What does planer mean?
A planer is primarily a woodworking machine that makes a rough piece of wood straight, smooth, and often of a consistent thickness. Its rotating cutter removes thin shavings as the timber passes through the machine, producing a more even surface than can usually be achieved with a hand plane alone. In furniture making, cabinetry, and general carpentry, a planer is especially useful for preparing boards before joinery, edging, or finishing. The word can also have the older or less common sense of a person or thing that plans, but today 'planner' is the usual word for someone who organizes activities or designs a strategy. For most modern readers, the woodworking-machine sense is dominant. The term is also frequently qualified as a 'thickness planer' or 'power planer,' distinguishing it from the hand tool normally called a 'plane.'
A woodworking machine with a rotating cutter that flattens and smooths wood, often to a specified thickness.
"The woodworker adjusted the depth setting on the planer before feeding the board through it."
Usually refers to a powered machine; 'thickness planer' is a common specific form.
A person or thing that plans, especially in older or technical usage.
"The planer revised the schedule after the deadline was changed."
This sense is uncommon in modern English, where 'planner' is generally preferred.
The plural is formed by adding '-s'.
"The workshop owns several planers for different types of timber."
A planer turns uneven timber into a surface precise enough for furniture, turning a rough board into a building material in one pass.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does planer come from?
The word 'planer' was formed in English with the suffix '-er,' meaning an agent or instrument that performs an action. Its dominant modern sense developed from the verb 'to plane,' meaning to smooth or flatten a wooden surface, while the secondary sense comes from the related verb 'to plan.' The form belongs to a productive English pattern in which '-er' marks the tool, machine, or person associated with a verb.
How planer is actually used
In modern woodworking, 'planer' usually refers to a powered machine, especially a thickness planer. The sense meaning a person who plans is much less common than the corresponding word 'planner'.
Easily confused with planer
A planer is usually a woodworking machine for smoothing wood, whereas a planner is a person or document used for organizing plans.
A plane is the hand tool or the woodworking surface, while a planer is typically a powered machine with a rotating cutter.