The truth is the No. 1 was made for the elves in Santa's workshop. The earliest records of Santa show that most toys were wooden and so the elves needed something for their tiny hands. Silly mortals, thinking the No. 1 was made for them. What Mr. Wright doesn't realize is that there is actually a No. 0 as well. Even smaller and even cuter, but made specifically for elves.
There actually is a No 0, but it's made by Union and is even way more rare, just google the Union X0 plane, about the same size as a Stanley No1 but with a vertical adjuster.
James i think you are totally right about the 1. It’s the nostalgia of owning one. Hopefully one day I will find one at a garage sale and hope you get one too. But if you paint it blue I will be mad lol. Great video man! Always love the knowledge
I have two cases of these, unopened. 24 in each case and from what I understand is they were given as advertising tools to be given to store buyers. I never knew they were valuable!
I know you made a more recent vídeo about the #1, but since you mentioned the Veritas, they have a tote that can be attached to a block plane, along with a wooden knob. Thank you for another great video!
I want a number 1 because I work on pianos and sometimes when you’re planing the bridge you want a plane that’s very short as to not hit the body against the rim and damage the finish. It’s better than a block plane because piano bridges are made out of quartersawn maple that is often tricky to plane without tear out, so the bevel down design is better as to not tear out the bridge cap like I often get trying to do it with a block plane. I don’t have one and I don’t really care about it being special, but if I could find one for cheap I’d be using it pretty regularly for that one very niche purpose
I dont know much about Stanley planes or history, my area of knowledge is with Record planes....but I still have some thoughts :) Was the No1 offered in catalogs from day one?? It seems to me it may have been a salesman sample, instead of lugging around heavy planes they could just use a small No1 version to show the functions of the planes to sell them. Then maybe people started wanting to buy the small sample planes, like you said, we are attracted for some reason to small cute things....so Stanley started to offer them for sale, simply because people wanted them. Someday you will have your blue No1 hanging on the wall James :)
@@alvindueck8227 I meant it coulda been used to show construction of the plane and the function of its adjustments, I do know the first types of Stanleys had no lateral adjustment or frog adjustment screw in the back, and the 1 never had (no room) My meaning was they could have showed it to people, explained the adjustments and then say, "we make it in sizes from 7 1/4 inches to 24 inches", and then explain what each size was good for :) The functions can be shown on any plane no matter the size, in use its just pushed through the wood, no need to demonstrate that. It was fairly common for travelling salesmen to carry mini versions of what they sold :)
This was my thoughts as well, makes the most sense as to why it was never updated, because Stanley knew people didn't buy them to use them, so no need to add the adjuster and updates as the years went along.
Well thank you for this. I honestly own 2 of them. One kicked around my parents house forever & hence I have kept it for sentimental reasons. My 2nd came along 2 summers ago at a boot sale when I saw it & decided my grandson might enjoy playing with it. After 2 years I have not got around to cleaning & painting it up. You are correct, they are of no damn use for any adult & to me look more like a sales rep type of thing, but they made far too many so that must be wrong. I had no idea of the value until tonight, so I think I will spend a few hours in my garage tomorrow. As you said .... I can go with any colour I like. Kawasaki Ninja Green is looking good.
I have read somewhere (not sure where) speculation that the smaller Bailey models were supposed to held like wooden coffin-type smoothing planes. Rather than wrapping fingers around the tote and knob, they are supposed to rest against the hands. I don’t know if this is correct but sounds better than a model being made just for 5-year olds. Also, when were metal block planes introduced?
I think was made for those woodworkers that cut three fingers off in a tablesaw accident, or a radial arm saw accident. :) Thanks for the video, James. Happy New Year to you & your family!
Leonard Bailey was selling a No. 1 when Stanley acquired his patents. Seeing how Stanley didn't offer a block plane (as we think of them today) until a few years after they began offering the Bailey line of planes, it's probable that Leonard Bailey intended for the No. 1 to serve that purpose.
I have a late 1800 picture of a Sloyd Educational workbench for primary school students. There is definitely a #1 on the bench. The adult Sloyd Cabinets had a #5 and a 62. Another theory I heard was that the #1 was a salesman"s model. Regardless, still cute , functional and sought after. Happy New Year.
I have a 3, 4 and 5 and those are the only ones I think I will ever need or want. I made the 3 into a scrub plane. I also have a block plane, but I never use it, I use the number 4 or a spokeshave.
Seems like Stanley/Bailey just wanted a set that ranged from 1-something and picked a bad starting size. Now it's a collectors item for all the reasons you state
I have a mass produced wooden coffin plane the size of No1. To me, I would assume stanley made Bailey planes in sizes that were available in mass produced wooden coffin planes.
I have a No. 2 that fits my eight year old granddaughter's hand reasonably well - She needs another year or so of growth for it to fit better. I think these No. 2s were used in middle school shop classes; The No. 1 is, like you say, too small for even a seven year old. That said, I want a No.1. And a 19th century Norris A5. And...
I've spent an awful lot of time using a vintage 102, doing instrument and piano repair (I also make good use of several much smaller planes-I like little stuff.) Occasionally it seems too small. My next step up is a block plane, and in comparison, the block plane always feels clunky and oversize and awkward, and I rapidly head back to my 102. I imagine a #1 would actually find use in my hands on its own merits, not just because I'm trying to justify a stupid purpose by using it (as you strongly imply). I could try one of the new boutique brands, but I tend to not like them-they're always overbuilt and harder to use. Mass is great on a #5 1/2; on a 102 it's not necessarily so. For me and the work I do at any rate. More importantly, if someone is using a tool merely because they have it, but they're using it...that beats the living crap out of someone with 6 of these on a shelf next to their other 400 planes. I hate collectors.
Honestly if I had one people would hate me because I would have made a different tote for it, draw it away from the body a little to add some height to it. Maybe a more oval/egg shaped knob. Something to make it easier to grip without throwing off how the tool is used (angle, pressure and what not). It’s cool, would use as a block, maybe finishing on small stuff or chamfers but beyond that, yeah. Looks pretty useless lol! My “wife” would love it though! She likes small objects and generally takes interest in my hobbies which is new to me in a partner. Welp! I’m off to watch your 200k video!
I kinda always wanted one just to sit on my window sill and look cute. I came close to getting a Woodriver version once but it’s just not the same if it’s not an old Stanley.
Once again a great video. I see it as you mentioned as a training tool or even a salesman's sample. But you also need to consider it may be about the size of a block plane however... The No. 1 has a "ChipBreaker" ! It might also fit into places where no other plane firs such as in pianos to tune a sound board. I have never held an original, have held and tried the L-N but it truly is lost in my big mitts. This could be one of those things which were done ... Just because they could. Peace, W
I'm always a little mesmerized by your tool wall in the background. This video was a great monologue about collecting, and I enjoyed hearing about the history of this one tool. Do another!
So there were 2 uses of the no. 1 according to one of the historical leaflets found in and around New Britain CT 1 Stanley spirit levels the wooden ones they made them as a tool for the workers almost as a scraper to get that last edge. And for the local church organ manufacturers. It’s was held in the arch of the thumbs to hone for the correct pitch on a specific piece. It was sold to customers as a way to hone the spirit levels due to weather. I will have to remember the place I saw the picture of the guys making the levels it was in New Britain I think it was in a hospital lobby that was on Stanley property or really close to it. They had the history of hardware city as it was once called.
There's a No.1for sale near me for $900 and it even has the Stanley logo levercap. I'm personally not very interested in having one. I am however, on the lookout for the Bed Rocks I need to complete my collection. A couple planes that outdo the No.1 in price point are the Stanley No.9 miter plane and the Stanley No.602C. I'm not certain why they're so scarce, but I just know that they're on average between $1,500-3,500 unless you get lucky. A complete Stanley No.9 in the box just sold for well over $3k two months ago.
Very true there are many Stanley tools that are incredibly rare because they just weren't used very often and now that they are so rare the price is gone through the roof.
I think my 10 1/4 is actually worth the grand. I don't bust my knuckles on bigger timber framing projects. The adjustable handles are actually worth their weight in gold.
You are right. Is there a possible link to the numbering Bailey had? The Stanley #50 is also a good story. The countless times I see it offered in mint condition, suggest it was never used by the previous owner(s). I buy tools because I want to use them. It is very unlikely I will pay market value for a #1 or a #50.
If I came across one of these in an attic sale I'd probably pick it up and restore it for fun. But at 70 and with the infirmities that go with that age, I tend to restore old planes that fit my hams, which this would not. Fun video.
I really believe it's because of the collector's effect. You know? Lots of people like to collect things... Myself, for example: I collected coins and stamps. Go figure. Anyway... It's like jewelry for women: it doesn't make them more beautiful, but they like to display it! It's like makeup as well. Sometimes it makes them less beautiful... And they still use it. Oh well... Don't read this comment out loud near your wife!!! 😂 Happy new year, James! And stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
I concur, collections can be of almost anything. I once knew a lady who collected salt and pepper shakers. She had over 2500 completely different sets. But yeah, when you get into the more rare items that were distroyed for reasons like the WWII war effort, or rare cars that were popular in movies and Hollywood has destroyed hundreds or thousands of a particular model of car and made it hard to find that model, the price gets driven up, substantially. Or even rare items like a guitar played by a "music god" and it can be varified, or is even signed by that artist... Of course, the value is in the eyes of those willing to pay such an amount, not in the eyes of every person on the planet.
My thoughts exactly! Things are made in SETS and we have to have all of a set no matter the product. At least I am that way in some things. Can't afford to be in all things I have. We are known as Completist! (sp) . Tools are only one of these sort of things but one of the worst ones. I just ordered a 15mm chisel for my SET. Why? Because I had all sizes save that one so my SET was INCOMPLETE! Horrors!! Ha! Ha!
Always assumed that it was just to size it similar to some of the smaller wood bodied smoothers that were in use, given that Stanley tried to produce something to replace as many of the existing planes as possible.
That’s a very good point. I have a little wooden “coffin” smoother and always assumed it was used as s block plane, like my 9 1/2 (which is much more useful). It makes sense to me that Stanley wanted to make a Bailey-pattern plane in all the equivalent sizes to the traditional wooden planes they were competing with. What I do find strange is that craftsmen were spending their hard earned cash on something considerably less useful than a block plane.
I get the biggest kick out of listening to folks at flea markets and swap meets when they start talking about these planes . I find it's easy to determine right away who among them has one . The person who says they are very handy for intricate work , has one . The person who says they are absolutely worthless .... doesn't .
I've heard the argument (in support of them being for shop classes for kids) that the production numbers were HUGE but the plane is still very rare (which doesn't add up), and the reasoning is that the plane never came into circulation amongst adult users, but were bought in bulk by schools and later discarded (landfill) and only very few ever ended up in adult woodwokers shops.
My theory is originally when patents where filed you had to provide a working model of the invention. The tooling was so exact on making the #1 model that it was easy to just keep making them. Just keep tooling up and sell #1s. So Bailey/Stanley just kept selling a version of the patent model to everyone who wants one. As far as the price, use or need it really doesn't matter. It comes down to the want. If you want one go ahead and get one. Like a lot of things people buy they just want.
Good video James. I still have the 10 1/4 you made the matching zebra wood tote and handle for me. I bet it's in the thousand dollar range now, but I use it too much to sell. Plus its special to me, because it's now famous. Lol. Thanks again brother.
I have a No.1 Bought it at a garage sale for $5. I agree it has no useful purpose, but it does look good sitting on a shelf in my office. I don't even keep it in my shop area.
Stanley No 1, when woodworking meets anthropology and philosophy. Pretty cool train of thought, you presented to us there. But seriously, overly specialized tools can be a bit much sometimes. My woodcarving "mallet" is literally a small egg-shaped stone I picked up on a vacation in France as a child. It fits my palm just right, it has a nice weight and I like using it. So I use it. :P
An uncle of mine that worked for Sears for 40 years told me Stanley never sold many and started using them as a giveaway items for retailers to put in display cases. Kind of like the two foot long Swiss Army Knife used as a display in stores.
According to their sales lists they sold a lot of them around the turn of the last century but by the time world war II came around the dropped off and after the war they didn't sell many at all.
blasphemy! I loved it. And, if you do ever get a number 1 and paint it blue I will have to find your shop, steal that plane back, take it to my house, strip it, let it rust outside and then send it to you to restore for me.
I have 2 theories. 1. Was it maybe introduced before the block plane? 2. Maybe people wanted a block plane sized plane that matches all the others. For me though, I will stick with my block plane.
Why is the Stanley No 1 worth $1000.00 (US) (or $3000.00 here in Australia)?? Because people have more money than sense!! Yes, they are desirable and cute, but think of what you could buy for your workshop with that amount of money that would get much more use rather than just gathering dust on a shelf. Great video, keep up the great work.
I looked in my Stanley Catalog No. 34 and they do not even have the No. 1 plane listed; it just starts with the No. 2. The catalog says "1947 edition", so I take it they stopped making them after WW II. I see that the other planes in this catalog have descriptions like "Smooth" for Nos. 2 through 4 1/2, "Jack" for Nos. 5 to 5 1/2, "Fore and Jointer" for Nos. 6, 7, and 8. Among the description for the Jack Planes, they claim the No. 5 1/4 is recommended for school shops; I presume middle school and up. Additional trivia: the catalog states that "Jack" is for "Jackass" as in "an appropriate name for the Plane that is used for the hardest and roughest kind of work." So much for "jack of all trades", eh?
Just a shot here...and you kind of alluded to it James...could it have been targeted at patternmakers and model makers? And like you said supplanted by block planes? Just spitballing there. Great video James. Happy New Year to you and your family!
I bought my LN block plane new. I got lucky and was able to buy a bunch of others in a set from someone. Included in the set was a LN #1 and LN #2, both with the older thinner chip breakers. My 4 year old's hands for the #1 perfectly. She calls it hers. The bronze LN #2 and block plane are both too heavy and cumbersome for her little hands. Based on that I ascribe to the idea that the exist for teaching kids how to plane. The task I have used it most often for is easing edges, but more often I ease the edges with whatever plane is still in my hand. Definitely it falls into the categories of "I use it because I have it" and teaching very young kids more than anything else.
I agree. I think fathers out there just thought it would be cute and fun for their kids. I do masonary occasionally and although a pointing trowel is practical for a mason, I've always imagined handing mine to my future children while I use my normal sized trowel.
Correct me if I am wrong. but isn't the no 1 the only plane whit that whit. I know the 40 is 1 1/4 and some of the shoulder plane as well. But as far as I know no block plane is 1 1/4.
I bought mine…..BECAUSE. Because we ARE AMERICANS!!!! Actually I bought mine without knowing it’s intended use and when I took delivery of it, I just as surprised as my wife was on our wedding night. Just kidding. I was a little shocked at its little size and couldn’t figure how to hold it, and boy did I go down the rabbit hole of Stanley history, ultimately not really finding out much about the No1. I learned a ton about Stanley and the Bailey line; the Bedrock line(my go-tos and favorites)and significance of sweetheart . I hope you can do a video on the sweetheart story one day.
I don’t know the history nearly as well as you, but I’m wondering if Stanley thought he needed a #1 just to “complete” the #2-#8 line. And that way it has a beginning point, as it were.
Baily actually made the no. 1 first. and he was one of the main drivers in when switch away from wooden planes. so it probably has something to do with that. But when Stanley bought Baily he kept the one. there are a few other companies that made the one, but they never took off and they stopped selling it.
Back then, children had to crawl under machines and into tight spaces to clean them out, that kind of stuff. They weren’t given expensive tools for fine woodworking.
They were stamped usually on the soul and labeled as the salesman's sample. Stanley didn't do a lot of that as they had a very good market presence but particularly with the earlier versions they had a decent amount of salesman showing them around at hardware stores.
It seems like you put one or two middle fingers around the tote, use yr pinky as a fence, and point with the index finger. Similar to the grip that Graham Blackburn advocates. Also, people were smaller in the past?
I honestly just assumed the number 1 was a prototype to see how he liked the scale and dimensions, and it was so small just to save materials while prototyping. I assumed the first he actually produced for sale was #2, and then people asked "wait, this is stamped #2, where's the #1" to see where it all started & they made some more mass produced versions. Or that it was a curio/decorative type thing.
Why is it worth $1000? Because that’s the price - it’s a reflection of how badly collectors want to own one, and that’s it. And as a collector, the only justification you need is to complete the set. Why does it exist? I like the theory that Stanley made them for the same reason: to complete the set. It makes sense to me that a No. 1 is about as big as a block plane: they wanted to push the Bailey pattern, so they made one in each size - and by size, I mean all the common and typical “sole sizes” - even if it’s not practical. Even the No. 4 is not exactly comfortable, it’s a little too small for my average sized hand, so the Bailey pattern has its weaknesses. I believe it might just have been stubbornness that made them do it: this is the Bailey pattern, it’s great, let’s make one in each size.
You forgot to mention the bragging rights. Or the story of how you got the No1. I like to tell the story of how I got mine for $25. The reactions are priceless. Have I used my No1? Once. Just to see if it actually worked - now it sits in a special spot a top all my users.
Any item is worth what you are willing to pay for it. Personally I wouldn't pay more than £5 for one as it would be no more than an ornament to collect lots of dust and never be used.
I forgot I had my headphones on through the whole recording. At the end it was not worth going back and recording it all just to have them out. Not your plugs just headphones.
I use my No. 2 all the time. And I adore my Veritas no. 1. But I've used a Stanley 1 and can honestly say they're uncomfortable and largely useless. I totally still want one. But I wanna 51 just as much.
I've used a Stanley no. 1 for many years. It was my grandfather's. He would have been a teenager I think when it was bought in the '20s, so I'm guessing it was a gift from my great-grandfather. I used to build guitars and this is actually larger than a lot of luthiery planes. (Look up the planes used by violin makers for example.) This is a plane that is used and controlled by your finger tips. The top curve of the tote locates the plane in the webbing of your thumb, so this way the tips of your thumb andfore fingers are down near the blades point of contact. I'm guessing these were used by piano repairers, luthiers, and other instrument makers. I have a small block plane and the feel, weight and balance of it is completely different. But you are right, it can be used for similar jobs. Question: When the Number 1 first appeared in 1869, was it the first small plane with a fine adjuster for the blade? Or did similar sized block planes also have blade depth adjustment screws? If not, then I wonder if that was its original selling point...
At the end of the 19th century, children started working at a very young age. I saw a special children's toolbox in a German museum full of various small hand tools.
I am a user, not a collector. If I had a #1, I would use it, not gaze at it on a shelf. What I would use it for? I don't know, it seems useless. I would rather go to my trusty 40+ year old block plane (that I bought from new, back in the day, for under £2 - I still have the box it came in with price tag on it). So, if I had a #1, I would sell it to the highest bidder - and be glad to get rid of it! I see lots of talk about Stanley #1's but nothing about #2's, why is that...?
Stanley number twos are usually just considered kids tools. It is large enough that you can kind of hold it with an adult hand but it is one that would be commonly used in young kids shop classes. Those usually go for around $250 piece.
I have been guilty of buying sets of tools for the one that I will actualy use. I could see that some would do the same. I have given away some very nice 4s. I do keep one four for myself. I do prefer my hand planes over my power plane, But none of the above will be sold during my lifetime.
But you do have planes on your wall that are not blue..... Please explain? The number 1, was available when there were no block planes, if I'm not mistaken. So that would have likely been the niche they filled, originally. As far as comfort of use, I don't suppose that was their biggest concern. The comfort of use issue may have been why the block plane/squirrel tail plane was invented, and the No.1 was stopped being produced. I wasn't there either, but it kinda makes sense. But, yeah, now a days, it is the collectors who have driven up the price and put them on a pedestal that makes them cost so much. They don't seem to do anything a block plane can't do except teach a 3-5 year old the proper technique of how to hold and use a bench plane. And nost of our parents these days won't let a child that young anywhere near a sharp tool.
Yeah I've heard that theory a few times but it doesn't have all of the items that the other planes do. And and salesman samples were never sold in the catalog. The Stanley number one has always been listed in the catalog.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo Remember, 100/150 years ago, the world was spread out. Travel [by salesmen] was difficult. Stanely may have used the #1 to promote their product at retail level, by making a small sizes, and offering incentives to retailer to purchase and display this item as being somewhat representative of their larger planes. Of course, then Stanley and the retailer both became profitable by selling #2 thru #8, [and then the rest of the line]. Having been a traveling salesman in the '60's, I just think that may have had some merit.
The truth is the No. 1 was made for the elves in Santa's workshop. The earliest records of Santa show that most toys were wooden and so the elves needed something for their tiny hands. Silly mortals, thinking the No. 1 was made for them. What Mr. Wright doesn't realize is that there is actually a No. 0 as well. Even smaller and even cuter, but made specifically for elves.
I bet you were and still are on the naughty list for making Santa look bad.
There actually is a No 0, but it's made by Union and is even way more rare, just google the Union X0 plane, about the same size as a Stanley No1 but with a vertical adjuster.
James i think you are totally right about the 1. It’s the nostalgia of owning one. Hopefully one day I will find one at a garage sale and hope you get one too. But if you paint it blue I will be mad lol. Great video man! Always love the knowledge
i have one of them if u wanna buy it now i knw how much they cost😉
I have two cases of these, unopened. 24 in each case and from what I understand is they were given as advertising tools to be given to store buyers. I never knew they were valuable!
Wow! What a find. I would love to see pictures of that. Can you please send ma a picture of the case? jameswright@woodbywright.com
You're a bazillionaire. Congratulations.
I would love to buy one, if it could be put in a price range I could afford.
Bull
Sounds like you could sell and chill for a while, It seems to me the demand or value of them have gone down or staying the same price
I know you made a more recent vídeo about the #1, but since you mentioned the Veritas, they have a tote that can be attached to a block plane, along with a wooden knob.
Thank you for another great video!
I want a number 1 because I work on pianos and sometimes when you’re planing the bridge you want a plane that’s very short as to not hit the body against the rim and damage the finish.
It’s better than a block plane because piano bridges are made out of quartersawn maple that is often tricky to plane without tear out, so the bevel down design is better as to not tear out the bridge cap like I often get trying to do it with a block plane.
I don’t have one and I don’t really care about it being special, but if I could find one for cheap I’d be using it pretty regularly for that one very niche purpose
I dont know much about Stanley planes or history, my area of knowledge is with Record planes....but I still have some thoughts :)
Was the No1 offered in catalogs from day one?? It seems to me it may have been a salesman sample, instead of lugging around heavy planes they could just use a small No1 version to show the functions of the planes to sell them. Then maybe people started wanting to buy the small sample planes, like you said, we are attracted for some reason to small cute things....so Stanley started to offer them for sale, simply because people wanted them. Someday you will have your blue No1 hanging on the wall James :)
Possibly, but it also doesn't make sense to demonstrate a small plane that no one can comfortably hold in their hands
@@alvindueck8227 I meant it coulda been used to show construction of the plane and the function of its adjustments, I do know the first types of Stanleys had no lateral adjustment or frog adjustment screw in the back, and the 1 never had (no room) My meaning was they could have showed it to people, explained the adjustments and then say, "we make it in sizes from 7 1/4 inches to 24 inches", and then explain what each size was good for :) The functions can be shown on any plane no matter the size, in use its just pushed through the wood, no need to demonstrate that. It was fairly common for travelling salesmen to carry mini versions of what they sold :)
I actually think this is one of the more viable theories, a salesman sample that caught on, great point !
This was my thoughts as well, makes the most sense as to why it was never updated, because Stanley knew people didn't buy them to use them, so no need to add the adjuster and updates as the years went along.
Well thank you for this. I honestly own 2 of them. One kicked around my parents house forever & hence I have kept it for sentimental reasons. My 2nd came along 2 summers ago at a boot sale when I saw it & decided my grandson might enjoy playing with it. After 2 years I have not got around to cleaning & painting it up. You are correct, they are of no damn use for any adult & to me look more like a sales rep type of thing, but they made far too many so that must be wrong. I had no idea of the value until tonight, so I think I will spend a few hours in my garage tomorrow. As you said .... I can go with any colour I like. Kawasaki Ninja Green is looking good.
I have read somewhere (not sure where) speculation that the smaller Bailey models were supposed to held like wooden coffin-type smoothing planes. Rather than wrapping fingers around the tote and knob, they are supposed to rest against the hands. I don’t know if this is correct but sounds better than a model being made just for 5-year olds. Also, when were metal block planes introduced?
I think was made for those woodworkers that cut three fingers off in a tablesaw accident, or a radial arm saw accident. :) Thanks for the video, James. Happy New Year to you & your family!
LOL very true! happy new year to you too!
In a crazy way, your statement is hilarious "3 fingers "😂 😂😂
I imagine they made it for the same reason Veritas sells a 1/3 scale set of their tools. People will find them fun and buy them.
Leonard Bailey was selling a No. 1 when Stanley acquired his patents.
Seeing how Stanley didn't offer a block plane (as we think of them today) until a few years after they began offering the Bailey line of planes, it's probable that Leonard Bailey intended for the No. 1 to serve that purpose.
That is probably the initial impetus for it.
If I had a No. 1, I'd use it ... to get some cash on eBay.
I have a late 1800 picture of a Sloyd Educational workbench for primary school students. There is definitely a #1 on the bench. The adult Sloyd Cabinets had a #5 and a 62. Another theory I heard was that the #1 was a salesman"s model. Regardless, still cute , functional and sought after. Happy New Year.
I have a 3, 4 and 5 and those are the only ones I think I will ever need or want. I made the 3 into a scrub plane. I also have a block plane, but I never use it, I use the number 4 or a spokeshave.
Seems like Stanley/Bailey just wanted a set that ranged from 1-something and picked a bad starting size. Now it's a collectors item for all the reasons you state
Or pulled a George Lucas and said "Let's start with Part 4" and so when it was time to make Part 1 they went to the logical if stupid place.
I have a mass produced wooden coffin plane the size of No1. To me, I would assume stanley made Bailey planes in sizes that were available in mass produced wooden coffin planes.
Looking through the comments of this older video to see if anyone had answered this. Totally agree.
You could also hold this like a coffin plane?
I have a No. 2 that fits my eight year old granddaughter's hand reasonably well - She needs another year or so of growth for it to fit better. I think these No. 2s were used in middle school shop classes; The No. 1 is, like you say, too small for even a seven year old.
That said, I want a No.1. And a 19th century Norris A5. And...
I've spent an awful lot of time using a vintage 102, doing instrument and piano repair (I also make good use of several much smaller planes-I like little stuff.) Occasionally it seems too small. My next step up is a block plane, and in comparison, the block plane always feels clunky and oversize and awkward, and I rapidly head back to my 102. I imagine a #1 would actually find use in my hands on its own merits, not just because I'm trying to justify a stupid purpose by using it (as you strongly imply). I could try one of the new boutique brands, but I tend to not like them-they're always overbuilt and harder to use. Mass is great on a #5 1/2; on a 102 it's not necessarily so. For me and the work I do at any rate.
More importantly, if someone is using a tool merely because they have it, but they're using it...that beats the living crap out of someone with 6 of these on a shelf next to their other 400 planes. I hate collectors.
Honestly if I had one people would hate me because I would have made a different tote for it, draw it away from the body a little to add some height to it. Maybe a more oval/egg shaped knob. Something to make it easier to grip without throwing off how the tool is used (angle, pressure and what not).
It’s cool, would use as a block, maybe finishing on small stuff or chamfers but beyond that, yeah. Looks pretty useless lol! My “wife” would love it though! She likes small objects and generally takes interest in my hobbies which is new to me in a partner.
Welp! I’m off to watch your 200k video!
I kinda always wanted one just to sit on my window sill and look cute. I came close to getting a Woodriver version once but it’s just not the same if it’s not an old Stanley.
Once again a great video.
I see it as you mentioned as a training tool or even a salesman's sample.
But you also need to consider it may be about the size of a block plane however...
The No. 1 has a "ChipBreaker" !
It might also fit into places where no other plane firs such as in pianos to tune a sound board.
I have never held an original, have held and tried the L-N but it truly is lost in my big mitts.
This could be one of those things which were done ...
Just because they could.
Peace, W
It’s an interesting paperweight. Can’t imagine leaving it in my shop or trying to make use of it.
I'm always a little mesmerized by your tool wall in the background. This video was a great monologue about collecting, and I enjoyed hearing about the history of this one tool. Do another!
thanks. I might do them from time to time.
i love these historical woodworking videos
reminds me of my 3" crescent wrench, nobody thinks its useful but its great for running taps and more bolts/nuts is tight spots than you would imagine
My 6 inch pry bar is perfect for getting staples out and much more comfortable than needle-nosed plyers.
That it's adorable is simply a side benefit.
So there were 2 uses of the no. 1 according to one of the historical leaflets found in and around New Britain CT 1 Stanley spirit levels the wooden ones they made them as a tool for the workers almost as a scraper to get that last edge. And for the local church organ manufacturers. It’s was held in the arch of the thumbs to hone for the correct pitch on a specific piece. It was sold to customers as a way to hone the spirit levels due to weather. I will have to remember the place I saw the picture of the guys making the levels it was in New Britain I think it was in a hospital lobby that was on Stanley property or really close to it. They had the history of hardware city as it was once called.
I recently mentioned my hand plane addiction, this has bee named a real trigger for me. Heading over to ebay now.
You may not have answered the question, but I appreciate the video. I have always been curious about a number 1. Have a good new year James
Maybe a salesman sample .
Happy New Years .
Be safe
Furniture, picture frames. Used on things a number 8 would be over kill
There's a No.1for sale near me for $900 and it even has the Stanley logo levercap. I'm personally not very interested in having one. I am however, on the lookout for the Bed Rocks I need to complete my collection.
A couple planes that outdo the No.1 in price point are the Stanley No.9 miter plane and the Stanley No.602C. I'm not certain why they're so scarce, but I just know that they're on average between $1,500-3,500 unless you get lucky. A complete Stanley No.9 in the box just sold for well over $3k two months ago.
Very true there are many Stanley tools that are incredibly rare because they just weren't used very often and now that they are so rare the price is gone through the roof.
I think my 10 1/4 is actually worth the grand. I don't bust my knuckles on bigger timber framing projects. The adjustable handles are actually worth their weight in gold.
You are in so much trouble..... 😳. Actually good lesson and analysis
You are right.
Is there a possible link to the numbering Bailey had?
The Stanley #50 is also a good story. The countless times I see it offered in mint condition, suggest it was never used by the previous owner(s).
I buy tools because I want to use them. It is very unlikely I will pay market value for a #1 or a #50.
Great video as always James! Happy New Year to you and your family! :)
If I came across one of these in an attic sale I'd probably pick it up and restore it for fun. But at 70 and with the infirmities that go with that age, I tend to restore old planes that fit my hams, which this would not. Fun video.
I really believe it's because of the collector's effect. You know? Lots of people like to collect things... Myself, for example: I collected coins and stamps. Go figure.
Anyway... It's like jewelry for women: it doesn't make them more beautiful, but they like to display it! It's like makeup as well. Sometimes it makes them less beautiful... And they still use it.
Oh well... Don't read this comment out loud near your wife!!! 😂
Happy new year, James! And stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
I concur, collections can be of almost anything. I once knew a lady who collected salt and pepper shakers. She had over 2500 completely different sets.
But yeah, when you get into the more rare items that were distroyed for reasons like the WWII war effort, or rare cars that were popular in movies and Hollywood has destroyed hundreds or thousands of a particular model of car and made it hard to find that model, the price gets driven up, substantially. Or even rare items like a guitar played by a "music god" and it can be varified, or is even signed by that artist...
Of course, the value is in the eyes of those willing to pay such an amount, not in the eyes of every person on the planet.
@@thomasarussellsr Precisely!
My thoughts exactly! Things are made in SETS and we have to have all of a set no matter the product. At least I am that way in some things. Can't afford to be in all things I have. We are known as Completist! (sp) . Tools are only one of these sort of things but one of the worst ones. I just ordered a 15mm chisel for my SET. Why? Because I had all sizes save that one so my SET was INCOMPLETE! Horrors!! Ha! Ha!
Always assumed that it was just to size it similar to some of the smaller wood bodied smoothers that were in use, given that Stanley tried to produce something to replace as many of the existing planes as possible.
That’s a very good point. I have a little wooden “coffin” smoother and always assumed it was used as s block plane, like my 9 1/2 (which is much more useful). It makes sense to me that Stanley wanted to make a Bailey-pattern plane in all the equivalent sizes to the traditional wooden planes they were competing with. What I do find strange is that craftsmen were spending their hard earned cash on something considerably less useful than a block plane.
I get the biggest kick out of listening to folks at flea markets and swap meets when they start talking about these planes . I find it's easy to determine right away who among them has one . The person who says they are very handy for intricate work , has one . The person who says they are absolutely worthless .... doesn't .
I've heard the argument (in support of them being for shop classes for kids) that the production numbers were HUGE but the plane is still very rare (which doesn't add up), and the reasoning is that the plane never came into circulation amongst adult users, but were bought in bulk by schools and later discarded (landfill) and only very few ever ended up in adult woodwokers shops.
My theory is originally when patents where filed you had to provide a working model of the invention. The tooling was so exact on making the #1 model that it was easy to just keep making them. Just keep tooling up and sell #1s. So Bailey/Stanley just kept selling a version of the patent model to everyone who wants one.
As far as the price, use or need it really doesn't matter. It comes down to the want. If you want one go ahead and get one. Like a lot of things people buy they just want.
Good video James. I still have the 10 1/4 you made the matching zebra wood tote and handle for me. I bet it's in the thousand dollar range now, but I use it too much to sell. Plus its special to me, because it's now famous. Lol. Thanks again brother.
Right on. there are several tools that Stanley made that are worth more.
"Man is not a rational animal, Man is a rationalizing animal." Robert A. Heinlein :)
“Man is not an animal, it is a man”.
-Anyone who isn’t trying to sound intellectual
Also, Veritas makes a set of 1/3-size gift planes that are fully functional. If you want cute that's what you should go for!
So true. I had meant to bring that up, but forgot to in the recording.
Oh no... Now I'm looking and that's how it starts. 😔
„Because I want to!” Everything about it! 😁👍🏼
I have a No.1 Bought it at a garage sale for $5. I agree it has no useful purpose, but it does look good sitting on a shelf in my office. I don't even keep it in my shop area.
Stanley No 1, when woodworking meets anthropology and philosophy. Pretty cool train of thought, you presented to us there.
But seriously, overly specialized tools can be a bit much sometimes. My woodcarving "mallet" is literally a small egg-shaped stone I picked up on a vacation in France as a child. It fits my palm just right, it has a nice weight and I like using it. So I use it. :P
Yes a 5 or 6 year old could probably use it, but it's much more profitable to send them up chimneys with a brush. Believe me, I know !!!
An uncle of mine that worked for Sears for 40 years told me Stanley never sold many and started using them as a giveaway items for retailers to put in display cases. Kind of like the two foot long Swiss Army Knife used as a display in stores.
According to their sales lists they sold a lot of them around the turn of the last century but by the time world war II came around the dropped off and after the war they didn't sell many at all.
blasphemy! I loved it. And, if you do ever get a number 1 and paint it blue I will have to find your shop, steal that plane back, take it to my house, strip it, let it rust outside and then send it to you to restore for me.
I have 2 theories. 1. Was it maybe introduced before the block plane? 2. Maybe people wanted a block plane sized plane that matches all the others.
For me though, I will stick with my block plane.
I would think it's best for people with mobility issues. It's WAY easier to grip if you can't pinch because of arthritis. :D
Why is the Stanley No 1 worth $1000.00 (US) (or $3000.00 here in Australia)?? Because people have more money than sense!! Yes, they are desirable and cute, but think of what you could buy for your workshop with that amount of money that would get much more use rather than just gathering dust on a shelf.
Great video, keep up the great work.
I looked in my Stanley Catalog No. 34 and they do not even have the No. 1 plane listed; it just starts with the No. 2. The catalog says "1947 edition", so I take it they stopped making them after WW II. I see that the other planes in this catalog have descriptions like "Smooth" for Nos. 2 through 4 1/2, "Jack" for Nos. 5 to 5 1/2, "Fore and Jointer" for Nos. 6, 7, and 8. Among the description for the Jack Planes, they claim the No. 5 1/4 is recommended for school shops; I presume middle school and up. Additional trivia: the catalog states that "Jack" is for "Jackass" as in "an appropriate name for the Plane that is used for the hardest and roughest kind of work." So much for "jack of all trades", eh?
It's like those Norris infill planes. They are great, but a well honed Stanley will do just about the same. But I really want one.
Just a shot here...and you kind of alluded to it James...could it have been targeted at patternmakers and model makers? And like you said supplanted by block planes? Just spitballing there.
Great video James. Happy New Year to you and your family!
Happy New Year guys.
If someone made a 1/8" drive socket wrench set, people would buy it because it would be cute.
I bought my LN block plane new. I got lucky and was able to buy a bunch of others in a set from someone. Included in the set was a LN #1 and LN #2, both with the older thinner chip breakers. My 4 year old's hands for the #1 perfectly. She calls it hers. The bronze LN #2 and block plane are both too heavy and cumbersome for her little hands. Based on that I ascribe to the idea that the exist for teaching kids how to plane. The task I have used it most often for is easing edges, but more often I ease the edges with whatever plane is still in my hand. Definitely it falls into the categories of "I use it because I have it" and teaching very young kids more than anything else.
I agree. I think fathers out there just thought it would be cute and fun for their kids. I do masonary occasionally and although a pointing trowel is practical for a mason, I've always imagined handing mine to my future children while I use my normal sized trowel.
Correct me if I am wrong. but isn't the no 1 the only plane whit that whit. I know the 40 is 1 1/4 and some of the shoulder plane as well. But as far as I know no block plane is 1 1/4.
If you love it, it’s worth it!
I bought mine…..BECAUSE.
Because we ARE AMERICANS!!!!
Actually I bought mine without knowing it’s intended use and when I took delivery of it, I just as surprised as my wife was on our wedding night. Just kidding. I was a little shocked at its little size and couldn’t figure how to hold it, and boy did I go down the rabbit hole of Stanley history, ultimately not really finding out much about the No1. I learned a ton about Stanley and the Bailey line; the Bedrock line(my go-tos and favorites)and significance of sweetheart . I hope you can do a video on the sweetheart story one day.
Cierto, somos dados a comprar herramienta que no necesitamos. Pero también es cierto que se compran como adornos caros...😊😊
I don’t know the history nearly as well as you, but I’m wondering if Stanley thought he needed a #1 just to “complete” the #2-#8 line. And that way it has a beginning point, as it were.
But why would you start numbering your planes at number 2? They must have planned on a #1 from the start.
Not a comment but a question. Was Stanley the only one to offer the no.1 size plane back in the day?
Baily actually made the no. 1 first. and he was one of the main drivers in when switch away from wooden planes. so it probably has something to do with that. But when Stanley bought Baily he kept the one. there are a few other companies that made the one, but they never took off and they stopped selling it.
I just checked ebay and found a Stanley #1 listed for sale at $1800.00.🙂🙂
It fits the hands of a 5 year old? So, it's for sweat shops. Got it.
Pretty much.
Back then, children had to crawl under machines and into tight spaces to clean them out, that kind of stuff. They weren’t given expensive tools for fine woodworking.
My 4yo loves it and he planes thin stock next to me on the bench
I'm surprised his hand actually fits in it.
One word, accurate
I am wondering if this plane was just meant to be put on display in a store front window or shelf... maybe even a salesman sample??...
The salesman actually carried full size planes. Those are actually fun to collect.
@Wood By Wright How To if the salesmen had full size samples what differentiated them from the planes someone would buy?...
They were stamped usually on the soul and labeled as the salesman's sample. Stanley didn't do a lot of that as they had a very good market presence but particularly with the earlier versions they had a decent amount of salesman showing them around at hardware stores.
It's redundant as a working tool in my workshop but I really want one.
It seems like you put one or two middle fingers around the tote, use yr pinky as a fence, and point with the index finger. Similar to the grip that Graham Blackburn advocates.
Also, people were smaller in the past?
but then the horn digs into your palm. people were a bit smaller but not that small.
6:14 'Preciousssss'
I have nothing to say really, but I appreciate your content, and wish to help with the yt-algorithms.
Na, you are right. Know one needs a #1. But I love my #2. So there.
I honestly just assumed the number 1 was a prototype to see how he liked the scale and dimensions, and it was so small just to save materials while prototyping.
I assumed the first he actually produced for sale was #2, and then people asked "wait, this is stamped #2, where's the #1" to see where it all started & they made some more mass produced versions.
Or that it was a curio/decorative type thing.
Baily actually started making them before Stanly bought them. it was in the first Stanley catalog with the baily pattern planes. who knows!
Ummm, all block planes are bevel up, whereas the #1 is bevel down, I wonder if that would make any difference
Why is it worth $1000? Because that’s the price - it’s a reflection of how badly collectors want to own one, and that’s it. And as a collector, the only justification you need is to complete the set.
Why does it exist? I like the theory that Stanley made them for the same reason: to complete the set. It makes sense to me that a No. 1 is about as big as a block plane: they wanted to push the Bailey pattern, so they made one in each size - and by size, I mean all the common and typical “sole sizes” - even if it’s not practical.
Even the No. 4 is not exactly comfortable, it’s a little too small for my average sized hand, so the Bailey pattern has its weaknesses. I believe it might just have been stubbornness that made them do it: this is the Bailey pattern, it’s great, let’s make one in each size.
You forgot to mention the bragging rights. Or the story of how you got the No1. I like to tell the story of how I got mine for $25. The reactions are priceless. Have I used my No1? Once. Just to see if it actually worked - now it sits in a special spot a top all my users.
Those are what worth the money.
Have you considered tiny little Elf hands? Maybe Santa was buying them all.
oh good point!
I'd put money on the #1 being a protoype model and a little bit of a marketing gimmick
Any item is worth what you are willing to pay for it. Personally I wouldn't pay more than £5 for one as it would be no more than an ornament to collect lots of dust and never be used.
the stanley number 1 was the plane we used in school woodworking classes in the UK, they were in every school, ideal for small hands
Why did you paint your planes blue?
Here you go. ua-cam.com/users/shortsZkLW-FWjGAg?si=TnSPJPiTzlrQRqkY
happy new year
My biggest question, why the ear plugs in a nice quiet shop?
I forgot I had my headphones on through the whole recording. At the end it was not worth going back and recording it all just to have them out. Not your plugs just headphones.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo Haha gotcha!
I use my No. 2 all the time. And I adore my Veritas no. 1. But I've used a Stanley 1 and can honestly say they're uncomfortable and largely useless. I totally still want one. But I wanna 51 just as much.
Looks useful to me if you remove the knob and the handle to get some use out of it
I've used a Stanley no. 1 for many years. It was my grandfather's. He would have been a teenager I think when it was bought in the '20s, so I'm guessing it was a gift from my great-grandfather. I used to build guitars and this is actually larger than a lot of luthiery planes. (Look up the planes used by violin makers for example.) This is a plane that is used and controlled by your finger tips. The top curve of the tote locates the plane in the webbing of your thumb, so this way the tips of your thumb andfore fingers are down near the blades point of contact. I'm guessing these were used by piano repairers, luthiers, and other instrument makers. I have a small block plane and the feel, weight and balance of it is completely different. But you are right, it can be used for similar jobs.
Question: When the Number 1 first appeared in 1869, was it the first small plane with a fine adjuster for the blade? Or did similar sized block planes also have blade depth adjustment screws? If not, then I wonder if that was its original selling point...
At the end of the 19th century, children started working at a very young age. I saw a special children's toolbox in a German museum full of various small hand tools.
yup. Stanly made Kids tool boxes up into the 60s' but this is even too small for almost all kids.
I am a user, not a collector. If I had a #1, I would use it, not gaze at it on a shelf. What I would use it for? I don't know, it seems useless. I would rather go to my trusty 40+ year old block plane (that I bought from new, back in the day, for under £2 - I still have the box it came in with price tag on it). So, if I had a #1, I would sell it to the highest bidder - and be glad to get rid of it!
I see lots of talk about Stanley #1's but nothing about #2's, why is that...?
Stanley number twos are usually just considered kids tools. It is large enough that you can kind of hold it with an adult hand but it is one that would be commonly used in young kids shop classes. Those usually go for around $250 piece.
I have been guilty of buying sets of tools for the one that I will actualy use. I could see that some would do the same. I have given away some very nice 4s. I do keep one four for myself. I do prefer my hand planes over my power plane, But none of the above will be sold during my lifetime.
I was thinking everything you said.
Stanley #1 is a high angle plane and my block plane is a low angle plane.. different angles for different wood types.
There are several versions of high angle block planes as well.
This is cool
I have heard that in England there were wery tiny smoothing plans. So Stanley coppied them.
But you do have planes on your wall that are not blue.....
Please explain?
The number 1, was available when there were no block planes, if I'm not mistaken. So that would have likely been the niche they filled, originally. As far as comfort of use, I don't suppose that was their biggest concern. The comfort of use issue may have been why the block plane/squirrel tail plane was invented, and the No.1 was stopped being produced. I wasn't there either, but it kinda makes sense. But, yeah, now a days, it is the collectors who have driven up the price and put them on a pedestal that makes them cost so much. They don't seem to do anything a block plane can't do except teach a 3-5 year old the proper technique of how to hold and use a bench plane. And nost of our parents these days won't let a child that young anywhere near a sharp tool.
This is a must buy... why?.... who cares why...
Because
Could it be leftover from before child labor laws?
No. My children grew out of it by the time they were 5 years old and at that point they didn't know the strength to push it.
Could Stanley have used this as a sales aid or 'Saleman's sample?
Yeah I've heard that theory a few times but it doesn't have all of the items that the other planes do. And and salesman samples were never sold in the catalog. The Stanley number one has always been listed in the catalog.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo
Remember, 100/150 years ago, the world was spread out. Travel [by salesmen] was difficult. Stanely may have used the #1 to promote their product at retail level, by making a small sizes, and offering incentives to retailer to purchase and display this item as being somewhat representative of their larger planes. Of course, then Stanley and the retailer both became profitable by selling #2 thru #8, [and then the rest of the line].
Having been a traveling salesman in the '60's, I just think that may have had some merit.