Antique & Vintage Stanley Woodworking Planes / Meeker's patented-antiques.com

Antiques

Of A
Mechanical Nature

www.Patented-Antiques.com

Larry and Carole Meeker

Purveyors of & Dealers in
Americana & Patented &
Mechanical Antiques

LCM@patented-antiques.com

530-620-7019

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Antique & Collectible
Stanley Rule & Level Co. Woodworking Planes

A Brief History

The Stanley Rule and Level company was formed in the late 1850's and began their business producing a line of folding rules and general hardware in New Britain Conn.. Levels came next, and a few years later they got into the woodworking plane making business producing a line of metal bodied planes utilizing Leonard Baileys Patents and designs for metal bodied bench planes and scrapers.

That association had a rocky history and that story is detailed in Roger Smiths books on the history and development of Patented Transitional and Metallic Planes in America Vol. 1 & 2.

After Stanley's initial success with Leonard Bailey's patents and the acceptance of metal bodied planes by America's working craftsmen Stanley added new designs and innovative models to their line of metal bodied planes including many different rabbet planes, dado planes, compass planes and other specialty planes in addition to standard bench planes. These designs have famous names like the Miller's Patent line or Schrade associated with them as well as many other lesser known inventors patents and ideas that Stanley bought and utilized in their designs.

The Stanley Rule and Level Company spent a lot of time and effort developing a market and filling the need or demand of early craftspeople wanting top quality tools. Stanley woodworking planes were designed for use in a wide range of applications in many different trades as well as those typically associated with woodworking or cabinetry. They produced specialty planes aimed at cabinet makers, patternmakers, butchers, electricians, and more to fill this need.

The full range of these planes will be found on this page. Many of these vintage and antique Stanley planes are suitable for both the advanced or beginning tradesmen and craftsmen for use today. Users ranging from professional cabinet makers, furniture makers and finish carpenters will find planes on this page that will be useful in their endeavors. Even general woodworkers and carpenters on the job or in the home woodworking woodshop will find planes and other tools made by Stanley that will be quite useful. Many will be in fine condition and acceptable for inclusion in collections of antique tools and planes.

There are planes by other makers available and some nice planes are even being produced today, but for the money, the quality and performance of a nice Stanley / Bailey plane or Stanley Bedrock plane can not be matched. Antique woodworking planes including some rare and unusual patented planes by other makers can be found my other tool pages right now. Please visit those pages by clicking the links found in the left hand column. I attempt to grade my tools conservatively, and will tell you about defects or major alterations such as replaced parts or repaints which in general I try not to carry. If you have any questions about individual pieces that I have for sale feel free to ask.