This is a Stanley Bailey #3 Type 10 Bench Plane that I picked up a few weeks back at a local antique street sale. It was better than the one that I had set aside to restore. (I’ll save the other one for Obi if he wants it) The purchase price for this plane was $20.
The first step in the restoration process is to determine the type of the plane and condition of the plane. To do this I looked up the plane using the stanley bench plane dating page. using information from the plane.
- Blade is marked with a patent date of April 19 ‘92 – Approprate for the plane
- Lateral Adustement is is marked Stanley
- Body of Plane as 2 patent dates March 25 ‘02
This places the age of the plane to approximately 1907. Right at 100 years old.

Next to inspect the general condition of the plane.
- The japanning appears to be fully intact
- Both handles are cracked (The rear may be a replacement and had 2 modern washers used to keep it tight)
- The mouth is in good condition
- No cracks anywhere
- Rust and surface grime everywhere
- Oily Sawdust under frog
- The blade has been sharpened with a slight camber. Plenty of blade remaining.
Below are more pictures
Side view

Note the oily wood shavings

Fully Apart

I’ll post the after pictures once I get’er done.
-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov






















3 comments so far
Wooder
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163 posts in 1082 days
posted 969 days ago
I have a #3 that seems to be a type 10 or 11. Has ids of both. Was told Stanley finished out runs sometimes with parts on hand. Or could be a mixed part plane, someone else did. Not sure.
But am sure it’s in great shape and well worth the time it will take to re-hab it.
So glad to see a knuckle dragger here…lol
Love your posts and will use the info for sure.
-- Jimmy
WayneC
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6012 posts in 993 days
posted 969 days ago
Thanks Jimmy. This one is similar, It has a blade found on the type 9 plane. Some references indicate the screw to position the frog was added in type 9 and some in type 10. I belive the use of parts was common.
-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov
Ethan
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751 posts in 1070 days
posted 969 days ago
Something to always keep in mind – Stanley never really kept track of production numbers. If they had the parts from an older run lying around, they’d probably just use them.
For anyone just starting out w/refurbishing a hand plane, the patent date doesn’t necessarily tell you how old it is; it tells you how old it isn’t. (The plane can’t be older than the patent date, but it could very easily have been made several years after the patent date.)
-- Ethan, http://greystonegreen.blogspot.com/