Stanley bench plane type study
Stanley Type 12 (1919–1924)
Patent dates still behind the frog. Low knob. Sweetheart-era irons begin appearing.
- 1919–1924
- medium confidence
Fastest way to spot one
- Patent dates still behind the frog
- Low knob
- Sweetheart-era irons begin appearing
Features in detail
| Knob | Still the low knob - the last types to carry it. high |
|---|---|
| Iron logo | The SW 'Sweetheart' heart logo comes into use in this window, roughly 1920. high |
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 - book
Stanley Tools: Guide to Identity and Value — John Walter
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. 5-1/4 Junior Jack Plane
A narrow, short jack sold heavily into school manual-training programmes.
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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. 605-1/4 Bedrock Junior Jack Plane
A narrow junior jack in the Bedrock line, introduced late and discontinued with everything else in 1943.
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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.