Plane catalog · Bailey bench plane
Stanley No. 2
The smallest common Bailey-pattern bench plane. Short, narrow, technically impractical — and therefore magnetically collectible.
The Stanley No. 2 is not a plane anyone truly needs every day. It is a tool that reveals the boundary between function, miniaturization and obsession with craft detail.
Format
Small bench plane
The No. 2 format exists somewhere between a real working tool and a collector object. Ergonomics are compromised, character is not.
Collector interest
Variants matter
Value is not defined only by condition. Type, lever cap, logo, side walls, adjuster, frog, tote and traces of use all matter.
Catalog typology
| Manufacturer | Stanley Rule & Level / Stanley Works |
|---|---|
| Model | No. 2 bench plane |
| Construction family | Bailey pattern |
| Primary interest | variants, dating, completeness, condition and collector trace |
| Source data | s2a planes no2.csv + personal acquisition history |
What the catalog tracks
Type and manufacturing period
Completeness and originality
Condition, patina and interventions
The goal is not to build an auction ranking. The goal is to understand the actual tool: why it exists, how it changed and what every detail says about it.