage!

 

[Blackswanwood]

Home Philly Planes should be on the list

 

[Fitzroy]

This is a dangerous thread! Must no buy the shinies, must resist............

 

[SammyQ]

Some of us also seem to be infected with the American affliction of buying rows and rows of tools and just sticking them on the wall and never using them. Fine, if that’s what you want to do but I shall never understand it.
The skill isn’t in the collecting or spending, it’s in the using, I have said it several times on here you just don’t need to spend a fortune on tools. You’re being deceived. Ian

Hear, hear!!

"It ain't wot you got, it's how you use it!".

Now, I type that with just a frisson of hypocricy. I DO have two lovely planes: an antique low angle bevel up block plane and a Record 74. Both were bought for specific jobs I could not do otherwise. I paid £40 for each one and, over the years, they have repaid me ( as an amateur) handsomely. Ergo, buy only at need.

Sam

 

[Doug B]

£140 for a hammer? And the face isn’t even polished!! I think you’re all absolutely barking mad, and they’re sold out? Ffs, Well all I can say is you’ve got far more money than sense. Or, are you hoping that these expensive bits of kit will give you super skills? They won’t. There is absolutely no alternative but to learn the trade from the bottom up, marking out, understanding the timber and working it with sharp tools, The shape of which and the shine of the finish on them really doesn’t matter a jot.
Some of us also seem to be infected with the American affliction of buying rows and rows of tools and just sticking them on the wall and never using them. Fine, if that’s what you want to do but I shall never understand it.
The skill isn’t in the collecting or spending, it’s in the using, I have said it several times on here you just don’t need to spend a fortune on tools. You’re being deceived. Ian

There‘s obviously a lot of truth in what you say Ian but when you buy a tool that has been handmade there is an awful lot of labour involved & that is what costs the money.
I remember a piece by Karl Holtey saying if he charged an hourly engineering rate for the manufacture of his planes they would be more expensive. The Gas fitters I deal with want £200 a day plus vat just labour, at that rate you’d need to be making & selling a few hammers each day to clear that sort of money as just profit.

At the end of the day it’s about choice, handmade, mass manufactured & everything in between it up to the individual not that this individual can afford any of the tools listed above But I’m allowed to dream

 

[Just4Fun]

Ergo, buy only at need.

That is a nice theory but it doesn't work for me. I prefer to buy used, preferably old, tools. I can't just buy those when I need them, I have to buy them when they are available at a sensible price. So I bought most of my tools without any specific project in mind, just in the belief that over time I will get enough use out of them to make their purchase worthwhile.

 

[NickWelford]

I think we should add Ashley Iles chisels to the list. Although very affordable, they are all made by hand by a very few blokes in a small place in the countryside in Lincolnshire. I’ve been on a tour, it’s fascinating. They try to use British. Many tools are Victorian. There’s only about 4 or 5 workers and the place is not much bigger than Steve Maskery’s shed!

 

[TFrench]

£140 for a hammer? And the face isn’t even polished!! I think you’re all absolutely barking mad, and they’re sold out? Ffs, Well all I can say is you’ve got far more money than sense. Or, are you hoping that these expensive bits of kit will give you super skills? They won’t. There is absolutely no alternative but to learn the trade from the bottom up, marking out, understanding the timber and working it with sharp tools, The shape of which and the shine of the finish on them really doesn’t matter a jot.
Some of us also seem to be infected with the American affliction of buying rows and rows of tools and just sticking them on the wall and never using them. Fine, if that’s what you want to do but I shall never understand it.
The skill isn’t in the collecting or spending, it’s in the using, I have said it several times on here you just don’t need to spend a fortune on tools. You’re being deceived. Ian

Try a martinez M1 - titanium, runs around £280. Framing carpenters love them. I collect tools (and machinery) and I have no shame in that. I honestly get more enjoyment from tinkering and restoring stuff than I do using it. Obviously its nice that the stuff I have HAS a function and can be used when I do need it. Plus it all has value, so its not like its money wasted.