7

Dating Stanley Planes

One of the attractions of Stanley Planes is of course the fact that they can be reasonably dated. Catalogues were freely available and excellent reprints are available.

Roger Smith's book Patented Transitional and Metallic Planes in America 1827 1927 has extensive dating summaries on both wooden-bottomed and iron plane types. The study of iron types is based on the No.4 size only but appears to be an excellent guide to many other Stanley sizes and types.

-At our recent meeting, Frank Ham had brought a range of planes from pre-lateral to quite recent ones and discussed some of the main feature changes including adjusting nuts, lever cap springs, frogs, lateral adjustments, casting marks, patent dates and plane markings. Handles and Cutter markings are also obviously other variable features. A summary of the main dating features is noted below:-

1867 - 69

1869 - 72

1872 - 73

1874 - 84

1885 88

1888 - 92

1893 - 99

1899 - 02

1902 - 07

1907 - 09

solid brass nut R.H. thread banjo shaped spring lever cap solid no lateral adjustment

spring now rectangular

adjustment nut recessed lever cap recessed back

flat head cap screws to hold frog

number cast on toe in front of knob lateral lever with 2 patent dates

lateral adjustment with circular disc

adjustment nut L.H. thread 1" spacing of number marking

only l date on lateral lever 7-24-88 B casting mark on most planes

Bailey's name on toe new style frog no patent date on lateral lever patent dates 02 on bed behind frog

frog adjustment sere 1

8

1910 - 18

1919 - 24

1925 - 28

1929 - 30

1931 - 32

1933 - 41

1942 - 45

1946 - 47

1948 - 61

1962 - 67

Apr 19-10 cast behind frog

high front knob lever cap - longer cam handle

STANLEY cast on lever cap

MADE IN USA on toe raised ring front knob

MADE IN USA on bed behind frog

kidney shaped hole in lever cap

handles & knobs hardwood adjustment nuts steel or rubber

large brass nut - diagonal knurling

STANLEY on lateral lever read vertically knurling on nut parallel

STANLEY name eliminated lateral lever

l[l):,,i<til(l.'8\tll\

u:s. " ..

(Roger K. Smith, Patented Transitional and Plane� in America 1827 - 1927, North Village 1981 p.43)

Metallic Pub. Co.,

9

Leonard Bailey: Plane Pioneer

No discussion of Stanley Planes would be complete without mention of Leonard Bailey. Bailey was the father of the modern plane, and many of his ideas remaining with us to this day have been extensively copied around the world. His innovations transformed the carpenter's plane from a clumsy in�ccurate tool into a precise, accurate and long - wearing one.

Early in the 19th Century the first metal-soled plane seems to have been made, but problems with a means of adjusting the degree of cut remained. The usual way, of course, was to tap the iron down and many cutting irons in wooden planes are curled over from long use. Bailey's first patent was taken out on 22nd June 1858 and was for a friction plate device for vertical adjustment of the cutter on a wooden plane. Whilst the adjustment was unsuccessful, what was remarkable was the cammed lever cap which� inexplicably was not featured in the patent specifications.

(Goodman: The History of Woodworking Tools 1964 p. 97)

.( r I I

101. Leonard Baile�··s First Patent, 1858 Stanlty Tools, Ntw Bd1ait1, Com,.

102. Bailey Bench Plane, 1867 S1a11/ey Tools

10

In August 1858 Bailey did, however, take out a patent specially relating to the lever cap, but according to Goodman in The History of Woodworking Tools this was a much cruder and less effective arrangement. The combination of a lever cap held to a wooden plane by a screw was also unsuccessful. In August 1867 Bailey patented a wooden-bottomed plane with the new familiar shallow casting attached to the top. This had a metal base for the lever cap and solved the earlier problem. It was this patent which introduced the adjusting nut and lever fork arrangement slotting into the cap iron. This was a remarkable invention and is of course accepted as a standard plane feature world-wide. Interestingly it was also at this time that Bailey again introduced an important feature without specific mention. This was the thin parallel cutter which was a real change from the standard heavy tapered cutters. Shortly after this, Bailey moved the adjusting nut to its now familiar position. The two knobs were also included in this patent and of course gave way to the handle an knob arrangement on the metal planes then introduced, although on the wooden-bottomed planes the rear knob was removed due to crowding with the adjusting nut in its changed position. Bailey did, however, also provide a. handl,ed smoothing and 13" Jenny plane.

It is especially important to note that Bailey parts were

standardised in the wooden and metal planes.

Later developments of Bailey's design included Traut's patent for a l atera 1 adjusting 1 ever, further modifications to the design of the frog to provide a firmer seat, and a rung to prevent the front knob from splitting. Goodman aptly sums up the outcome of a century of success by remarking that the Stanley-type plane was 'the Ford of woodworking tools' (p. 100). It is indeed appropriate that from around 1902 the name 'Bailey' has been cast on the toe of Stanley planes, thus celebrating the innovations of Leonard Bailey for woodworkers around the world.

************

From 1872 Stanley Catalogue reprint Ken Roberts Pub. 1981.

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