Tool type
Block Plane
A small one-handed plane with the iron bedded bevel up at a low angle and no frog. Made for end grain, chamfers and fitting work.
- 15 models
History
Stanley's block plane line ran to dozens of models, separated by three things: bed angle (standard about 20 degrees, low angle about 12), whether the mouth is adjustable, and whether the iron has a lever-cap knuckle joint. The 9-1/2 (standard angle, adjustable mouth) and the 60-1/2 (low angle, adjustable mouth) between them account for most of the block planes in circulation.
How to choose one
Low angle for end grain, standard angle for everything else. An adjustable mouth is worth paying for; a knuckle cap is comfort, not performance.
Sources
- reference-site
Patrick Leach's Blood & Gore (Stanley plane model-by-model commentary) — Patrick Leach - book
Dictionary of American Hand Tools — Alvin Sellens
Models
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Stanley No. 9 Cabinetmaker's Block Plane
A big, heavy block plane made for shooting mitres and trimming end grain on cabinet work.
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Stanley No. 9-1/2 Block Plane
The standard-angle block plane, and the pattern every other manufacturer copied.
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Stanley No. 15 Block Plane
A No. 9-1/2 stretched by an inch.
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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.
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Stanley No. 19 Knuckle-Joint Block Plane
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.
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Stanley No. 60-1/2 Low Angle Block Plane
The low-angle block plane, and probably the single most useful vintage Stanley you can buy for under fifty dollars.
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Stanley No. 62 Low Angle Jack Plane
A jack-sized plane built like a block plane: bevel-up iron on a twelve-degree bed, adjustable mouth, no frog.
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Stanley No. 65 Low Angle Block Plane
The 'Chariot' - a seven-inch low-angle block plane with the knuckle cap.
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Stanley No. 100 Squirrel-Tail Block Plane
A tiny palm plane with a curled tail behind the iron, catalogued for model makers and patternmakers.
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Stanley No. 101 Block Plane
The cheapest plane Stanley sold: three and a half inches, one moving part, no adjuster.
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Stanley No. 102 Block Plane
A plain 5-1/2 inch block plane with no depth adjuster and no adjustable mouth.
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Stanley No. 103 Block Plane
A No. 102 with a depth adjuster added behind the iron.
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Stanley No. 110 Block Plane
The workhorse budget block plane: seven and a half inches, a lever cap, and no mouth adjustment.
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Stanley No. 140 Skew Block Plane
A block plane with a skewed iron and a side plate that unbolts, turning it into a rabbet plane that can work right into a corner.
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Stanley No. 220 Block Plane
A seven-inch standard-angle block plane with a depth adjuster but a fixed mouth: the middle of Stanley's range, and after the 110 the block plane you are most likely to meet.