Stanley Plane Glossary

Collective name for a Bailey plane's controls: the depth nut, the lateral lever, and, on later planes, the frog-adjustment screw.

Stanley's standard bench-plane line, from Leonard Bailey's adjustable-plane design; the frog rests on the bed at two machined pads. The type study covers Bailey planes, 1867 to 1967.

The earliest brass-nut casting (Type 1), from Bailey's Boston partnership before Stanley took over the line.

Brass-nut casting on Types 2 to 6, citing Leonard Bailey's adjustment patents.

The rounded, banjo-shaped lever-cap spring found only on Type 1; a rectangular spring replaced it from Type 2.

The main iron casting: sole, sides, and frog seat. Most dating marks are cast into the bed behind the frog.

Stanley's premium line (No. 602 to 608, 1898 to 1943); the frog seats on one full-length machined surface, and later models adjust without removing the iron.

A plane for flattening, truing, and smoothing a board's faces and edges, with the iron bedded bevel-down. Stanley's Bailey and Bedrock lines are bench planes.

Type 20 (1962 to 1967), when blue paint replaced black japanning; widely seen as the end of the classic bench planes.

The curved iron screwed to the cutter; it stiffens the blade and curls the shaving to reduce tearout.

A sole milled with lengthwise grooves to cut friction and suction, marked with a “C” suffix (for example No. 4C).

The knurled brass nut behind the frog that raises and lowers the cutter; its size, thread, and knurling changed across types.

Raised ribs cast at the toe and heel for stiffness, appearing from Type 16.

A mid-length bench plane (No. 6) for straightening stock before final jointing; essentially a short jointer.

A single letter cast into the bed showing the supplying foundry; the “S” (Type 7) and “B” (Type 8) marks help date those planes.

The angled casting that carries the cutter and its adjusters. How the frog seats on the bed is the main Bailey-versus-Bedrock difference.

The machined surface the frog sits on; its shape (flat, ribbed, then Y-shaped) changed over the study.

A screw behind the frog that shifts it to set the mouth; added to Bailey planes from Type 10 (1907).

The taller front knob introduced at Type 12, later paired with a raised ring to resist splitting.

The cutting blade; the trademark stamped on it is itself a dating clue.

A general-purpose bench plane (No. 5) for quick stock removal, the most-produced size.

The black baked-on enamel protecting the castings on Types 1 to 19; Type 20 switched to blue paint.

The longest bench planes (No. 7 and No. 8), for straightening long edges and faces.

The symmetrical lever-cap hole used through Type 15, before the kidney shape.

The lever-cap hole from Type 16, shaped so the cap screw does not loosen during depth adjustment.

The front handgrip; its shape, wood, and base ring changed across types.

The milled grip pattern on the brass nut; diagonal on some types (7 to 8, 18) and parallel on the last (19 to 20).

Types 5 to 11 (1885 to 1918), from the lateral lever's arrival through World War I.

The lever atop the frog that swings the cutter square to the sole; introduced at Type 5 (1885) and now standard on bench planes.

The reversed depth-nut thread adopted from Type 6, so cutting force tightens rather than loosens the setting.

The inventor whose adjustable-plane patents Stanley acquired in 1869; the Bailey line carries his name.

The hinged plate, tightened by a cam lever, that clamps the cutter and cap iron to the frog.

A casting mark added from the mid-1920s (Type 14 on); its position helps separate types. It is not a patent date.

The sole slot the cutter projects through; a finer mouth, set by moving the frog, gives cleaner cuts in difficult grain.

The bright plating on lever caps and hardware; its condition factors into grading.

The S-shaped curve on the back of the frog flanks, introduced at Type 16.

A plane assembled from mismatched type parts; common from the spare-parts trade, and a reason one plane can show conflicting features.

The casting dates behind the frog (for example MAR-25-02, APR-19-10); counting them is the quickest first cut when dating a plane.

The aged surface a tool earns over time; collectors prize honest patina and distrust over-cleaning that erases it.

Types 18 to 19 (1946 to 1961), when quality recovered and the Y-shaped frog receiver arrived.

Types 1 to 4 (1867 to 1884), before the lateral lever, including the earliest Boston-marked planes.

The ring cast into the bed around the knob base from Type 14, bracing the tall knob against splitting.

Cleaning and repairing a plane for use; sympathetic cleaning preserves value, while stripping japanning or sanding castings lowers it.

The dense wood used for knobs and totes on most types, later replaced by stained hardwood.

How few of a variant survive, the main driver of collector value; some corrugated and odd sizes (like the No. 5¼C) are famously scarce.

Edmund Schade's 1911 patent (US 987,081) for the Bedrock frog's pins-and-clamping-screws attachment.

The shortest bench planes (No. 1 to 4½), for the final, finest surface.

The flat bottom face that rides the work; offered plain or corrugated.

The lever-cap trademark of the mid-1920s to 1930s (roughly Types 13 to 16).

Types 12 to 16 (1919 to 1941), marked by the Sweetheart logo and the high knob.

The heart-shaped trademark with “S.W.” (The Stanley Works), used about 1920 to 1935; the heart is said to honor executive William Hart.

The rear handle gripped to push the plane; its wood and base nut changed across types.

The maker's mark stamped into the cutter; its style brackets the iron's date.

A hybrid with a wooden body and a cast-iron Bailey adjusting mechanism, sold alongside the all-metal planes.

Justus Traut's 1895 patent (US 536,746) for the Bedrock's full-length inclined frog seat.

A span of production identified by a distinctive feature or set of features; the Bailey study recognizes 20.

The systematic classification of a tool's manufacturing changes over time, used to date it; it gives an approximate window, not an exact year.

A working distinction: a “user” is bought to plane wood, where honest wear is fine, while a “collector” piece is judged on originality and condition.

Type 17 (1942 to 1945), when shortages forced substitute parts and rougher machining; the most variable type.

The Y-shaped brass arm, driven by the depth nut, that engages the cutter to raise and lower it.

The wishbone-shaped frog seat introduced at Type 19, replacing the older ribbed receiver.