Reply by Loren

You can make it with a tote if you like.

Krenov made them without totes and knobs because he liked to explore
gripping the plane in different ways as he worked and discovered new
things. He was too modest to say what anybody else should do
but for himself he thought totes could lock him into a fixed way
of working so he preferred his simple toteless planes.

Making planes is pretty easy if you have some power tools. I second
the idea of making a small one first so you get a grasp of how they
go together.