planed

Planed is the past participle of plane and an adjective used to describe wood or other materials that have been surfaced using a plane or thickness planer. A planed surface is smooth, flat, and parallel to the face, typically with tight tolerances. Planing removes irregularities left by sawing and can reduce thickness.

In woodworking, planing can be done with hand planes or powered planers. Hand planes, such as jack or smoothing planes, shave thin layers from the surface, while a planer or thicknesser feeds boards through a cutter head to achieve uniform thickness. In lumber production, terms like S2S (two sides planed), S4S (four sides planed), or PAR (planed all around) describe how many faces have been finished.

Planed wood is common in furniture, cabinetry, and construction where a smooth finish and accurate dimensions are required. Planing prepares surfaces for gluing, finishing, painting, or staining, and can improve fit in joints by reducing high spots and ensuring flatness.

The concept of planing is not limited to wood; the term is also used in metalworking to describe surfaces produced by planing machines, though the woodworking meaning remains the most widespread. Historically, planing was a finishing step that converted rough stock into workable material, a practice that continues in modern woodworking with both traditional hand tools and contemporary machinery.