Equivalent plane sizes across brands

Sizes are the one thing every maker agreed on. A nine-inch smoother is a nine-inch smoother whether it says Stanley No. 4, Millers Falls No. 9, Sargent 409 or Record 04 on it, and the four planes will produce indistinguishable shavings. What differs is the price, and the difference is driven by collector demand rather than by the tool.

So the practical use of this table is arbitrage. Decide the size you want using the Stanley number you already know, then read across and buy whichever brand is cheapest in good condition.

How each maker numbered its planes

Millers Falls

Bench plane model numbers are the sole length in inches. A Millers Falls No. 9 is a 9-inch smoother, a No. 14 is a 14-inch jack, a No. 22 is a 22-inch jointer. This is far more sensible than Stanley's numbering and it means you can identify the size of any Millers Falls bench plane with a tape measure and no reference book.

Confidence: medium. Measure the sole. The rule is self-checking, which is the best kind.

Record

Record mirrors Stanley's numbering with a leading zero. A Record 04 is the equivalent of a Stanley No. 4, an 05 of a No. 5, an 07 of a No. 7. Half sizes follow: 04-1/2, 05-1/2. The specialty planes mostly keep the same relationship - the 778 answers Stanley's 78, the 071 the 71 router, the 405 the 45 combination plane.

Confidence: high. Self-evident once you have the plane in hand and know the Stanley range.

Sargent

Bench plane numbers are 4 followed by the sole length in inches; the premium Auto-Set line uses 7 followed by the same length. A Sargent 409 is a 9-inch smoother, a 414 a 14-inch jack, a 422 a 22-inch jointer. The Auto-Set equivalents are the 709, 714 and 722. Once you know this, the Stanley equivalent falls out of a tape measure rather than a cross-reference table.

Confidence: medium. Measure the sole and confirm it matches the last two digits before relying on this for a purchase.

Stanley

Stanley's numbering encodes nothing. The No. 4 is nine inches, the No. 5 is fourteen, the No. 8 is twenty-four. The sequence is roughly ascending by size and that is the most that can be said for it. Everyone learns it by rote, which is exactly why the other makers' schemes feel like such a relief once you notice them.

What equivalence does and does not mean

• Equivalent means the same size and the same job. It does not mean parts interchange - irons, frogs and lever caps are not swappable between makers.
• Quality is comparable within a period, not across one. A 1910s Sargent beats a 1960s Stanley; a 1910s Stanley beats a 1960s anything.
• Record is the exception to the decline. Post-war Record quality held where Stanley's did not.
• Where a cell says "not made", that maker either never offered the size or this site has not yet catalogued it.