Whats a “Bailey” plane?
Most of the Stanley bench planes have the word “Bailey” cast into them in very conspicuous spots. In many cases the word “Bailey” is more prominent than the word “Stanley”. The “Bailey” is in honor of the man who invented and patented the cutter adjustment mechanism used on Stanley Bench planes, Leonard Bailey of Boston. Bailey was a manufacturer of metal planes in the mid-1800’s, who sold his patent and manufacturing rights to his planes to Stanley in 1869. Stanley began production of metal planes that year, using many of Leonard Bailey’s patents.
