Stanley No. 4

Maker	Stanley Rule & Level Co.
Model	No. 4 (Bailey pattern)
Type	Bench plane — smoothing plane
Material	Cast iron, rosewood (tote, knob), brass
Sole length	235 mm (9¼")
Iron width	50 mm (2")
Production period	1869–1984 (traditional production)
In collection	4 purchases (2023–2024)

The Stanley No. 4 is the most widely produced hand plane in history.

Not because it is the best. But because it is the right size — short enough to follow a surface, heavy enough not to be thrown off by grain. Final smoothing of boards is what it was designed for, and after a hundred and fifty years of production it still does it well.

Character

The No. 4 is an unassuming tool.

It has no complex mechanisms like the No. 55. It doesn't demand years of study like a Japanese plane. It wants one good edge, a properly seated frog, and attention to the wood under your hand.

Properly prepared, it leaves a surface that needs no sandpaper. That is its place.

Type Study (Bailey Type Study)

The Stanley No. 4 went through approximately twenty design iterations — types — over its production run. Each type carries a combination of distinguishing features that allows dating. The key eras are:

Era	Types	Years	Key features
Early Stanley	2–4	1869–1884	No Y-lever adjustment, patent dates cast in, rosewood handles
Transitional	5–7	1885–1899	Frog design evolves, patent dates, brass depth adjustment nut
Classic	8–10	1899–1909	Y-lever depth adjustment introduced, Eccentric Lever Cap, settled design
Sweetheart	11–14	1910–1930	Heart logo (SW) on irons, peak casting quality and fit
Depression / WWII	15–17	1931–1945	Material savings, less grinding, wartime production without chrome
Post-war	18–20	1946–1967	Plastic components appear, thinner castings, quality declines

The most sought-after types are 11–13 (Sweetheart era, 1910–1928) — the castings are dense, the grinding precise, the irons from the best steel. Types 2–4 carry collector value as early examples.

What to look for when buying

Flat sole (no twist) — check with a steel straight edge
Intact frog and bed — cracks disqualify
Original wood (tote, knob) — repairs are possible, but complete examples are rarer
Types 11–13: look for SW logo on irons
Surface rust is cosmetic — deep pitting on the sole is a problem

Source and references

Historical production type data from vintagetools.cz. The Bailey Type Study was originally compiled by Patrick Leach and is the standard reference for dating Stanley Bailey planes.