The Stanley No. 4 is not one plane. It is an entire family of models built over more than a century and branched into versions for every purpose and budget: from a cheap promotional curiosity to the premium Bed Rock to a short-lived aluminium experiment. This instalment maps every direct derivative of the same size — what sets each apart, how to date it and what it costs on the current market.
The classic American Types 1–20 are covered in the previous instalment on dating.
Comparison table
| Model | Production | Body | Sole | Defining feature | Scarcity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4 (Bailey) | 1869–c.1981 | cast iron | flat | reference model | very common |
| No. 4C | 1898–1970/73 | cast iron | corrugated | grooved sole | common |
| No. A4 | 1925–1934/35 | aluminium | flat | noticeably lighter | less common |
| No. S4 | 1926–1941/42 | steel | flat | won't crack; school use | less common |
| No. OH-4 | 1940/41 + 1950/51 | cast iron | flat | two-tone paint, promo | less common |
| Bed Rock 604 | 1898–1943 | cast iron | flat | full-bed frog seating | scarce |
| Bed Rock 604C | 1898–c.1935 | cast iron | corrugated | full-bed + grooves | scarce |
| English No. 4 | 1937/38–2007 | cast iron | flat | MADE IN ENGLAND | common in Europe |
| Canadian No. 4 | c.1911– | cast iron | flat | CAN patents on iron | less common |
Indicative prices are in the individual sections below.
No. 4C — corrugated sole
The corrugated variant of the Bailey line, introduced in 1898 during the Type 7 era. Dimensions and construction are identical to the No. 4; the only difference is the sole with longitudinal grooves intended to reduce friction.
Whether corrugations actually help in practice is still a live debate among users. The honest answer: on fresh, light wood the difference is negligible. On hard, glazed or already well-planed surfaces the grooves can create suction and work against you. For collectors, the 4C is interesting as a chronological landmark, not as a practical upgrade.
How to spot original corrugations: parallel, sharp, consistently deep, and — this matters — stopping before the toe, heel, and the area around the mouth. Grooves that run all the way to the ends, or irregular ones, are a red flag: a plain No. 4 "promoted" to a 4C after the fact.
Dating follows the same features as the Bailey; the 4C shares the Type 7–20 chronology. The end of production is disputed in the sources — 1961, 1970 and 1973 are all cited depending on what counts as production vs. catalogue listing. Write "c. early 1970s".
Price: a modest premium over the flat version only on nice, early examples. Typical range US$45–120; corrugated alone does not command dramatic prices.
No. A4 — aluminium in the Sweetheart era
An aluminium variant made approximately 1925–1934/35, part of the Sweetheart era during which Stanley experimented with alternative materials. Both body and frog are aluminium; dimensions match the No. 4 (9″, 2″ iron), but weight drops to roughly 2¼ lb — under one kilogram.
In use the A4 has a distinct character: light, quick in the hand, but the aluminium scratches easily and the frog seating is less precise than cast iron. Rosewood handles on the A4 are prized by collectors; clean examples without deep scratches are actively sought.
Collectibly, the A4 is interesting as an artefact of its moment and a design experiment rather than a preferred user plane. The market is thinner and less transparent than for the standard Bailey — recent public sales are fewer.
Price: roughly US$80–300 depending on condition, with strong dependence on a specialist audience.
No. S4 — steel for workshops and schools
Running parallel to the A4, the steel S4 (c.1926–1941/42) addressed a different problem: cast-iron bodies crack; steel ones don't. The sides and key structural elements are pressed or forged steel. The target customer was workshops, schools and technical training rooms where planes got dropped on concrete floors.
Constructionally it is still a No. 4 — same dimensions, same Bailey principle — but the side profile and the differently shaped frog make it visually distinctive. Remaining japanning and the condition of the steel sides are the main value indicators.
Price: roughly US$100–260; a confirmed recent sale at US$118.50.
No. OH-4 Two-Tone — promotional curiosity
The OH-4 needs to be stated plainly: it is not a developmental stage of the Bailey line. It is an advertising piece.
Stanley produced two-tone painted planes for National Hardware Week — first in 1940/41, then after a decade of dormancy again in 1950/51. Production was short, deliberately showy and constructionally inferior: cheaper castings, no logo on the lever cap, the iron stamped "Stanley Two-Tone". The 1940/41 examples read "Stanley Two-Tone Made in U.S.A." on the iron; the 1950/51 ones read "Two Tone by Stanley" in script — that is how you tell them apart.
Colour combinations (ivory sole + Chinese red frog, or grey + royal blue…) are today either admired as pop-art bizarrerie or dismissed as noise. Salability is poor: even a pristine OH-4 barely matches the price of a plain Bailey, because the collecting audience is small.
Price: US$20–75 depending on condition. Practical value as a tool: standard contemporary Bailey.
Bed Rock 604 / 604C — a different tier
The Bed Rock is a premium branch of Stanley bench planes with its own design concept, its own production history and its own place in the market. Do not apply the American Bailey type study to Bed Rock planes — it does not work.
What makes a Bed Rock different
The key difference is the frog and its seat. On the Bailey No. 4, the frog rests against two smaller areas of the casting. On the Bed Rock the frog seats across its entire base on the full area of the bed — hence "bed rock". The result: the frog is more stable, does not chatter, and holds its adjustment more precisely. This is why the Bed Rock commands a premium reputation and a premium price.
The No. 4 equivalent in the Bed Rock line is the 604; the corrugated version is the 604C.
Bed Rock type study — Types 1–12
The Bed Rock has its own twelve-type study (including sub-types 2a and 6a):
- Type 1 (1898) — first year; round sides, very early marking
- Type 2 (1898–1899) and 2a (1899) — transitional
- Type 3 (1900–1908) — round sides, still early
- Type 4 (1908–1910) and Type 5 (1911) — transitional
- Type 6 (1912–1921) — flat-top sides, BED ROCK stamped, two patent dates; visually the most classic Bed Rock
- Type 6a (1922) — short transitional form
- Type 7 (1923–1926) and Type 8 (1927–1930) — MADE IN USA, patent dates gone
- Type 9 (1931–1932) — no patents
- Type 10 (1933–1941) — kidney-hole in the lever cap (as on Bailey Type 16+)
- Type 11 (1942) and Type 12 (1943) — wartime, end of production
Early round-sided types (1–4) and flat-top Types 5–8 are the most sought-after combination for collectors and users alike.
Market
The Bed Rock consistently commands 2–4× the price of comparable Bailey. Recent sales: 604 typically US$225–349, specialist dealers higher; 604C US$175–400+.
English production — Sheffield
Stanley entered the British market with the acquisition of J. A. Chapman in 1937. English production (Sheffield) has its own working type study — T1 through T9, from 1937/38 to 2007 — but this remains a draft, not a final authority. British examples can reliably be dated to a decade rather than a year, because Stanley UK ran down old stock for long periods and parts overlapped.
Rough dating landmarks: wartime heavier castings (T2), post-war stained beech, around 1948 Y-shaped frog seat, ~1952 rounded iron tops, mid-1960s chrome lever caps, early 1970s aluminium nuts and steel adjuster wheel, ~1974 plastic handles.
English examples carry the mark MADE IN ENGLAND on the body or iron — the basic distinguishing feature from American production.
For users in Europe: a practical and affordable option. Typical price £18–45; a recent Czech sale (Aukro) at approximately 1,890 CZK.
Canadian production
Stanley Canada (Roxton Pond plant, QC; completed 1909, metal Bailey planes probably from ~1911 onward) shares the basic construction logic of American production but with specific markers:
- Canadian patent dates on the iron
- American patent dates on the body (early examples)
- Distinct logos and marks on the lever cap and iron at various periods
The Canadian production type study is not mapped as cleanly as the American. For a European collector it is an uncommon variant. Indicative price comparable to American Bailey, US$30–90.
Modern reissues — keep separate
Current Stanley planes labelled "No. 4" share the historical format in dimension, not in construction. They are legitimate tools, but they are not a continuation of the classic Bailey genealogy.
- Bailey 1-12-004 — cast iron, polymer handles, adjustable frog; 250 mm / 50 mm, 25° bevel. Available in the Czech Republic, roughly 1,429 CZK (verify at publication).
- No. 4 smooth 1-12-034 — lighter production line.
- SweetHeart 12-136 — A2 iron 1/8″, one-piece base + frog, Norris-style adjuster, cherry handles, adjustable throat plate. A modernised reinterpretation, roughly US$167–180.
- Handyman H1204 / 1-12-204 and consumer 12-404 — basic lines, modern materials.
For pure value-for-money a well-chosen vintage Bailey is usually more interesting. If you want a new Stanley without hunting parts or history, the 12-136 is the most serious option in this portfolio.
Sources: Patrick Leach (Blood & Gore / Hyperkitten), Virginia Toolworks (Bed Rock type study), Handplane Central, Time Tested Tools.