Questions Answered – Old #4’s or New

ByPaul Sellers

Question:

My question is about a Stanley No. 4 plane I just bought on Ebay. I am not sure if I made the right buy. The seller didn’t know when it was from but was guessing 50’s or 60’s. I’ve bought It with what seems to be the original box and manual all of which looks pretty old and authentic to me. The planes you have all seem to have screws on handles and height adjustment screw of bronze/brass. On the one I bought they have a silverish finish. Other differences?

I’ve read on your blog that you preferred the pre 70-era planes – but I didn’t find anywhere exactly why this period.

P1010447

Answer:

Hello Nils,

​​Personal preferences don’t necessarily mean that the planes won’t work equally well and nickel plating on steel wheels doesn’t mean they won’t work just as well as brass. When restored they all seem to me to work equally well and even the brand new ones can be made to work just fine.

P1030989 - Version 2 ​The standards of manufacturing have declined steadily since the 70’s, but the worst aspect of new ones is the low-grade plastic handles that constantly crack, break and need replacement. Stanley seem to have failed to reconcile that the plastic they use doesn’t tolerate lower temperatures so they do readily crack even when the weather in not too much cooler. In winter they crack immediately if you don’t warm the whole plane up a few degrees. This then alters the flatness of the sole so it does impact this aspect of the plane too. Replacing the handles with wooden ones adds to the cost unless you make your own. P1030941

​​Record Irwin 04 planes show pics of nice hardwood handles when you see them on Amazon and eBay, yet the ones they actually sell are ABS plastic too, so it’s not always easy to get a decent plane. It’s always best to really check the descriptions, inspect the photographs and ask questions if using eBay.

​​Best regards,

​​Paul

8 Comments

  1. Making your own handles is not as hard as you might think. The most difficult aspect is getting that long hole through the handle at the right angle to the base, and central to the finished handle. The best approach is to start with a larger piece of wood than you think you need, and bore the hole first. Then mark out the shape required using the hole as the main reference.
    It is really worth having a go at this – I thoroughly enjoyed making mine, and it has been a source of pride in my plane ever since. BTW, I had to do this after dropping the plane which broke the handle so thoroughly a that new one was the best solution. I have since bought a plane with a broken handle, and successfully glued it with epoxy, but it doesn’t give me any feeling of pride! Maybe I should make another?

  2. I too have a stanley plane with steel adjustment screw. I don’t know exactly when it is from, but I am guessing it would be in the 80s, because that’s about when my grandfather started woodworking. The plane works just as well as the other older planes that I have, the steel screw is just not as smooth as the brass screws.

  3. If you do an internet search for “Stanley plane date chart” you’ll get a flow chat that walks you through various design changes and will give you a good idea of when your plane was made.

    There can be overlaps of parts though, so it’s not perfect. For example, when they switched from straight knurling to diagonal knurling, if they had 200 of the old part left, they’d use them instead of trashing them.

  7. I have a comment to add about the Record planes from personal experience. A hardware shop I used to frequent was closing down and had all their stock on sale. There were a number of Record No 7 planes available. Some had plastic handles and others did not. I purchased the one with the timber handles because that is what I prefer but under the assumption that they would be of a comparative quality. I was completely wrong and as soon as I discovered the plane was made in India and had poorly finished timber both in execution and finish and the casting and machining were of a similar standard I immediately phoned up to swap it over. Whilst the other plane had plastic handles it was manufactured when owned by Bahco I believe. The casting and overall standard of machining is vastly superior, the blade is of a very high standard and holds an excellent edge and there was very little fettling required to get even a half decent result. In several locations there is the stamping of made in England. I don’t like the plastic handles but currently they function and we do not have the concern of cold in most of Australia and new ones can be made or purchased. If you came across ‘new’ Record planes I would look closely at the manufacturing standard overall, the box indicated very little by way of information.

  8. Thanks for all the valuable information everybody. It may be a type 17 made between 1942-1945. “All steel handle screws without a brass nut due to WWII brass shortage”.

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