Stanley no 5 price

[jgwjgwjgwj]

How much should I expect to pay for a decent Stanley no 5? I'm basically new to hand tools. I want to try a jack plane for flattening blanks (with other planes to follow), but I don't want to get fully into plane restoration - so I guess something that has not too much rust but might need sharpening and a bit of flattening.

Today on ebay in Canada, with shipping, it looks like $120 CAD ($85 usd) is where non- damaged ones start.

 

[Boreas]

It isn't so much what to expect to pay, but rather, how much shopping and digging are you willing to do. Goodwill, yard sales, and junk shops should have lower prices, but gems are likely few and far between.

You could simply buy a new one. As in guitars, vintage ones usually carry inflated prices.

 

[Soapbarstrat]

I might have bought a new condition one with box at an Estate Sale for $15.00. All my planes are in a lower cabinet right now and not compatible with the arthritis in my back to look.

 

[Freeman Keller]

I have been able to find good planes at yard and garage sales, clean them up and sharpen them (google "scary sharp") and they serve me very nicely. New planes are very expensive, but you can buy parts (Lee Valley sells new blades for a Stanley #5).

A couple of my planes date back to my father and his father, they are a pleasure to use and I will pass them to my son.

 

[bobio]

How much should I expect to pay for a decent Stanley no 5? I'm basically new to hand tools. I want to try a jack plane for flattening blanks (with other planes to follow), but I don't want to get fully into plane restoration - so I guess something that has not too much rust but might need sharpening and a bit of flattening.

Today on ebay in Canada, with shipping, it looks like $120 CAD ($85 usd) is where non- damaged ones start.

I have bought and sold a lot of vintage Stanley planes over the past 12 months. That does seem like a fair price for a non-damaged No 5. Keep in mind that pre-war will bring more than post-war. I typically focus on Type 13 Stanley planes (1925-1928). Not that they are any better than any other pre-war Stanleys, that is just my preference.

Here are some of the most recent...



Here is a flow chart to a rough guidline to date any Stanley handplane you may be looking at.

Plane Dating Flowchart

Here is a great Youtube resource with lots of Stanley plane information, including date typing.

https://www.youtube.com/@justplanefun

Any particular reason you are focusing on the No 5?
Are you planning to flatten rough stock with the plane?

I have a couple of No 5s, but I find that I use a No 4 more often for flattening and smoothing.
I may even go down to a No 3 for smaller stock, or up to the No 5 or 6 for larger stock.
The No 4 uses the same iron as the No 5, the overall length of the No 4 is shorter.

 

[jgwjgwjgwj]

Any particular reason you are focusing on the No 5?
Are you planning to flatten rough stock with the plane?

I have a couple of No 5s, but I find that I use a No 4 more often for flattening and smoothing.

Thanks for all the info and links! Yes, exactly, for flattening stock. It's all just theory to me right now though, so I'll consider a no 4 too.

I've been thinking a jack plane would be a good first step, but probably also want a jointer, scrub, and smoothing plane - based on this kind of advice

 

[WoodNinja420]

Hi I work a lot with hand planes. The vintage Stanley’s sure have increased in price compared to when I first got into woodworking. Here’s my two cents: a block plane and a number four can take you very far in guitar making and furniture making, for that matter. I would also want a number 5 with a cambered blade ( for use as a scrub plane) and a number 7 for jointing soundboard plates, but it isn’t really necessary Paul Sellers builds a ton of furniture with only a number four with a slight curve in the blade to erase plane tracks. Best of luck!

 

[erix]

I managed to pickup a very original Type 17 (WWII era) No. 5 for $55 this past January. I was in an antique mall (where everything is usually overpriced) and found it hiding in a dark corner of a booth full of tools. Someone had obviously hidden it - maybe planning to come get it later when the spouse wasn’t around?

I didn’t know anything about types until after I bought it, I just thought it looked in great shape and was all there. These WWII era ones were built with heavier castings for some reason but everything else is lower spec. The wood won’t care though!

 

[Peegoo]

@jgwjgwjgwj

If you're into the nostalgia thing, you will pay through the nose unless you are willing to comb through flea markets and garage sales.

You can buy a new Stanley plane for around 100 USD that will perform just as well as an old one.

Many woodworkers gripe about the quality of modern Chinese-made planes today, but the dirty secret they almost always neglect to mention is even the old Stanleys when they were brand new needed the sharp corners on the iron castings broken with a file, the sole plate sanded flat, and the blade sharpened.

It really gets into the realm of stupid when a brand new $300 Lie-Nielsen plane today needs to be sharpened when you take it out of the box. That's every one of them. For prices like that, the plane should be ready to go. It's ridiculous. But woodworkers are no different from guitar players and they get soaked because of the cachet associated with the brand name.

The only ding on new Stanley planes today is the lower-cost ones have plastic furniture--not wood.

Here's an inexpensive one with wood <--CLICK

 

[bobio]

@jgwjgwjgwj

If you're into the nostalgia thing, you will pay through the nose unless you are willing to comb through flea markets and garage sales.

You can buy a new Stanley plane for around 100 USD that will perform just as well as an old one.

Many woodworkers gripe about the quality of modern Chinese-made planes today, but the dirty secret they almost always neglect to mention is even the old Stanleys when they were brand new needed the sharp corners on the iron castings broken with a file, the sole plate sanded flat, and the blade sharpened.

It really gets into the realm of stupid when a brand new $300 Lie-Nielsen plane today needs to be sharpened when you take it out of the box. That's every one of them. For prices like that, the plane should be ready to go. It's ridiculous. But woodworkers are no different from guitar players and they get soaked because of the cachet associated with the brand name.

The only ding on new Stanley planes today is the lower-cost ones have plastic furniture--not wood.

Here's an inexpensive one with wood <--CLICK

I love my 100 year old Stanleys, but I also have one of those Chinese made Wood River planes, and it is a better plane than any of my Bailey Stanleys. The Bed Rock Stanleys would be a better match as the Wood River uses the Bed Rock design, but with more modern machining. I will probably continue to collect and refurbish Stanley planes to do my little part to counter the people that strip them and sell the parts on eBay



I have thought about investing in Lie Nielsen planes, but they are darn expensive. Love my LN block plane though.
I have been on a Japanese tool binge lately, starting with an inexpensive block plane and some chisels.
Good Japanese planes run about the same price as Lie Nielsen planes, but that is the rabbit hole I am going down

 

[Peegoo]

Here's a cool tip: if you find an old Craftsman-branded plane with Made in England cast onto the piece, it was made by Stanley inder contract to Sears & Roebuck. These are sleepers and you can find these for $3 - $5 bucks even today. Quality replacement blades run about $10, and with a little TLC these are lovely planes.

I'm not slamming on Stanleys at all; I love 'em and have a few nice ones that I regularly use. I'm just trying to inject some sanity into the discussion

 

[58Bassman]

How much should I expect to pay for a decent Stanley no 5? I'm basically new to hand tools. I want to try a jack plane for flattening blanks (with other planes to follow), but I don't want to get fully into plane restoration - so I guess something that has not too much rust but might need sharpening and a bit of flattening.

Today on ebay in Canada, with shipping, it looks like $120 CAD ($85 usd) is where non- damaged ones start.

Look on ebay in Completed Listings- you should be able to see the current prices.

Don't be too eager to find a pristine plane- reconditioning these is a good thing to learn and it can be very satisfying. It can also cost far less- just make sure the plane's iron (blade) is in good condition, the sole is flat and has no cracks, everything fits together well and the adjuster works as it should.

The bevel in the photos was in really bad condition and it has Brazilian Rosewood, same as older Stanley hand planes.

 

[jgwjgwjgwj]

Thanks for your thoughts, everyone. I will have some restoring to do, and am actually looking forward to it.

How it's going:

 

[58Bassman]

Thanks for your thoughts, everyone. I will have some restoring to do, and am actually looking forward to it.

How it's going:
View attachment 1224703

Depending on how far you want to go with rust removal and restoration, there are many ways to clean these. When I was a member of Fine Woodworking's Knots forum, I got into hand planes and used Citric Acid, on the recommendation of several members and it works well, but it's important to not mix it too strong and to monitor the progress- if cast iron is left in acid for too long, the metal can become porous because the liquid dissolves rust in areas between the base metal. They still work, they just need to be sealed to prevent oxidation from happening where it can't be seen, which can weaken the casting.

I have seen people use Evaporust but I didn't have a great experience with that. I tried Rustoleum's Rust Restorer and that worked better, but I wasn't using it on cast iron. The lever cap on the plane at the right is plated, so be careful with rust removal- a wire wheel on a grinder may be a good option.

The one at the left is referred to as a 'low knob' plane, which means it's about 100 years old. If you look at the iron (blade) on each, check for a faint line near the middle of the thickness- this means the blade is probably laminated with tool steel on top, where the cutting edge would be. These are great for durability.

 

[Lost_N_Austin]

I have a few that I need to examine a bit more thoroughly. Some are obviously more valuable than others. I really appreciate the detailed and informative response in the thread.

Lost_N_Austin

 

[chaosman12]

Thanks for all the info and links! Yes, exactly, for flattening stock. It's all just theory to me right now though, so I'll consider a no 4 too.

I use a #4 to flatten boards. You'll also need to make a set of winding sticks. Spending on the board, it could be a workout (and frustrating at times).

I use a #5 to straighten out edges that will be glued to other boards to make larger panels.