Bench&Brace

Stanley

Stanley No. 4 Smoothing Plane

The most-produced bench plane in history and the default smoother in every workshop that has one. Stanley made them by the million for a century, which is why a good one still costs less than a restaurant meal.

  • 1869–1984
  • Bench Plane
  • high confidence
Specifications
ModelNo. 4
Production1869–1984
Sole length9"
Cutter width2"
Bodycast iron, japanned (painted from the 1960s)
Handlesrosewood knob and tote to about 1942, then stained hardwood, then plastic

How to identify it

  • 9 inch sole, 2 inch iron. This is the reference size - if you learn one plane by eye, learn this one.
  • 'BAILEY' cast into the toe means 1902 or later; three patent dates behind the frog put it in the 1910s.
  • Corrugated version is the No. 4C.
  • A kidney-shaped hole in the lever cap means 1962 or later.
Photograph needed: Stanley No. 4 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

Because so many were made, condition and type drive value almost entirely. A rusted-solid Type 19 is worth very little; a crisp Type 11 with a full iron is worth several times as much. Do not pay collector prices for a user plane, and do not restore a rare type with a wire wheel.

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
Millers FallsNo. 91929–1975
RecordNo. 041931–present
SargentNo. 4091887–1964
StanleyNo. 6041898–1943
StanleyNo. 1121885–1943

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 $15–$35
  • complete, honest wear $40–$80
  • excellent, pre-war type $90–$200

Estimated USD range as of 2026-Q1, from a sample of about 250 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

Others in this family