Stanley No. 55 Universal Combination Plane

How to identify it

• Distinguished from the 45 by the second sliding section and the adjustable centre bottom that supports the cutter on moulding profiles.
• Complete sets came in a wooden case with four numbered cutter boxes.
• Nickel-plated castings, usually with plating loss.

Photograph needed: Stanley No. 55 Universal Combination Plane - overall view, plus a close-up of the toe and bed markings

Buying and using

It will cut those profiles - on straight-grained, cooperative stock, slowly, with careful setup. It is not a substitute for dedicated moulding planes and never was. Buy it because you want it, not because you expect to moulding-plane a house with it.

Completeness checklist

Missing parts drive the price of this model more than condition does. Check for:

• All four cutter boxes with their original cutters
• Both fences with rosewood faces
• The auxiliary centre bottom
• Two sliding sections
• The original wooden case, which is often long gone

What it is worth

• incomplete, no case $120–$260
• good, most cutters $300–$600
• complete in original case $700–$1,500

Estimated USD range as of 2026-Q1, from a sample of about 50 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