Stanley Bailey Frog Interchangability vs Type

[Stew Denton]

Hi All,

I have a Stanley Bailey #4 type 11 that I bought for a very low price in a hurry....wife was wanting to leave in a hurry...well the price may not have been low enough, as the base is cracked a bit at the mouth. The crack was not extremely noticeable, but I would have seen it if not in a hurry.

I want the plane for a user. The question is, is my type 11 frog a PERFECT match for other types? There is a type 10 base on Ebay right now. If the frog is a perfect match, I will buy the base and swap out parts. If not, I will wait. By the same token, will the type 11 frog be a PERFECT match for a type 12?

In these cases, close is NOT good enough.

Thanks and regards,

Stew

[Tom Vanzant]

Stew, check hyperkitten.com in the "type study" section. It sounds like either the type 10 or 12 base will be a "perfect" fit with your type 11 frog. Although the type 12 changes to a high knob, your low knob and mounting hardware will fit.

[Sean Hughto]

Read about the number four mods here. http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan1.htm#num4
bottom line they will fit. As much as we talk about "types" you should realize there are not really bright lines. Stanley used parts to make planes and on,y new designs that rendered parts obsolete were changes with hard stops.

[Jim Koepke]

Type 10 and later frogs are interchangeable. During WW II and later some of the planes were made without the frog adjustment.

I am pretty sure the frogs from type 4 through 8 are interchangeable.

Early type 9 frogs and late type 9 frogs may not be interchangeable. I have seen differences on at least #4 & #5 type 9 planes.

jtk

[don wilwol]

http://www.antique-used-tools.com/Bailey4_5FrogCompare.jpg

[Tom Bussey]

I believe the only difference between a type11 and a type 12 is thetype 11 has a low knob verses a high knob on the 12. Frogs interchange

[don wilwol]

And the larger brass iron adjuster on the 12.

[Stew Denton]

Tom,

Thanks for the note, I suspected as much on the type 12, but wasn't sure. Do you know if the frog from the type 11 is a perfect match to the type 10?

Thanks and regards,

Stew

[don wilwol]

A type 10-15 are the same. I supplied a link above that sowed which were the same.

[Stew Denton]

Don, thanks for the note. They look the same, but I didn't know if there were slight differences that made them not interchangeable.

If I am understanding you correctly they are completely interchangeable.

Thanks and regards,

Stew

[Sean Hughto]

Stew, you seem really nervous about this. The answer is that the parts were interchangeable at the factory for the years in these periods and should still be completely interchangeable. Now, even among theoretically fungible parts could there be some minor differences? I suppose. For example, the guy in 1922 who ran the machine that sanded out the totes was replaced by a kid in 1924 that didn't round them with quite the same set of passes on the machine and therefore the totes' ultimate shapes vary a tad. Or the mold that made the frog in 1930, by 1933 was on it's last legs and was making a loser and more imperfect cast, etc. Etc. Etc. Then you also have the issue of whether a plane you think is a 12, or someone tells you is a 12, really is. Bottom line, you have a VERY good chance of switching out these parts and coming up with a perfectly functioning plane. But there is always a small chance that you may run into some minor issue or difference.

[don wilwol]

Stew, if you take a loom at my Stanley typing site I have pictures posted of the different bases. There are some variations, but the frogs work just fine.

[Stew Denton]

Hi Tom, Tom, Sean, Jim, and Don.

Thank you all for the good advise, it is greatly appreciated. Some of the links were friends that I visited again, thanks to the links, and some information was new to me.

Sean, you are probably right, that I am too nervous about this, but it is because I have made a couple of errors in buying planes, and such really grates on me. One mistake was due to the misidentification on ebay because the plane was put together from parts of different plane types, and there weren't enough photos to identify the type body, so I have a plane I don't want and paid for to deal with. I will probably sell it, but will make sure pictures show the parts so a person knows what they are getting. The problem with getting planes I don't want is a bad space limitation for woodworking.

The other reason for the over concern, is that my wife and I were in a bad car wreck early in November. I spent 17 days in the hospital, and though, thank to the Grace of God, am rapidly mending, I won't be able to work on planes for a bit yet, and don't want more issues of plane parts to deal with. I do hope to go back to work in a few days, at least part time at first.

Again, thank you all for the help.

Stew

[Sean Hughto]

Stew, I been there. I was just trying to reassure you that there is great chance everything will work out.

I have more planes than I need, but I still can't pass up appealing old ones. Like recently I came across an older 4 that had a Berg blade in it. I love my Berg chisel, and the price was right (I could have sold the handle and tote for more than they wanted for the plane). Cleaned it up and sharpened that blade (flattening the back of the blade was the only time consuming part) and now it's smoothing like a charm. I like how the blade took to my oil stones and the edge is keen. I may have an extra 4 body/sole that could work for you if what you find doesn't work out. It might be a 5 or a 3 though - my memory fails, but I'll look if you like. PM me if you need to.

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8575/15925979692_54b5020dea_b.jpg