Tool type
Transitional Plane
A wooden-bodied plane fitted with an iron top casting carrying the Bailey adjustment mechanism. Cheap when new, unloved by collectors, and the best value in vintage planes if you actually want to plane wood.
- 0 models
History
Stanley sold transitionals alongside the all-iron planes from 1869 until 1943 for buyers who wanted Bailey's adjuster at a joiner's price and who trusted a wooden sole. They were the volume product for decades. Their reputation suffered because the beech bodies warp, split at the mouth and get abused, so surviving examples are often poor - but a sound one planes beautifully and costs a fraction of its iron equivalent.
How to choose one
Check the mouth first: a blown-out or heavily worn mouth is the one fault that is hard to fix well. A sole can be re-trued, a body can be re-finished, a cracked tote can be repaired.
Sources
- book
Patented Transitional & Metallic Planes in America, Vols. I & II — Roger K. Smith - reference-site
Patrick Leach's Blood & Gore (Stanley plane model-by-model commentary) — Patrick Leach