Vintage Keen Kutter #5 Jack Plane – Tuned Bailey Pattern Bench Plane

Vintage Keen Kutter #5 jack plane, 14” long Bailey-pattern bench plane, made in the USA and tuned up as a working user.

This came to me rough but mechanically sound. I went through it top to bottom on a granite surface plate, cleaned it up, and brought it back to making nice, tight curls again (see shavings photo). It’s not a showpiece or a full repaint; original patina and honest wear are intact.

Keen Kutter was the house brand of the St. Louis–based Shapleigh Hardware Co., and this is one of their later Bailey-style planes with the red wedge logo on the lever cap and “MADE IN U.S.A.” cast into the bed.

Specs

Manufacturer: Keen Kutter (Shapleigh Hardware, St. Louis)
Type: #5 jack plane, Bailey pattern
Overall length: approx. 14”
Iron width: approx. 2 3/8”
Body: Cast iron, original japanning with wear and patina
Handles: Original hardwood knob and tote

What I did

Fully disassembled, de-gunked, and inspected for cracks (none found in the casting).
Cleaned body, frog, and hardware with mineral spirits, 3M abrasive pads, and light oil, preserving remaining japanning and patina.
Flattened the sole on a granite surface plate; focused on toe, areas in front of and behind the mouth, and heel. Edges lightly eased.
Cleaned and tuned the frog and mating surfaces for solid contact and smooth adjustment.
Flattened and honed the iron on the surface plate through progressively finer grits, added a slight camber, and mated the chipbreaker for a tight fit.
Original hardwood knob and tote cleaned with mineral spirits, lightly sanded, and re-finished with Tried & True/BLO and a beeswax finish.
Stabilized the radial crack at the base of the knob with thin CA glue; it’s solid but the repair remains visible.
Light oil on moving parts (depth adjuster, screws) and paste wax on exposed metal for protection.

Condition notes

This is a working-grade vintage tool, not a museum restoration:

Casting is solid with no visible cracks.
Sole is flat where it counts and ready for use; some shallow pitting and old scratches remain, mainly cosmetic (see sole close-up photos).
Japanning is worn and patchy but stable.
Lever cap and iron show staining and finish wear, but function as they should.
Tote shows small dings and handling marks from decades of use; edges are softened but not reshaped.
Knob has a repaired crack at the base; it’s tight and stable under tension, but the repair line is visible (see close-up).

Please review all photos carefully—they’re part of the description and show condition better than I can describe in words.

Use

Set up as a general-purpose jack plane for flattening, jointing shorter boards, and general stock prep. With the current grind and camber it will take fine shavings for smoothing passes as well. Depth and lateral adjusters work smoothly.

Dating note

Etsy requires a specific decade. I’ve selected 1950s based on the Keen Kutter red wedge logo and “MADE IN U.S.A.” casting style, which match the post-war, mid-20th-century Sargent-made Keen Kutter line. Exact year of manufacture is unknown.

Shipping & other details

Ships carefully packed with the iron retracted for safety.
I restore these as working tools meant to go back into service, so I leave honest patina and character rather than stripping everything to bare metal.

If you’ve got questions about the setup or want this iron ground for a heavier camber before shipping, feel free to reach out before you buy.