Stanley Bedrock planes

Bedrock planes were first added to the Stanley catalogues in 1900. Production probably started two or three years earlier.  The planes are numbered from 602 to 608. There is NO Stanley Bedrock 601 - all the 601 planes currently on the market are later creations by modern tool merchants. There are basically two types of Bedrock planes: the round sided models sold up to ca 1910 and the later types with flat top sides (1911-1943)

         Some guides insist that the round sided and earlier models are more valuable but this is definitely not the case in the real world of tool dealing.  All round sided planes, except for the 602, are worth roughly about the same as any "normal" bench plane of the same vintage. Flat sided models on the other hand fetch a lot more. One and two line Bedrock lever caps are preferred by most collectors.

3 line cap to 1908	2 line 1908-1911	1 line 1912-1922	Stanley from 1923

          The Bedrock name referred to an improvement of the Stanley frog  and bed i.e. the frog receiver. The bed is machined flat - thus leaving no space between the bed and the frog. In other words, the frog sits tightly on the "bedrock". This was supposed to eliminate chatter. However, the first models up to 1910 still used ordinary screws to fasten the frog to the bed. From 1911 on the frog was better secured with two substantial pins that were held in place by two set screws from the back. This allows frog adjustment from the back without removing the lever cap and the blade because all three screws needed for moving the frog forwards or backwards are accessible from the back. Even though the Bedrock planes are generally regarded as superior bench planes, production for the last Bedrock models stopped in 1943.

Bedrock leaflet.... PDF click here