Bailey Plane Info Needed, Please...

[Derek Arita]

In a weak moment, I bought this #4 Bailey, not knowing much about it. Something told me it was a more recent manufacture, however I don't know enough at this point. It looked to be in good shape, so I picked it up at a reasonable price. I'm looking for as much as you can tell me about this plane. By the way, knob and tote look plastic.
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h151/derekarita1/IMG_0810_zps4esir4uf.jpg (http://s63.photobucket.com/user/derekarita1/media/IMG_0810_zps4esir4uf.jpg.html)http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h151/derekarita1/IMG_0812_zpsowh9ahrk.jpg (http://s63.photobucket.com/user/derekarita1/media/IMG_0812_zpsowh9ahrk.jpg.html)http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h151/derekarita1/IMG_0813_zpssiviwb27.jpg (http://s63.photobucket.com/user/derekarita1/media/IMG_0813_zpssiviwb27.jpg.html)

[Paul Sidener]

This should help.

http://www.hyperkitten.com/tools/stanley_bench_plane/start_flowchart.php

[Robert Hazelwood]

That is fairly new in Stanley terms. Maybe 1960s or later. They switched production to England for a while, not sure exactly when because the type studies I've seen mainly focus on pre-WWII planes. Newer planes are generally not desirable as the older pre-WWII planes- while the design didn't change in any substantial way, people feel the fit and finish quality went downhill. On the plus side, possibly, they did apparently use a thicker casting on the made in england planes. So if you like a heavier plane, that could be good.

However it's got basically the same components as the older planes, and it's in excellent shape, so I'd say sharpen it up and give it a shot. It might work perfectly. If not, you can work on the frog-to-base mounting, the blade-bedding surface on the frog, and/or flatten the sole, and make the plane work perfectly.