DID YOU KNOW…

Handplane Central has featured interviews with well known planemakers such as Bill Carter (which was our first ever interview way back in 1999), wooden plane maker Steve Knight, Philip Marcou and John Economaki from Bridge City Tool Works.


Stanley No. 278 Rabbet & Filletster Plane

Manufactured: 1915 to 1943
Length: 6-3/4 inches
Blade Width: 1 inch
Construction: Cast iron
Finish: Japanned
Features: Adjustable fence and depth stop, spurs and removable nose piece for bull nose work
Uses: Rabbet & filletster plane. Also can be used as a bull nose plane
Average Dealer Price: $150 to $350
Average eBay Price: $160 to $320
Type 1: $200 to $400

Other Notes: Are often found without the proper fence, which has the hole for the adjusting rod in the center of it. Other fences are usually offset.


Updated: 25th July, 2006

Stanley No. 278 Rabbet & Filletster Planes on eBay right now…


Sources: While many of the dealers prices for Stanley planes are largely set by John Walters’ book “Antique & Collectible Stanley Tools” it appears that eBay, while acknowledging the Walters guide somewhat, tends to march to it’s own beat and sets its own prices. For that reason – and the fact that eBay’s reach and customer base is huge – I’ve decided to include a separate eBay average price here. Other sources include: “The Antique Tool Collector’s Guide To Value” by Ronald S. Barlow, “Antique & Collectible Stanley Tools” by John Walter, “The Stanley Plane” by Alvin Sellens, “Patrick’s Blood & Gore” by Patrick Leach, various auctions and sales of collectable tools and my own compilations of prices realized, observations and notes over the past 20+ years.