Restoring a Bailey No. 4 Plane

I had been searching a long time for a Bailey No. 4 plane when i found this one at a second hand market. It was almost in working condition but i thought i might as well document the restoration process. I know there are a lot of No. 4 restoration vids out there as it is.
The plane had accumulated some rust during its 80 years and the action was anything but pleasant. There was also a gentle concave on the edge. I was not looking for perfection but simply to get the plane back into working order and give it a smooth action - this is a tool meant to do hard work.
I followed Paul Sellers excellent video on restoring the bench plane: • Restoring the Bench Pl...
Made in England Stanley Bailey No. 4, Type Q16 (manufactured 1933-1941).

[@damianpeter244]

Thank you for doing this. It is straight to the point and i immediately went to work to restore my new 1950s Stanley no 4. I am over the moon with it thanks to you mate. I french polished my knob and handle as i like a nice subtle shine on it. I really love my plane now and dont allow anyone remotely near it. Pete from downunder.

[@totalpkg6912]

More than just resto actually made better than new

[@jongrider8950]

Good video! Concise and to the point. I don't mind giving up 8 minutes of woodworking time to watch a plane restoration. And all without an self promoting monologue. Thanks for sharing.

[@FinnCrafted]

Thank you for watching.

[@uktony1525]

Really enjoyed the video and as you have said, Paul Sellers is a true craftsman and his videos inspire you to do something similar.

[@jimbo2629]

Well worth the effort for a lifetimes use. I just bought a rusty number 6 for £11. As I wanted to use it rather than put it on show, it got a quick dusting. It has plastic handle and tote. They are more comfortable shape than the wooden ones. I sharpened the blade. It planes superbly. Maybe I was lucky, or maybe the previous owner did some hard work. I bought a £5 block plane and milled the seating for the frog. With a better blade it works a treat.

[@imager8763]

My finger tips send their thanks for the magnet trick for sanding!

[@vincentlewey657]

I'll be using the "Magnet Trick" from now on myself!

[@rneustel388]

My Grandfather was a master craftsman and had the most beautiful hand tools. My Dad gave them away to a family friend after he died. Makes me want to cry.

[@FinnCrafted]

Sad. Hand tools can have so much character and history to them.

[@rneustel388]

That's true and if maintained well, they can be handed down to many generations.

[@RAUDIRS7]

That was great. I'll be restoring a No. 3 that was given to me by a pretty awesome old timer. Thank you for the video.

[@FinnCrafted]

You're welcome. Good luck on the restoration.

[@drmkiwi]

Good work. Really enjoyed the sound of the wall supported and sharp plane iron cutting the ribbon of timber.

[@javiervigil6591]

Great Video. You have given me a great inspiration for fixing my own. I now know what tools I need to fix the one I have and how to do it. Thanks.

[@FinnCrafted]

Thank you! In the description is a link to Paul Sellers excellent video on restoring a plane in case you want more information. It is long but more in depth, it inspired me! Good luck on your restoration!

[@extreme.4576]

Love the Stanley #4 such a great plane and your restoration was very nice. Great Work My Brother

[@NikosDIY]

Absolutely beautiful restoration! Great result! I see a lot of Paul Sellers steps in the procedure!

[@chrisdunham7169]

Attempting to surface the sole of a hand plane this way invariably results in a convex sole which is far from ideal. Making a critical assessment of the sole and accuracy of the side to sole (90 degree) with a surface plate before starting and then surface scraping allows for the best result at the critical 'mouth'. I applaud the effort put in.

[@dacp1213]

it's a no. 4 1/2c. i inherited my grandfathers....well done on the touch up!

[@hdwoodshop]

Nice job and straight forward. Thx for sharing.

[@motorcyclelad]

Very beautiful. Thank you for taking the time to make this!

[@FinnCrafted]

Thanks for watching!

[@azlowslow-bbqandbeverages1828]

Great video. Thanks for sharing. Excellent tutorial on how to take an older plane and clean it up. I'm doing the same.

[@FinnCrafted]

Glad you like it, thanks for your comment!

[@bellowphone]

Great job; it's like jewelry, but functional. I acquired my set of planes and restored them similarly, and they've been giving good service for 40 years now.

[@ericg1971]

Perfect ! Finally see one with the same bottom plate as mine , most are just smooth

[@michaelcoleman5035]

I've just picked up Bailey no 4 1930s era plane,its in working order but I'm going to strip it down and give it the same treatment .

[@dennisbond4867]

Grate video and editing, picked up a lot of tips here well done man!

[@ChristopherMcGivern1]

Nice Video! Thank you, Paced beautifully, very clear and informative. Thumbs up!

[@lloydtham7501]

Don't hate Me cv

[@dons8365]

I'm jealous. Great job!!!

[@edesignmga]

Nice job! I like this old plane, i have 2 old beiley planes, number 4 and 6.

[@dteun]

found one today! excited and super thank you for this video shows it

[@FinnCrafted]

Great! Hope you like your new tool!

[@christopherkouri2317]

Beautiful work!

[@volcanowb]

A work of art!

[@5acesdown]

It would had been nice to know about the products used for restoration : sand paper grid, stain and varnish...

[@akquicksilver]

Nice job dude!

[@peterniebuhr7394]

great result!

[@lewisway6811]

Nice work.

[@damasydia]

Great video...I just got a 3, 5, and a 7 to clean up

[@phil.pinsky]

Great video, I really enjoyed it :) Phil

[@guybarrette4864]

Very good job nice video

[@FinnCrafted]

Glad you like it!

[@bredrox4124]

I would call this a refurbish more than a restore,a restore wouldn`t remove the red paint from the lever cap,but overall one of the better results I`ve see...good job

[@WesW3187]

Beautiful.

[@fd4294]

Awesome!!! If you don't use it anymore, I should be very very interested bro!!

[@triune_blades]

Beautiful!

[@chrisbuggie747]

thanks for sharing....

[@engrosscoengrossco6184]

I wish that I could work as fast as he does

[@Tome4kkkk]

Making them pretty is the easy part. I buy quite a lot of them and the common problems which are the most hard to rectify are: 1. The frog tilted to the side due to bad frog geometry or bad pads geometry. 2. The frog rocking on the pads. The shitty contemporary ones have those, the vintage ones have those as well.

[@FinnCrafted]

Agree, they are not perfect. I just checked that the sole was somewhat flat before buying this one.

[@Tome4kkkk]

Everyone seem to be all over them while in fact they are inherently flawed: at the most important location precision-wise there are by design overlapping inaccuracies without any measures for compensation. The praise came from the fact that woodworkers usually don't know the first thing about machining or machine engineering.

[@Radoslaw33]

Awesome , iv got one very similar so now know what to do with it , thx

[@FinnCrafted]

Great! My method was somewhat based on Paul Sellers video.

[@alooshalshammari5915]

indeed well done

[@SteveWattse]

Nice job, but why use a machine vice at the end to clamp the timber? I know it was probably only bit of scrap timber to show what the plane can do, but a nice Record woodworking vice would have rounded the exercise off nicely!

[@FilmGourmet]

Great video. I have the excact same tool left to me by my grandfather. It is in a worse condition tho. How old do you think these could be?

[@FinnCrafted]

Can't remember when production started. About mid 1800 I think.

[@FilmGourmet]

FinnCrafted an internet site made an algorithm and according to that this is supposed to be a type 19. which means it was made between the years 1948-1961. dont if it s correct tho.

[@MrFrancogi]

you have made a very good work! What kind of sandpaper did you use? 120?

[@blackwaterdogs4256]

Thanks for sharing a great video. Around 35 years ago, I found an old Bailey No.4 plane in the basement of my first house (built in 1911, so I have no idea how long the plane was down there). The wood knob on mine is more mushroom-shaped, and the adjustment wheel on the rear is smaller, about the size of a nickle. The sole plate is flat, no ridges. Any idea how old mine might be ? Thanks !

[@trezzh4]

Black Waterdogs Before 1940s.

[@dylanhardistyable]

I know this is an older post but the following link will help you identify the age and model of your Stanley plane. woodandshop.com/identify-stanley-hand-plane-age-type-study/

[@kimsinclair125]

Nicely done, I'll look forward to your videos. What type of pliers did you use? The large grip is what I'm looking for. Thank you.

[@FinnCrafted]

They were Knipex 180 mm VDE linesman's pliers. I don't really need the electrical insulation, I just happen to like the bright colors. Easier to find once the workspace gets cluttered.

[@thomastieffenbacherdocsava1549]

Nice work. Only thing you didn't do is japan/paint the body? You lucked out as the parts were all in working order. Now you have a great plane, hope you use it.

[@FinnCrafted]

The paint was in decent condition so i just decided to address the most critical aspects relating to the functionality of the plane. It is getting used and i like it.

[@stuartcollett3252]

Thomas Tieffenbacher/DocSavage45

[@manolostern1779]

Ah quedado lindo nada que envidiar a la bailey...

[@tonybrasil5690]

Boa noite vc não vende essa plaina não

[@Brian-Burke]

Great job. Where did you get the rolled sandpaper and what grit was it? 120?

[@FinnCrafted]

Thanks. The sandpaper i got for free from my girlfriends father. Think i used both 80 and 120 if i remember correctly.

[@fd4294]

AWESOME!!! By the way, if you don't need this one anymore, I'll take care about it!! :D

[@JWAM]

Good stuff! Does one want any clear-coat on the bare metal on the sides? *has no idea*

[@FinnCrafted]

I think a quick wipe with some kind of light oil should be enough (i used air tool oil). Could be the natural oils from your hands as well. I don't feel the need to clear-coat this one.

[@JWAM]

I briefly thought of oil too, but then I wondered if one really wants something that may collect (saw-)dust. .. Beeswax might work too?

[@FinnCrafted]

I just wiped the excess oil off the surface. Cast iron is somewhat porous and a small amount of oil will stay in the metal.

[@MrDallah]

Hi, nice video what did you use to stain the handles?

[@FinnCrafted]

I just applied some Liberon finishing oil to them after scraping off the old, flaked lacquer. Brings out the natural wood color.

[@a.v.k.2852]

You forget to sharpen the corners ronde on the cisle.

[@Bissela]

Pitkäksi aikaa hyvä höylä. Jos itsekin sais joskus kunnostettua oman, sekin kirppislöytö, tais maksaa 8 euroo. 😁

[@FinnCrafted]

Oikein päteviä nämä Stanleytkin, eikä tarvi maksaa neljääsataa L. Nielsenistä

[@rautahemik]

Mikä teroituskivi tuo on?

[@FinnCrafted]

Japanilainen vesikivi jossa kaksi eri karkeutta. En enää muista mitä merkkiä.

[@rautahemik]

Täytyypä kaivella mistä löytyisi vastaava, näyttää hyvältä käyttää kun on noin iso ala millä teroittaa.

[@davewilliams355]

Beautiful