Metal adjustable plane (Bailey and Stanley)
Cepillo metálico con regulador (Bailey y Stanley)
- Date
- 1855-1869 · confidence medium
- Place
- Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Credited to
- Leonard Bailey; Stanley Rule & Level Co.
- Field
- Tools
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A cast-iron-bodied plane with a screw adjuster for the blade depth that avoids tapping the body with a mallet. Leonard Bailey patented it from 1855 and Stanley, which bought his patents in 1869, mass-produced it.
The sequence of Bailey patents (1855-1869) and Stanley's acquisition in 1869 make the date a range; metal planes already existed in Rome and in the 18th century, but without a screw adjuster.
What it led to
- standardised bench planes for industrial carpentry
- precision within reach of the amateur
- modern iron and aluminium planes