• A German-made plane stays sharp for a long time.wood plane tool image by Wiktor Osiecki from Fotolia.com
  
  In order to craft high-quality wooden furniture, toys and other woodworking projects, a woodworker needs to rely his tools. If you're looking for a chisel that doesn't dull after a few uses, clamps that don't shift when you work on your project and drill bits that won't break easily, German woodworking tools, with their excellent design and functionality, are the tools for you.
  
  

Heinrich Bracht Chisels, Scrapers and Gouges

• Heinrich Bracht tools are made by Wilhelm Schmitt & Company in Remscheid, Germany. The company has specialized in fine woodworking tools for over 140 years. Their chisel sets are made from tempered steel and hardened to Rockwell 61.5, which makes it possible for the tools to hold their extremely sharp edges for a long time. You can buy their chisels singly, in sets of six or in sets of 12, and they are well worth their money. Heinrich Bracht also sells high quality scrapers and gouge sets.
  
  

Helko Cutting Tools

• The Helko Werk in Wuppertal, Germany, has been producing high quality cutting tools for more than 150 years. They specialize in axes, hatchets, splitting wedges and similar woodcutting tools. They also manufacture their products under the brand names Vario 2000, Hunter and Tomahawk. Their axes and hatchets are approved to European standards, with DIN/GS approved quality. The handles of their tools are crafted from ash, hickory or fiberglass, and the heads and splitting wedges are forged steel, set off with plastic where appropriate. Because of their unsurpassed German quality, these axes and hatchets are used all over the world.
  
  

MHG Woodworking Hand Tools

• Hand tool production has been practiced in Schmalkalden, Germany, since the Middle Ages, and MHG has brought this tradition into the modern age with a wide variety of tools for today's woodworkers. MHG Chisels have a design proven perfect since the turn of the century, and their steel is hardened to 61 +/-1 HRC, for a strong, very slowly dulling edge. Their wood carving knives come with a short skew edge, a long skew edge and a double-sided curved edge. MHG also offers the perfect sharpening stones to keep your tools honed.
  
  

Dastra Carving Tools

• Dastra tools have been manufactured for six generations by the same family in Wuppertal-Ronsdorf, Germany. Each one of their tools goes through 32 separate steps, most of them made by hand, before it is perfect to be sold. Dastra specializes in the best carving tools, like chisels and paring and turning tools. The handles of their tools are made of hornbeam and fitted to the size of the tool for perfect handling. The blades are hardened to about Rockwell 60 and buffed to a satiny finish.
  
  Besides Dastra, another German company, Two Cherries, also offers excellent carving and chisel sets. Also check out these great German woodworking companies and their tools: E.C. Emmerich, Ulmia, Kunz, Dieter Schmid and DMT.