Stanley bench plane type study
Stanley Type 11 (1910–1918)
Three patent dates cast into the bed behind the frog. Low knob. Frog adjusting screw present.
- 1910–1918
- high confidence
Fastest way to spot one
- Three patent dates cast into the bed behind the frog
- Low knob
- Frog adjusting screw present
Features in detail
| Patent dates | Three dates cast behind the frog, usually read as APR-19-92, MAR-25-02 and AUG-19-02. Counting these dates is the fastest way to place a plane in the 1910s. high |
|---|---|
| Knob | Low, squat rosewood knob. The tall knob does not arrive until 1925. high |
| Iron logo | Usually a 'V' logo or the New Britain script, depending on where in the run it falls. medium |
Notes
The type most often recommended to someone buying a plane to use rather than collect: pre-war castings and machining, still produced in enough volume to be affordable, and old enough that the iron is good steel.
Before you trust this
Type dates are approximate and adjacent types overlap. Stanley emptied parts bins before opening new ones, so a plane can legitimately carry features from two types at once. Date the body casting, treat the iron and hardware separately, and expect a window rather than a year.
Go back to the full type study, or read the dating marks table.
Sources
- reference-site
Stanley Bench Plane Type Study (Types 1-20) — Patrick Leach - reference-site
Patrick Leach's Blood & Gore (Stanley plane model-by-model commentary) — Patrick Leach
Models this type applies to
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Stanley No. 1 Smoothing Plane
The smallest bench plane Stanley made, and the one every collector wants.
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Stanley No. 2 Smoothing Plane
The smallest Bailey with a tote.
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Stanley No. 3 Smoothing Plane
A smoother one size down from the No. 4, and the size most people find comfortable once they have used both.
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Stanley No. 4 Smoothing Plane
The most-produced bench plane in history and the default smoother in every workshop that has one.
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Stanley No. 4-1/2 Smoothing Plane
A wide, heavy smoother.
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Stanley No. 5 Jack Plane
The jack plane - the jack of all trades, and the plane most likely to be in a box at an estate sale.
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Stanley No. 5-1/2 Jack Plane
A wide, heavy jack.
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Stanley No. 6 Fore Plane
The fore plane sits between the jack and the jointer.
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Stanley No. 7 Jointer Plane
The standard jointer, and the plane that makes hand-cut edge joints possible.
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Stanley No. 8 Jointer Plane
The largest Bailey bench plane: two feet of sole and the widest iron in the range.
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Stanley No. 40 Scrub Plane
A dedicated roughing plane: narrow, thick, heavily cambered iron and a wide open mouth, made to take deep bites across the grain and reduce a board fast.
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Stanley No. 602 Bedrock Smoothing Plane
The smallest Bedrock, and after the No. 1 the most sought-after Stanley bench plane.
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Stanley No. 603 Bedrock Smoothing Plane
The Bedrock equivalent of the Bailey No. 3: an eight-inch smoother with the full-contact frog seat and the heavier castings of the premium line.
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Stanley No. 604 Bedrock Smoothing Plane
The Bedrock No. 4.
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Stanley No. 604-1/2 Bedrock Smoothing Plane
A wide, heavy Bedrock smoother - the 4-1/2 pattern in the premium line, and the plane to reach for on figured hardwood if money is no object.
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Stanley No. 605 Bedrock Jack Plane
The Bedrock jack, and the most-produced plane in the line after the 604.
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Stanley No. 605-1/2 Bedrock Jack Plane
The wide Bedrock jack: fifteen inches of sole, a wide iron and the full-contact frog seat.
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Stanley No. 606 Bedrock Fore Plane
The Bedrock fore plane.
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Stanley No. 607 Bedrock Jointer Plane
The Bedrock jointer: 22 inches of heavy casting with the full-contact frog.
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Stanley No. 608 Bedrock Jointer Plane
The biggest Bedrock: two feet of sole, the widest iron, and the heaviest bench plane Stanley catalogued.