This is not a museum tour. It’s one woodworker (hi, that’s me) talking through the Stanley lineup: what each tool was meant to do, rough size and weight, where it shines, and if it’s a stud or a dud for actual work.
I’ll keep wiring in Woodyah blades, screws, fences, depth stops, and other missing bits so you can go from “what plane is this?” to “cool, now it’s complete – back to work.”
These are the classic iron bench planes most people picture when you say “Stanley.” Same basic anatomy: cast body, frog, iron and cap iron, depth adjuster, lateral lever, front knob, rear tote. Size and weight change the job they’re best at.
Models: No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 4½ No. 5 No. 5¼ No. 5½ No. 6 No. 7 No. 8
The No. 1 is adorable and basically a flex piece. It’ll plane wood, sure, but it’s more “look what I found” than “I grabbed this to flatten a panel.”
Tiny body, tiny frog, 1¼" iron and cap iron, lever cap, short tote, small knob, depth adjuster, lateral lever.
The No. 2 is where “cute” becomes genuinely useful. Great for smaller hands and narrow work. Prices are dumb, performance is not.
Standard Bailey layout shrunk down: frog, 1⅝" iron and cap iron, lever cap, depth and lateral adjusters, tote and knob hardware.
Fantastic for frames, doors, and smaller furniture parts. If a No. 4 feels a bit wide, this is the “diet smoother” that just feels right.
1¾" iron and cap iron, frog, lever cap, depth and lateral adjuster, knob/tote hardware, frog screws.
If you only run one smoother, this is usually it. Wide enough to cover ground, short enough to follow mild bumps. I design a lot of parts around these because people actually wear them out.
2" iron and cap iron, frog, lever cap, depth and lateral adjuster, front knob, rear tote, frog and tote screws.
Great for panels and wide boards. It’s basically a smoothing plane that wandered into panel-plane land and decided to stay.
2⅜" iron and cap iron, heavier frog and lever cap, large tote and knob, standard Bailey hardware scaled up.
This is the “if I could only have one” bench plane. Camber the iron and it hogs, straighten it and it starts jointing. Hard to beat for overall usefulness.
2" iron and cap iron, frog, lever cap, depth and lateral adjuster, front knob, rear tote, long sole.
Great for smaller hands and classroom use. Shorter and lighter than a 5, still long enough to feel like a bench plane, not a toy.
This is the “big jack” you grab when you’re flattening real furniture parts, not just 2x4s. A workout, but a satisfying one.
Too big for a jack, too small (on paper) for a jointer – but in the shop it’s fantastic. Long enough to straighten boards, short enough to still feel controllable.
Bread-and-butter jointer. If you’re gluing up panels and building tables, this is usually the jointer that earns its keep.
When you’re flattening big benches and long boards by hand, this is what you reach for. Otherwise, it’s mostly there to remind you to stretch.
Bed Rocks are Bailey planes that went to finishing school: heavier castings, solid frog bedding, nicer feel. Pricier, rarer, and a joy to use when they’re dialed in.
Models: 602 603 604 604½ 605 605½ 606 607 608
Usable, sure – but most 602s live in collections. If you’re lucky enough to work one, treat it kindly.
If you like No. 3-sized planes but appreciate a better frog, this is an everyday worker, not just a shelf queen.
Everything you love about a No. 4 with a better frog layout. If you want one Bed Rock to actually use, this is a prime candidate.
Wide, heavy, and very satisfying on panels – as long as you don’t mind the extra weight.
Classic jack-plane length with a better frog. Camber it and hog, or keep it straighter and it doubles as a mini jointer.
The “I mean business” version of a jack. Loves big tops and long edges.
Great middle ground before you step up to the full jointers. Eats high spots and gets boards ready for final straightening.
This is your “flatten the bench” and “joint the table top” plane. Not subtle – but very effective.
If you’re into big slabs and long runs, this is the top of the Bed Rock food chain.
Block planes live on the bench and in your hand more than almost anything: end grain, chamfers, “I just blew out that corner, fix it quick.” These are the common Stanleys you’ll actually see and use.
Models: 9½ 60½ 65 18 19 102 110 220
This is the “default” vintage block. Adjustable throat, screw adjuster, comfy in the hand. Hard to go wrong with a clean 9½.
End grain’s best friend. Also great on hardwood and tricky grain when you just need a clean cut in a small area.
Same end-grain magic as the 60½ but with a knuckle joint cap that some folks swear by. A lot of people hunt this one specifically.
Mechanically similar to the 9½, but with a knuckle cap. If that grip fits your hand, it becomes your go-to.
Take a 9½, stretch the sole, add a knuckle cap – that’s a 19. A little more registration, same general job description.
No adjuster, just loosen the cap, nudge the iron, and go. It’s the little block you don’t baby and don’t regret.
Hardware-store special. With a sharp blade it works fine, just doesn’t offer the fine control of the fancier blocks.
Simple, sturdy block with screw depth adjuster. Not glamorous, absolutely usable. Great “first vintage block” if you find it cheap.
Rabbets, shoulders, filletsters – this is where Stanley got clever (and sometimes complicated). Some of these are everyday workhorses, some are very specific solutions.
Models: No. 10 No. 10½ No. 78 No. 90 No. 92/93 No. 140 No. 289
Basically a jack plane that can cut right up to the edge. Overkill for small boxes, fantastic for benches, big tenons, and heavy joinery.
A bit more compact and refined than the 10. If you’re serious about hand-cut big joinery, it’s a favorite.
The rabbet plane you actually see at flea markets. With all the bits intact, it’s a beast. Missing parts? That’s exactly why I make replacements.
Tiny but mighty. When you need to get right into a corner or shoulder, this is the thing that physically fits.
These are about fixing imperfections, not removing a ton of stock. When your tenon almost fits, a 92 or 93 gets it the rest of the way.
Block plane that moonlights as a rabbet plane. Skewed iron, removable side, and a lot of capability stuffed into a small body. Parts are often missing or damaged.
Harder to find, a joy to use. One of those planes that makes you want to design projects just to justify taking it out.
Router planes don’t look like “planes” at all, but once you have one, you start seeing little excuses to use it everywhere.
Models: No. 71
Once you try a 71 on dados or tenon cheeks, it clicks. It’s basically a precision depth regulator for joinery.
These don’t replace card scrapers – they just make your hands and elbows hate you less. Tear-out, curly grain, veneers – this is their turf.
Models: No. 12 No. 80 No. 81 No. 82 No. 112
Like a card scraper on steroids with handles and tilt adjustment. If you do veneer or fancy figure, it’s great. If not, it’s optional.
This is the scraper I push hardest. Cheap (for now), common, and insanely useful on tabletops and big flat work.
Think No. 80, but with a wood sole for a softer touch. Do you need it? No. Will you enjoy it? Yeah.
Not the first scraper to buy, but handy once you’re already deep into hand-tool finishing.
Modern makers still copy this design for a reason. If you’re chasing high-end surfaces by hand, the 112 pulls its weight.
Combo planes try to be a plow, beader, match plane, and more in one body. Incredible when complete, frustrating when half the bits are missing.
When all the cutters and screws are there, it’s an entire molding setup in one box. When half the bits are gone, it’s a headache. Great candidate for replacement screws and hardware.
A “diet” 45 – less overwhelming, still very capable if you mostly cut small grooves and decorative beads.
Spokeshaves are tiny planes with handles that make curves feel right in the hand. Tool handles, chair legs, anything that needs to feel good when you grab it.
Models: No. 51 No. 63 No. 53 / 54 No. 151
The basic shave you reach for constantly when shaping tool handles, arms, and general curves.
You won’t use it on everything, but when the curve tightens up, the 63 is what actually fits.
Being able to open or close the mouth means you can go from “hog off material” to “behave on cranky grain” with the same shave.
The pattern modern shaves still copy. Pair a 151 with a round-bottom sibling and you’re set up for most shaping jobs in the shop.
