Three #3 Size Planes Compared

[Jim Koepke]

These are the only #3 size planes to come my way, so you may find other differences through the years of manufacture.

Three #3s.jpg

From left to right they are a Stanley/Bailey (#3), a Dunlap (#9) by Millers Falls and a Keen Kutter (K3) by Stanley.

Three Side View.jpg

Top to bottom they are the Stanley/Bailey, Dunlap and the Keen Kutter.

The Dunlap doesn't have a frog adjustment screw. The Keen Kutter is an early Bedrock design.

The biggest difference was in the space around the handle.

Bailey #3 Grip.jpg

The Stanley/Bailey allowed me three fingers on the handle without hitting a knuckle against the depth adjuster.

Dunlap #9 Grip.jpg

The Dunlap was a little bit tighter and my knuckle does graze the depth adjuster.

Keen Kutter K3 Grip.jpg

The K3 has the least amount of room in the grip area.

The Stanley/Bailey, a type 13, seems to be the heaviest and has the most grip room.

Not sure about the type of the Dunlap in relation to the Millers Falls production line.

The K3 is about the same as the type 4 Bedrock from Stanley according to something recently found on the internet.

All three were pretty much equal in their ability to make shavings with a sharp blade.

The Dunlap was a bit more fiddly than the other two.

The Stanley/Bailey had the best feel. That may be due to my being most familiar with it.

As far as price goes the Dunlap was the least expensive at a yard sale, $3. The K3 was second at an antique/auction store, $27, and the Stanley/Bailey came in at about $40 +shipping on ebay.

The original blade in the K3 was badly pitted so it was swapped out with the blade that originally came with the Stanley/Bailey #3.

The Dunlap casting doesn't appear to be as well done as either of the other two. This could be due to the vintage of manufacture.

jtk

[Stew Denton]

Hi Jim,

Well, I had to go check my #3. My hand fits it with the same amount of room, about, as your Stanley Bailey #3. My #3 is Stanley Bedrock 603 flat side.

Stew

[Ray Bohn]

I think I read somewhere that the Stanley/Bailey #3 varies in length depending on year of manufacturer. Can anyone verify that?

[Jim Ritter]

I have more than a couple #3's and they are all Stanley's and I did notice a couple months ago when I hung them up that some are different lengths. Not sure how much time I'll have to measure them tomorrow, but I will when I can.
Jim

[Stew Denton]

Ray, I have read that the first Stanley Bedrocks were a little shorter than the later ones.

Jim (Ritter), when you check your Stanley #3s, see how the hand fits, and let the rest of us know. It will be instructive to know if any of them are a cramped fit like Jim's K3.

Stanley made the "K" series Keen Kutter planes, and they were made like the type 4 Bed Rocks, according to what I have read, as Jim mentioned in his initial post above. I wonder if the first Bed Rocks also crimped the fingers when you tried to use them.

Stew

[Bill Moser]

My Sargent VBM fits nicely. Here's a (slightly blurry) pic:
IMAG0223.jpg
The only problem I have with this plane is that the depth adjuster works in opposite to the expected fashion. If I turn it clockwise, the blade retracts!

[Jim Koepke]

My Sargent VBM fits nicely. Here's a (slightly blurry) pic:
IMAG0223.jpg
The only problem I have with this plane is that the depth adjuster works in opposite to the expected fashion. If I turn it clockwise, the blade retracts!

Mine Stanley/Bailey has a 1-1/4" depth adjuster. The Sargent VBM looks to be a 1" wheel.

My early Stanley/Bailey's (1 type 4 and 3 type 6) also have right hand threads on the adjuster, turning clockwise makes the blade retract. An old Union #4 my dad gave me also was that way.

Maybe all the makers changed around the same time.

It has always made me wonder if Leonard Bailey may have been a left hander and thought it was fine that way.

The length of almost all of the planes varied throughout the years of manufacture. Some are sought after by collectors.

The tote design changed over the years. My type 6 #4-1/2 is very fat at the base from front to back and difficult to get a pinky finger around it.

jtk

[John Gornall]

No.3's are my most used planes - Bailey No.3 - Lie Nielsen - Clifton. The Lie Nielsen is short with a small tote - not comfortable. The Bailey is ok. Clifton is a little longer and fits my average hands just right. The Clifton is always on the bench and used for all the basic work - kind of a big block plane with a handle.