Thread: What's a #7 worth?

Hi Andrew,

Hans Brunner has them at $100 on his web site Stanley 7 jointer plane

From experience this is the sort of price I would expect buying it from a dealer but you can get luck at markets etc.

Regards,
Chris

Andrew - with these longer Stanley/Record planes, the older/scruffier ones are actually a better bet.

Quality of the current production stuff is dismal, and you'd probably have to spend a LOT of time flattening the sole....

Locally, you could try Jim Davey, as he often has older fettled ones available.

I saw a nice #7 and #8 with the corrugated sole on Patrick Leach's list recently, but they were going for a bit more money:

A Wonderous Array of the Marvelous and Mundane

The planes are items ST49 and ST50. Bear in mind that the freight cost needs to be added to these US$ prices. I've used a corrugated sole #7 in the past, and it really reduces the friction compared to the solid sole version of the same plane.

Expect to pay between $100 amd $200 depending on the plane. The bidding on ebay goes a bit nuts sometimes.
I just picked up a No. 7C type 9 or 10 (not sure, haven't got it yet) for $110.

Just noticed that the ones on Patrick Leach's site are bedrocks, which explains the higher price.

A #7 bedrock with corrugated sole......drooool.

My nice, old, very tidy English Stanley #7 was 65 Pacific Pesos off Trademe. They don't normally go for a lot more than that and I've never seen one hit 3 figures.

Buying from eBay or Trademe can be something of a lottery I've found.

Many sellers don't understand planes and don't/can't describe their condition well.

My questions to a seller are, and this assumes a user not a collectible:

Is there any pitting the on sole or either side of the blade?
Is there any crack running from the mouth or anywhere else?
Are there any cracks or breakages on the knob or 'handle'?
Have you or anyone else attempted to rehab this plane?
Are there any 'owner marks' on the metal or wood? Or holes drilled in the sole?

So if they say it's all good and it's not you have a basis to contest the sale.

And in some cases the seller says they don't know what you're talking about and at that point I back away or drop the bid cap a lot.

Ciao Andrew,
if you search ebay for a guaranteed plane, in very good shape, you have to spend more money.
With patience and waiting the right occasion, you could take a #7 for $(USA) 50-70.
Pay careful attention to the pics and seller description tempting to establish the plane age.

Of course there is some risk to run

Giuliano

Hi Andrewr'
Maybe if you Google the Hand Tool Assoc. of NSW, that have a Sale every now & then, you could possibly pick one up there, but not sure of the money side.

I picked up a nice little user off Evilbay for $75 about a month ago. Sometimes they go for silly money, bedrock or not, but there are occasionally a couple that seem to fly under the radar, I just waited till one of these popped up. Haven't seen one for under $100 at a market/boot sale, I think it's because they are so big people figure they are worth a lot.

If you're after a user and don't really care about collectability down the track, don't discount the Pope/Falcon planes either. These are very similar in quality and not as well recognised, and as such tend to be a little cheaper. I have three (5, 6 and 7), all are very good users, far better than the new Stanley No.4 I bought first up.

Here is one from Hans that he has listed on Ebay.
Very good Stanley 7c SW jointer plane | eBay

It is in excellent condition from the pictures and is one of the best of the Stanley models. That makes it one of the best number 7's out there.
The price is fair and reasonable and he even has a make an offer option.
He has had three offers already and has not accepted them. I would guess that he wants very close to the asking price. I would pay the asking price to get that plane as I think it is worth it.
You might do better than this somewhere else, but then again you might not.
Cheers
SG

There's a Carter No.7 on Trademe at present. Sorry, I don't do links well, but try www.trademe.co.nz and look in Building & renovation>Tools>Hand tools>Planes and then look for Long Hand Planer or search for listing #375421269. I don't know what shipping would cost, but I suspect it might go for a lot less that a listing on e-Pay.

Cheers, Vann.

Originally Posted by Scribbly Gum

Here is one from Hans that he has listed on Ebay.
Very good Stanley 7c SW jointer plane | eBay

It is in excellent condition from the pictures and is one of the best of the Stanley models. That makes it one of the best number 7's out there.
The price is fair and reasonable and he even has a make an offer option.
He has had three offers already and has not accepted them. I would guess that he wants very close to the asking price. I would pay the asking price to get that plane as I think it is worth it.
You might do better than this somewhere else, but then again you might not.
Cheers
SG

This plane appears to be a Type 16 made from 1933-1941 & is pretty common. The most collectable is the Type 11 planes.
It's in good nick but $180 is a bit steep.
The blade is from an earlier plane as Stanley used the notched rectangle insignia on the blades for Type 16 planes.

Originally Posted by MajorPanic

This plane appears to be a Type 16 made from 1933-1941 & is pretty common. The most collectable is the Type 11 planes.
It's in good nick but $180 is a bit steep.
The blade is from an earlier plane as Stanley used the notched rectangle insignia on the blades for Type 16 planes.

Thanks for that Major.
It does have the raised ribs front and back from a type 16, but the lever cap has not the kidney shaped hole, and the blade seems to match the lever cap at least. Can't see the frog to be certain.
Looks like a combination of parts, and this is of course possible for Stanley as they graduated from type to type.
It certainly has one feature that the type 11 didn't have, and that is the larger depth adjuster. This has a distinct mechanical advantage over the smaller brass adjuster.
I really don't see what collectors value in the type 11, apart from the fact that it was the second to offer the frog adjuster (thanks for the help Steve, I had to go back and check) and the last with a low front knob.
Maybe the low front knob is the appeal because it is associated with the older types.
In any case this is a plane for someone who is not a collector and wants a good number 7.
Stanley really did have a handle on quality control in those days. Perhaps they would call it pride in their work.
I don't think you can go wrong here.
Cheers
SG