A Buyers Guide to Stanley Bailey Planes // Woodworking

[@EricSorensenCanada]

Hello Friends! If you want more info on how to date your plane, try the following links: Date Your Stanley Plane: bit.ly/3eKoMi7. Or Try Virginia Toolworks: bit.ly/3fISuVZ

[@maxkushner3454]

I really appreciate your thought process on newer planes. It’s so hard to find decent antique planes at affordable prices. How many times you find a pre war plane that looks good has a hefty price to only pick it up and see the sole is rusted beyond repair. However I pray we all find our set of bedrocks in mint condition with a reasonable price.

[@EricSorensenCanada]

Thanks Max! Yes, they are harder to come by these days. I wish I had started collecting 25 years ago...

[@scratchcrafter]

My father gave me a no. 7 (22") that I fully restored. I also have a 14" Dunlap and a Millers Falls 9". I don't use the no. 7 all that often but did make an electric guitar and it resurfaced the face like butter!!!

[@EricSorensenCanada]

The no.7 is getting harder to find. In fact, any good jointer plane is hard to find nowadays. Hang on to it👍🙂

[@hardnox6655]

Nice video Eric. Great information! I have been collecting and restoring Stanley hand planes for a long time. I also use them a lot in my woodworking business. I find that any that are pre-WII as good planes made with good steel. After, not so much. The new Stanley planes are made in Mexico and the machining needs much to be desired as I just discovered when a friend came to my shop with his brand new #4. We spent a lot of time tuning it to get it to function (the sole was not even flat which is inexcusable given modern machining capabilities) but it still is not equal to any of my older #4s. Lastly, I get tremendous pleasure using old planes thinking about who may have used it before and what they built with it.

[@EricSorensenCanada]

Thanks! Yes, that's exactly the same buzz I get from using old Stanley Baileys. They are overall superior quality. I am addicted, so I will keep collecting.

[@raffyvargas9179]

@@EricSorensenCanada i have here bailey #5 made in england

[@ianpearse4480]

Today I picked up a No4, cleaning up nicely, sole flattening out well. First antique plane. I can see the fascination. Even after a quick tidy up it works really well. Cant wait to try the full restoration. Not bad for £10.

[@EricSorensenCanada]

Nice! Yes, the #4s can be more easily found at good prices. They had factories in US, Canada, England and Australia and from what I've seen, the quality standards at the time were pretty consistent. As for the new ones, it's a crapshoot .

[@uncut_cowboy]

Good information, thanks for reaching out to help a newbie like me.

[@tonyminehan7144]

I was gifted three Stanley Bailey's number 4's in return for restoring a 60 1/2 and a 4 1/2, the ones I was given date to the 1950's to 1960's. Probably not the best years for Stanley's, but as I was looking for a 4 , I was delighted, I just wanted a plane to use, I don't see them as "investments", I see them as tools, and tools to be used.

[@EricSorensenCanada]

Luckily the No 4's are the easiest to find. The No 6, 7 & 8 is a lot harder. I use mine too - unfortunately antique collectors like to buy them up and set them on a shelf. When you tune them up, a lot of them are excellent hand planes.

[@tonyminehan7144]

@@EricSorensenCanada Thank you for your reply, May I take a moment of your time to ask a question that's been bothering me for some time ? And that is, are the pins that hold the tote and knob 3/16 X 20 tpi made because 20 tpi is not used for a 3/16 bolt ?normally the threads for a 3/16 would be 24 or 26 tpi. Just have a feeling Stanley was cornering the market when it came to replacing the pins.

[@EricSorensenCanada]

From what I've read, it's 12-20 threads for the tote and knob rods. The Rod needed is #8 or 13/64” drill rod, or as you said 3/16".

[@alangreen3425]

Enjoyed the video! I have been casually collecting stanley Bailey planes also. So far I have from a #3 all the way to a #8. I am pleased with them all so far and they have done everything I have asked of them. My latest sidetrack are the Jointer and rebate planes...whoo! They are proud of those! Enjoyed the video man...keep 'em coming!

[@EricSorensenCanada]

Thanks Alan! The collecting is addictive but definitely worth it. It's tough to find the #7 & #8 nowadays. I also bought an old #78 rebate plane, missing the guide fence though. I will build a jig for it and get it working at some point.

[@alangreen3425]

@@EricSorensenCanada there are some restored #7 and #8's on there now bro. I also suggest doing a search for Stanley #78 parts. There are a couple guys with founders grade parts at decent cost. I just put together a 39 this way..all I am waiting for is a blade to arrive. I'm hooked on this stuff Brother! Lol

[@glennriefenstahl3761]

What’s the best way to restore these old beauties? I have a few that are in rough shape and never knew that they were 100+ years old! They deserved much better treatment in the past and certainly will now.

[@EricSorensenCanada]

The best way to start is to take the plane a part and soak the rusted parts in Evapo-Rust. You can buy it at hardware stores or on Amazon. You'll also want to restore the handles / totes with mineral oil. Finally, use a paste wax like Veritas Tool wax to restore the cast iron surfaces and re-seal them.

[@jackthompson8560]

Just pick a no5 corrugated bottom at a auction for $5 it was made in england

[@rossmorrow3013]

Hello, I’ve just taken delivery of a Stanley No.8, SW, which I have learnt means ‘Sweetheart’. It cost me in total, shipping it from the U.S.A to me in N.Ireland £245.00 plus another £45.00 import duties and VAT I’ve never heard of an ‘SW’ plane, is it a good or bad thing? Perhaps if you’ve the time, you could fill me in with details about this type of plane. It’s also a smooth bottomed No.8, but I’m on the hunt for a genuine Stanley No.8 Tote It seems someone took the top bit off the tote, and in my humble opinion “hacked the living daylights” out of the blade by making it into what would imagine is a “scrubbing” blade.......with what appears to have been a file; and the curvature of the blade, all I can say is I’ve a LOT of work to do with the blade this weekend before I’ll be able to use it. I really liked your little sharpening ‘station’, it was so compact. Yours truly, ross

[@EricSorensenCanada]

Thanks Ross! The SW planes are very good and very sought after. As I eluded to in the video, it is not uncommon to find that these planes have been tinkered with - maybe a little too much. The No.8 is a big hefty jointer plane, quite rare now. If you can get your hands on some rosewood, here are some plans I found on Lee Valley that might help you restore the tote: bit.ly/3eZBZUj

[@konstantinivanov1986]

Tote is broken on 90 % of the sweethearts I've got two the same way. Man you paid a premium the good thing is they are only going up in value over the years. Just derust it in my opinion and then keep it or use it. Perfectly fine to use with top of tote broken off. All the wood on this plane should be rosewood by the way woudnt trade it for anything else😀

[@handcraftedbygrbroussard361]

Awesome information! Just what I was looking for.

[@dudleyhanks438]

I have a Bailey no. 6 plane with 2 patent dates (type 9?) with a Sargent VBM lever plate. Is this unusual? Which is older the plane or the plate?

[@DeddyJingga]

Do we need to sharpen the blade/blades when the first use out of the box? Thank you

[@EricSorensenCanada]

Its a good idea to hone them on a high grit but the factory edge should be fine.

[@j_b_9381]

What was supposedly the benefit of the corrugated sole and why was there controversy in it?

[@EricSorensenCanada]

The theory was that less surface area on the sole equals less friction. They were supposed to allow the plane to glide more easily across the surface of the board. It was controversial because this idea was developed by an engineer and not a woodworker. It's the old engineering vs. practical woodworking debate. Tools like the Stanley Bailey planes, were popular mostly because of the features designed by Leonard Bailey. He was a cabinet maker by trade, so he based the design on his own practical experience. The corrugated soles were an engineering contribution. As for myself, I find the corrugated soles perform well and I have no problem buying more of them. You just have to clean out the grooves now and again with a decent micro-fibre rag.

[@konstantinivanov1986]

Il give you my two cents 😃. When you glide a super flat surface on another super flat surface( think of sharpening chisels on diamond or rubbing gauge blocks together) they usually stick. So for the most part it was a marketing gimmick for Stanley to sell more planes. They work dont get me wrong but if a shaving hangs up in the grooves when you're close to finnish a very time consuming expensive piece of furniture oh boy does that suck. That is why most handtool wizards dont like them but on the other hand they got picked up pretty heavy by the collectors. In my opinion if you find one cheap buy it rrstore it and have fun.

[@alangreen3425]

@@EricSorensenCanada dunno about easier to push...but they are whole heck a lot easier to flatten! 😆

[@peterlamborn]

What's the reason for the corrugated sole?

[@EricSorensenCanada]

They were designed that way for less friction, better glide across the surface. Personally, I don't mind it for jack planes, fore planes and jointer planes but I don't like that feature on smoothing planes - it's unnecessary.

[@erwinbenally8389]

Soo....I bought a rusty plane at a garage sale, the guy said it was an antique but the handle was broke and the knob is missing. It rolled around in the back of my car for a week before I got it out and started taking it apart and put a wire brush to it. I found the patent dates March and August 02...so I figured the guy was pulling my leg about it being old. My Stanley Bailey planer #5 has the corrugated bottom, is it really 118 years old?

[@EricSorensenCanada]

It sounds like it is quite old. Also sounds like you need to find a few parts for it.

[@gregcurtis5307]

I have a #6 Stanley Bailey plane with no Patent dates. But has Stanley stamped on it in all the right locations onto the plane. Can you help me?.

[@EricSorensenCanada]

If you follow the steps on this article, you should be able to get a ballpark date on at least the plane body: woodandshop.com/identify-stanley-hand-plane-age-type-study/

[@gregcurtis5307]

@@EricSorensenCanada Tkank you so much, 1931-1932.I don't understand why there are no patent dates though.

[@EricSorensenCanada]

At some point they stopped stamping the dates into the body. I have a Stanley Bailey #4 from the early 2000's and it doesn't have it either. Not sure why they made that decision. That said, the dates can only tell you when the body was made. The rest of the parts, like on my #6, might be from different / newer planes. There are very few out there that still have their original parts.

[@gregcurtis5307]

@@EricSorensenCanada thank you again Eric

[@stankolodin5586]

Are type 17s ok quality wise? What about type 18s, they look ok. Or are only type 16s and before planes worth the money?