Stanley No. 3 Smoothing Plane

How to identify it

• 8 inch sole, 1-3/4 inch iron.
• Easily confused with a No. 4 by eye - measure the sole rather than guessing.
• Corrugated version is the No. 3C.

Photograph needed: Stanley No. 3 Smoothing Plane - overall view, plus a close-up of the toe and bed markings

Buying and using

The No. 3 is the best value in Stanley smoothers. It does almost everything a No. 4 does, weighs less, and sells for less because it is less famous.

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.

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 $20–$40
• complete, honest wear $45–$90
• excellent, pre-war type $100–$220

Estimated USD range as of 2026-Q1, from a sample of about 120 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