Minor gloat (w/pics of course)

[Rob Horton]

Just thought I'd submit these pics for review. I picked up this Stanley #4 from Ebay the other day for $15.51, which I thought was a decent deal. Just got the plane in the mail and it seems to be in good order. Now, off to consult my books on tuning it up.

Does that seem like a good price for this plane?

Thanks for looking!

[Jon Toebbe]

I picked up this Stanley #4 from Ebay the other day for $15.51, which I thought was a decent deal.That sounds like a pretty decent deal to me -- assuming all the parts are in working order or can be made so with little trouble. I've been watching "the Bay" like a hawk for good deals, and even bought a couple. One "very good condition+++" plane was so rusty I couldn't unscrew the frog from the sole and the blade and chip breaker were sealed together I sheared off the screw trying to separate them. :(

Then again, the Blue Grass #5 cleaned up pretty nice and has been amazing me with life "on the quiet side." Those rough douglas fir 4x4s I'm using for the legs on my bench look gorgeous now, and I've got enough mulch to keep my small garden supplied for months.

I guess the moral of the story is: even a handtool newbie like me can score every once in a while on eBay. Congrats on the new #4 -- looks like it'll clean up nicely.

[Dave Right]

That's a good deal then learn to tune up the plane which is a great way to learn. That is how I got started too.
If I had it to do over I would have started out by buying one already tuned from a member on this forum or a couple other forums that refurbish older planes. Then you know exactly what a tuned plane can do.

[Dan Moening]

Sure looks like a fine plane to me for that price!

Probably early 1940's era T16-T17ish {brass adjuster screw instead of bakelite/rubber used during the war}.

The irons of that era often had a date number stamped on the back. Assuming all the parts are original this will help to ID the age. The first number is the quarter of the year of production, the last 2 numbers are the year. For example, 443 is the last quarter of 1943.