Buying guides
Read one of these before you buy. They cover dating a Stanley plane by its Type, which plane to buy first, what it takes to bring a rough plane back, user grade against collector grade, Marples chisels old and new, and reading a Disston saw’s medallion. If you’re new to all this, start with the first-plane guide.
How to Date a Stanley Bailey Plane by Type
Patent dates behind the frog, knob height, lever cap holes, iron logos and paint. How to date a Stanley Bailey bench plane from listing photos.
Read the guide →Stanley No. 4 or No. 5 for Your First Plane
A smoother or a jack? What the Stanley No. 4 and No. 5 each do, which to buy first depending on your machines, and what to check on a used one.
Read the guide →Restoring a cheap eBay plane: what it really takes
How to pick a rough Stanley plane worth saving, then clean it, fix the tote, fettle the iron and flatten the sole, plus the faults that mean walk away.
Read the guide →User grade or collector grade: which Stanley plane to buy
Collectors and woodworkers want the same Stanley planes for different reasons. Which flaws only matter to collectors, which matter to all, and how to tell.
Read the guide →Marples Blue Chip vs Boxwood Chisels: What Changed
How Marples bench chisels changed from the boxwood-handled No. 377 to the 1968 Blue Chip, how to date one from photos, and which to buy for real work.
Read the guide →How to Date and Identify a Disston Saw
How to date a Disston saw from its medallion, read the etch and stamps, tell the D-8, D-23, No. 12 and back saws apart, and what condition matters most.
Read the guide →