Bench&Brace

Stanley

Stanley No. 1 Smoothing Plane

The smallest bench plane Stanley made, and the one every collector wants. Too small for real bench work, too valuable to use, and reproduced often enough that authentication matters more than condition.

  • 1867–1943
  • Bench Plane
  • high confidence
Specifications
ModelNo. 1
Production1867–1943
Sole length5-1/2"
Cutter width1-1/4"
Bodycast iron, japanned
Handlesrosewood knob, no tote

How to identify it

  • No tote - the No. 1 has a knob only, which no other Bailey bench plane does.
  • 5-1/2 inch sole and a 1-1/4 inch iron. If it is longer, it is a No. 2.
  • Because value is high, check for reproductions and for married parts. The lever cap, frog and body should all be consistent with one type.
Photograph needed: Stanley No. 1 Smoothing Plane - overall view, plus a close-up of the toe and bed markings
No image is published here until its rights are cleared. Sourcing policy.

Buying and using

Discontinued in 1943 and never reissued by Stanley. Its reputation as a child's plane or a salesman's sample is folklore; it was catalogued as a working plane for small work and patternmaking.

The same size from other makers

These do the same job at the same size. Parts do not interchange between makers, but the shaving does not know the difference - and where one maker commands a collector premium, another usually does not.

MakerCalledMade
StanleyNo. 1021877–1962
StanleyNo. 1031877–1962
StanleyNo. 921898–1970

Every size, every maker

Dating this plane

This maker published no dating information, so collectors reconstructed one. Work from the body casting rather than the knob, tote or iron, all of which get replaced. The Stanley type study lists the features era by era, with a dating marks table at the foot of it.

What it is worth

  • user / incomplete $400–$800
  • complete, honest wear $900–$1,600
  • excellent, early type $1,800–$4,000

Estimated USD range as of 2026-Q1, from a sample of about 40 sales. manually filtered sold listings; reproductions and obvious marriages excluded Confidence: medium.

These are researched estimates for a private sale in average light, not an appraisal. Condition, completeness and type move a price further than any of these bands do.

Sources

Others in this family