Antique Stanley Woodworking Tools

Many tool collectors know the thrill of finding an antique Stanley woodworking tool at an antique shop, flea market or garage sale.

Learn more about antique hand tools

In 1843, long before the Civil War, Frederick Trent Stanley of New Britain, Connecticut, began a small company manufacturing wrought iron door bolts and hardware, called Stanley Works. However, Frederick was not the only member of the Stanley family interested in the manufacture of hardware.

The Stanley family first began in the hardware manufacturing business in1831. Over the years, the company went through a series of name changes, dozens of acquisitions and mergers that included:

• Stanley and Company
• A. Stanley and Company
• Hall and Knapp
• Leonard Bailey and Company
• The Stanley Rule and Level Company

The end result was the formation of the Stanley Tool Company which had acquired dozens of tool making companies and their patents.

Throughout the last several decades, there has been an increase in the number of collectors interested in antique woodworking tools made by Stanley. These work implements from years past appeal to collectors for various reasons.

Some of the people that collect antique woodworking tools are the professional and hobbyist woodworkers of today. These craftsmen realize the workmanship, durability and history of an old quality tool. They often use their antique woodworking tools in their work, preferring the tool of yesteryear to a similar modern version.

Other collectors of the same type of tools never use them. They collect antique woodworking tools simply for the purpose of having them. Often these collectors limit their collections by whether a tool is patented or not, the era or tool type. However, there are also general tool collectors that look for anything made by the Stanley Company.

Sometimes antique Stanley tools are sought after for their aesthetic value. Handles were made of beautiful woods such as Brazilian Rosewood, chosen for its durability. Metal surfaces were often highly detailed. Two exquisite examples of metal detailing include a Stanley #45 combination plane and a Stanley #48 plane.

The Stanley Company manufactured hundreds of different hand tools, many of them used for woodworking.

For many antique tool collectors, the most desirable Stanley woodworking tools are planes. However, according to the Stanley numbering system, there are more than 608 models of woodworking planes. These include planes of companies acquired by Stanley that were made under the Stanley Company name such as Bailey bench planes or those patented by Miller. Antique Stanley planes include:

• Bench plane
• Block plane
• Combination plane
• Fore plane
• Dados
• Scrub plane
• Plow plane
• Tonguing and grooving plane
• Router plane
• Chamfer plane
• Rabbet plane
• Cabinet scrapper
• Wood scrapper
• Dovetail plane
• Adjustable beading plane
• Chute board plane

• Rounding tool
• Rulers
• Levels
• Clamps
• Jointer gauge
• Bit stop
• Bench brackets
• Chisels
• Saws

One of the most important resources for a collector of antique tools is a current antique tool price guide. In addition to listing the fair market value of the tools, the guides are helpful for identification. Many collectors look for older price guides for this purpose.

The following are several antique tool price and identification guides.

• Warman's Tools Field Guide: Values and Identification by Clarence Blanchard
• Antique & Collectible Stanley Tools Guide to Identity & Value by John Walter
• Antique Trader Tools Price Guide by Clarence Blanchard
• Early 20th (Twentieth) Century Stanley Tools - A Price Guide With 1909 & 1926 Catalog by Jack Wood
• The Stanley Rule and Level Company's Combination Planes by Kenneth D. Roberts
• Legend of Stanley: 150 Years of the Stanley Works by Jeffery L. Rodengen
• Antique Tool Collectors Guide to Value by Ronald S. Barlow

Antique tool values are based on four major factors:

• The rarity of the tool
• The condition of the tool and the box (if available)
• The tools desirability
• The provenance of the tool (history of ownership)

To determine the condition of a tool, most collectors refer to the The Fine Tool Journal Classification System. This system lists criteria that must be met for a tool to be classified into one of the following categories:

• New
• Fine
• Good+
• Good
• Good-
• Fair
• Poor

A copy of the classification system is provided by Tool Timer in the article A Beginners Guide to Collecting Antique Tools. The classification criteria are approximately half way down the page.

Another method used by some collectors to grade tools is a 1-100 rating system. This rating system is provided just below the Fine Tool Journal Classification System.

• The Super Tool website, called Patrick’s Blood and Gore, is a detailed work on antique Stanley planes. This excellent resource, by Patrick A. Leach, includes pictures, a detailed history, evolution and use of many planes.
• Bob Kaune Antique Used Tools
• Union Hill Antiques
• The Mid-West Tool Collectors Association
• Early American Industries Association Inc.
• Rosewood and Brass
• The Museum of Woodworking Tools

Whether you are new to the world of tool collecting, a seasoned collector or simply thinking about starting a new hobby, antique Stanley woodworking tools are available, affordable, and useful.

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