Stanley-made Craftsman No. 4 Bench Plane, VG Condition overall, immaculate paint, circa 1970

This is a very clean and good condition Craftsman No. 4 bench plane made by Stanley in about 1970.

Numbers and markings on various parts of the plane include "Made in U.S.A." on the body, "C466"and (separately) "U8" molded into the frog casting, and "Made in U.S.A. 18737054 DD" on the iron, as well as a "CRAFTSMAN" logo with the crown surround. The lever cap bears the CRAFTSMAN logo with yellow background, on the crown logo. The body carries only the letter U and the mark MADE IN U.S.A."

All of these markings are consistent with dating the plane as being made by Stanley between late 1969 through 1973. I believe that my late father-in--law purchased it new from Sears-Roebuck about 1970.

Dimensions: blade is 2" width. Sole measures 2.5" x 9.6"

The primary description of the plane condition is the photos. Here are condition descriptions to augment the photos:

• The body is in very good shape with minimal scratches on the sole, minimal scratches and superficial rusting on the sides, and the teal paint 100% intact with no rusting on the interior of the body. The sole has some scratches to the front of the mouth, but these do not affect performance of the plane and do not leave scratches in the workpiece.
• The mouth is clean with no chipping.
• The teal-color paint on the frog is in immaculate condition; the machined surface where the frog mates with the body has very superficial rusting.
• The lever cap and cam are free of rust or evidence of significant rust and the cap has no chips on the leading edge, as sometimes happens when users try to loosen the cap iron screw using the lever cap as a screwdriver.
• The iron and chip breaker have light, superficial rusting with minimal rust pitting on the chip breaker and none on the iron. The iron has a very small chip in the edge and needs sharpening before use.
• The lateral adjustment lever has very minimal superficial rusting. The steel depth adjustment knob is rust-free, possibly stainless steel. The adjustment knob screw and lever cap screws are rust free.
• Both the tote and knob are made of hardwood, never broken, and the original finish is almost entirely intact.
• The frog screws have light superficial rust, more patina than rust. The adjustment knob yoke (which Stanley calls the "Y adjuster") has superficial rusting but pivots cleanly.

This plane functions well and will be a good user for someone, or a good specimen for complete restoration for a collector of Craftsman/Stanley planes since the paint is in great condition. This era of Craftsman planes is notorious for poor fit between the body and the frog, but that fit appears to be good in this specimen . I will ship to the purchaser by USPS Ground Advantage, with the purchaser to pay actual shipping cost to destination from ZIP 91106. I may partially disassemble the plane to put it into a smaller box and thus reduce shipping cost.