Stanley · No. 4½ · about 1884–1961
The No. 4½ is a wider, heavier smoother, 10 inches long with a 2⅜-inch iron. It arrived around 1884 as the first fractional number in Stanley's line and stayed until 1961. Patrick Leach suspects Stanley added it to compete with the heavy British infill smoothers of the 1880s, and from 1902 to 1924 Stanley sold an even heavier No. 4½H to the English market. Christopher Schwarz suits the bigger smoothers to larger work like dining tables. Leach sees an unusually high number of World War II 4½s, whose thicker castings make them heavier still, and some users like that extra mass. The very first ones have no number cast at the toe and are among the rarest bench planes Stanley made, so check the toe of any claimed first model for grinding and fresh paint.
Identify and date it
It's an inch longer than the No. 4 and takes a 2⅜-inch iron, the width of the No. 6 and No. 7. From the 4½ up, the tote is held by the rod plus a round-headed screw at its toe, sitting on a raised receiver. The 4½H has an H cast after the number, and the corrugated 4½C has grooves along the sole.
Type Study sweet spot
Types 10–16 (about 1907–1941) for most users, or a heavy wartime Type 17 if you like the weight.
It follows the No. 4's Type features. The earliest have no number at the toe, and pre-lateral examples exist, but Leach warns some are a 4½ body made up with an older No. 6 or No. 7 frog, so the japanning on frog and body should match. Wartime Type 17s have thicker castings, hardwood handles stained red or painted black, and a steel or hard rubber depth nut.
If you’ll use it
Pick it for wide panels and tabletops, or if you like a heavy smoother. A wartime one is heavier again.
If you’ll collect it
The early un-numbered version and the English-market 4½H are the scarce ones.
Like any Bailey, it can have cracks at the mouth and cheeks, broken tote horns and pitting. On early and pre-lateral examples, mixed parts are the bigger risk, with frogs from other sizes fitted to make a rarer-looking plane.
Buying guide
About 40 are listed, and about half ship from the UK, where Made in England 4½s ask $24–60 but add $33–93 to ship, so compare delivered prices. Most complete ones ask $95–150 delivered, and US planes run about $100–215. For a user, a Type 10–16 or a heavy wartime Type 17 is the one to buy, and the US Type 17 at about $101 delivered is our pick. On early or pre-lateral claims, compare the japanning on the frog and body, since Leach warns some are made up with No. 6 or No. 7 frogs, and ask the seller to measure the iron, which should be 2⅜ inches wide.
$70.12est. delivered
A Made in England 4½ titled VGC (very good condition), at about $70 delivered, the lowest total here even with $38 of shipping from the UK. Ask for photos of the mouth and the tote's toe screw.
STANLEY BAILEY No 4 1/2 SMOOTHING WOOD PLANE OLD CARPENTRY TOOLS ENGLAND VGC 🔵
$101.41est. delivered
A wartime Type 17 per the title, the heavy version some users prefer, at about $101 delivered from the US. That's near the bottom of the $95–150 band, so ask for photos of the cheeks and mouth before you buy.
Vintage Stanley Bailey No. 4 1/2 Smooth Bottom Bench Plane Type 17 1942-45
$139.10est. delivered
A corrugated 4½C with a Sweetheart iron that the seller dates to the 1920s, at about $139 delivered, inside the band. Check that the grooves run straight and stop short of the toe, heel and mouth, and compare the japanning on the frog and body.
Stanley Bailey no. 4 1/2 corrugated sweetheart plane RARE 1920's
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 11, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Snapshot
Checked . Some may have sold.
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 11, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Used$70.12est. delivered
$32.19 + $37.93 shipping
Buy It Now$32.19
Good buy
Made in England, VGC per the title. Ships from the UK.
Seller: sunnyperson46
100% positive
Used$101.41est. delivered
$86.25 + $15.16 shipping
Buy It Now$86.25
Good buy
Type 17, WWII era per the title. Ships from the US.
Seller: oww6515
100% positive
Used$139.10est. delivered
$120.00 + $19.10 shipping
Buy It Now$120.00
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Good buy
Corrugated, Sweetheart, 1920s per the title.
Seller: adam_jheitzman
100% positive
Used$75.25est. delivered
$42.35 + $32.90 shipping
Buy It Now$42.35
Our take
Made in England. $33 of the total is UK shipping.
Seller: norm1jenny2
100% positive
Used$85.81est. delivered
$39.64 + $46.17 shipping
Buy It Now$39.64
Our take
In a box per the title. Ships from the UK, $46 of the total.
Seller: beau1982
99.9% positive
Used$114.21est. delivered
$39.70 + $74.51 shipping
Buy It Now$39.70
Our take
Same seller as the $75 one, with $75 of UK shipping.
Seller: norm1jenny2
100% positive
Used$115.64est. delivered
$99.99 + $15.65 shipping
Buy It Now$99.99
Our take
US plane. No Type or condition in the title.
Seller: saluki1219
100% positive
Used$225.55est. delivered
$132.34 + $93.21 shipping
Auction · no bids yet · ends in 1d 7h
Our take
"Type 10?" per the title, with $93 of UK shipping. No bids yet.
Seller: 007cliveb
100% positive
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