Stanley

Stanley No. 101 Block Plane

The cheapest plane Stanley sold: three and a half inches, one moving part, no adjuster. Sold in vast numbers as a boy's first plane and still turning up in every box lot.

1877–1962
Block Plane
medium confidence

Specifications
Model	No. 101
Production	1877–1962
Sole length	3-1/2"
Cutter width	1"
Mouth	fixed
Body	cast iron, japanned

How to identify it

3-1/2 inch body, 1 inch iron, no adjuster of any kind.
Distinguished from the No. 100 by having no squirrel tail.

Photograph needed: Stanley No. 101 Block 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

Worth almost nothing individually, but it sharpens up and works fine for small chamfers. The classic 'first vintage tool' purchase.

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.

Maker	Called	Made
Stanley	No. 100	1876–1962

Every size, every maker

What it is worth

user / incomplete $5–$12
complete, honest wear $14–$30
excellent, early $35–$70

Estimated USD range as of 2026-Q1, from a sample of about 100 sales. manually filtered sold listings 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

reference-site
Patrick Leach's Blood & Gore (Stanley plane model-by-model commentary) — Patrick Leach
book
Stanley Tools: Guide to Identity and Value — John Walter

Others in this family

Stanley No. 9 Cabinetmaker's Block Plane

1870–1943 · 10" · 2"

A big, heavy block plane made for shooting mitres and trimming end grain on cabinet work.
Stanley No. 9-1/2 Block Plane

1873–2000 · 6" · 1-5/8"

The standard-angle block plane, and the pattern every other manufacturer copied.
Stanley No. 15 Block Plane

1876–1955 · 7" · 1-5/8"

A No. 9-1/2 stretched by an inch.
Stanley No. 18 Knuckle-Joint Block Plane

1888–1950 · 6" · 1-5/8"

A 9-1/2 with the knuckle-joint lever cap: a hinged nickel-plated cap that folds flat into the palm.
Stanley No. 19 Knuckle-Joint Block Plane

1888–1950 · 7" · 1-5/8"

The seven-inch knuckle-cap block plane: a No. 15 with the folding cap, or a No. 18 with an extra inch, depending which way you come at it.
Stanley No. 60 Low Angle Block Plane

1898–1950 · 6" · 1-3/8" · draft

The fixed-mouth sibling of the 60-1/2: same low bed angle, same iron, no adjustable toe piece.
Stanley No. 60-1/2 Low Angle Block Plane

1898–2000 · 6" · 1-3/8"

The low-angle block plane, and probably the single most useful vintage Stanley you can buy for under fifty dollars.
Stanley No. 61 Low Angle Block Plane

1914–1935 · 6" · 1-3/8" · draft

A short-lived low-angle block plane in the 60 series.