Stanley Bailey No. 4 Bench Plane – Tuned & Sharpened User Grade Smoother, Made in USA, Honest Patina

Honest user-grade Stanley Bailey No. 4 bench plane – tuned, sharpened, and ready to work.

This is the crustiest of a small batch of three Baileys I restored, and it’s priced as the “value #4” option: mechanically sound, fully functional, plenty of life left in the iron – but with visible cosmetic pitting and staining from its previous life.

If you want a real Stanley smoother that makes shavings and don’t care if it looks shop-worn, this one’s your plane.

Specs

Model: Stanley Bailey No. 4 smoothing plane
Length: approx. 9”
Iron width: approx. 2”
Markings:
“STANLEY” on lever cap
“BAILEY” and “No 4” cast into the body
Later “STANLEY / MADE IN USA” iron
Origin: Made in USA

What I did to it

This plane was completely stripped, inspected, and put back into working order:

Fully disassembled and cleaned of old grime and sawdust.
Iron & chipbreaker de-rusted (Evapo-Rust), then oiled.
Back of the iron lapped near the edge for a solid polish band.
New bevel ground and honed (~25° primary with ~30° micro-bevel), sharpened for clean shavings.
Chipbreaker tuned so the leading edge mates tightly to the iron—no light and no chip packing.
Frog and body cleaned, preserving original japanning where possible.
Sole lapped on a granite plate until it bears well at toe, ahead of the mouth, and heel.
All adjustments checked: depth adjuster, lateral lever, and lever cap cam all operate smoothly.
Tote and knob cleaned and given a BLO + wax treatment.
Sole and sides finished with paste wax for glide and rust protection.

It’s been test-planed and is currently set up to take nice, tight shavings (see photos).

Condition – read this part

Functionally: good, solid user. Cosmetically: plenty of scars.

Honest notes so there are no surprises:

Sole & cheeks:
Visible pitting and staining remain on both sides and on the sole.
The worst of it is cosmetic; the mouth area and bearing surfaces have been lapped so it still registers flat and works properly.
Iron & cap iron:
Both show freckled staining and light pitting away from the cutting edge.
Edge area was brought back into clean steel and sharpened.
Lever cap:
Original Stanley cap with worn nickel and spotting but no cracks; cam clamps firmly.
Tote & knob:
Dark finish with dings, scratches, and small finish chips from real use. Solid, no structural cracks.
Japanning:
Original finish with wear and loss in the usual high-contact areas; still mostly present in the bed and around the frog.

In short: not a collector piece, but a legitimate working Stanley smoother with decades of life left.

Who this is for

Woodworkers who want a real Stanley Bailey #4 without paying collectible prices.
Folks setting up a first hand-tool bench and need a budget smoother that’s already tuned and sharpened.
Anyone who prefers tools with visible history instead of a fresh repaint.

If you want a cleaner or more “showy” #4, check my shop for the other Stanley Bailey No. 4 I’ve listed from the same batch. This one is deliberately the “value #4 / honest worker.”

Shipping & Packaging

Ships well-packed and padded so the plane doesn’t beat itself up in transit.
Iron will be retracted and lightly oiled; you may see a bit of protective oil on arrival—just wipe and go.
I’m happy to combine shipping on multiple tools where possible; message me before checkout.