Stanley

Stanley No. 18 Knuckle-Joint Block Plane

A 9-1/2 with the knuckle-joint lever cap: a hinged nickel-plated cap that folds flat into the palm. Pure comfort, no performance difference.

1888–1950
Block Plane
high confidence

Specifications
Model	No. 18
Production	1888–1950
Sole length	6"
Cutter width	1-5/8"
Bed angle	20 degrees
Mouth	adjustable
Body	cast iron, japanned
Lever cap	nickel-plated knuckle joint

How to identify it

The hinged two-part cap is unmistakable - it folds over centre and locks.
6 inch body, 1-5/8 inch iron, adjustable mouth: otherwise identical to the 9-1/2.
The nickel plating on the cap is usually the first thing to go. Flaked plating is normal and does not affect use.

Photograph needed: Stanley No. 18 Knuckle-Joint 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.

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. 9-1/2	1873–2000
Stanley	No. 60-1/2	1898–2000
Stanley	No. 95	1911–1970
Stanley	No. 93	1898–1970

Every size, every maker

What it is worth

user / incomplete $20–$40
complete, honest wear $45–$95
excellent, pre-war $100–$210

Estimated USD range as of 2026-Q1, from a sample of about 80 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. 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.
Stanley No. 62 Low Angle Jack Plane

1905–1942 · 14" · 2"

A jack-sized plane built like a block plane: bevel-up iron on a twelve-degree bed, adjustable mouth, no frog.