# Do I need a Jointer for kitchen cabinets?



## verndog (Feb 18, 2009)

Cabinet makers,
I have a major project in my future doing a complete remodel of our kitchen. I will be doing raised panel doors and have a table saw, radial arm saw, router table, biscuit joiner, planer, Kreg jig etc. Do I really need a jointer if I purchase 4/4 stock that is supposedly flat on one side and one edge? I have heard of using the router table as a jointer for the panels etc. I ran into a gentleman at the woodworking show this weekend and he claimed that the jointer and the planer were the most important tools in the shop. It really got me thinking? Do I really need this monster? The jointer he recommended was a Delta DJ-20 and is around 6 Feet long and probably a couple feet wide. I feel that my shop is full now and I haven't even started to fill it with materials. There is obviously a lot of good advice on this forum and I definitely need some! Thanks in advance for your assistance!
I posted this question on another forum and so far got a limited response thanks to all in the know!


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## closetguy (Sep 29, 2007)

My jointer is the least used machine in my shop. I built cabinets for years and never had one. You can joint on a router table or, if your stock had been straight line cut on one side, use the table saw with a glue line rip blade. I wouldn't buy one just for one project if you don't foresee using it regularly. My planer is heavily used because I buy all my lumber rough. You can spend a little more and have your lumber surfaced by your lumber supplier. Most charge a few cents per LF to do this. There are some tools that you "have to have" and some that are "nice to have". Some functions can be gotten around by being creative.

Many people swear by their radial arm saw. I found it to be the most useless, and dangerous tool in my shop and got rid of it after a few years. I just bought a drum sander last year. It is now used as much as my table saw and I could not live without it. Everybody as different needs for what they do.


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

if you buy you lumber flat and jointed on one edge- you don't really need a jointer, as thats what the jointer will do…

a jointer will come in handy if you buy all your lumber rough. if you have a planer, you can get around "must having a jointer" and surface one side on the planer with a sled, or with rough hand planing, and joint with a router table.


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## johnpoolesc (Mar 14, 2009)

if your going to do edge glue ups.. ie table tops.. anytime you need stock wider then your source.. use your jointer… i use my jointer every time i do a project.. but i buy rough stock. i don't think you can buy stock that never needs jointing..

my opinion.. not for cabinets.. 90 percent of the work is plywood.. another tip. if your table saw is well tuned and you cut your stock slow, it should be very close to a perfect joint..


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

You can use your planer to edge joint the stock. You will need to hold it upright by clamping the stock to a sled but you can "joint" it this way using a planer. But, as far as making cabinets go, I use my jointer every time I make a cabinet since I like to work with glued up panels and work with rough lumber.


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## cabinetmaster (Aug 28, 2008)

I'm like closetguy. Hardly use my jointer. Most lumber I buy is straight on one side, so cut on the TS and if it does need jointed, I use my planer. I hardly ever use the jointer, even in my workplace.


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## johnpoolesc (Mar 14, 2009)

i have seen people stack wood then run it through the planner edge up.. joint 5 or 6 edges at the same time.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

You can make cabinets with out one but I'd rather have one


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## Ottis (Apr 17, 2009)

Agree with Jim and many others on here. I got by for years with out a jointer, now that I have a good one, I don't see how I ever got by with out it. But I did. But I would not buy it for just "One" job.


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## LesB (Dec 21, 2008)

I seldom use my jointer for cabinet work, especially with wood that is flat and straight on one side. Most of the time I can get just as good an edge for joining boards by cutting them on the table saw. Just make sure you saw is tuned up so it cuts clean. From your list of tools is sounds like you are ready to make cabinets. 
You didn't say how big you router was but if you intend to cut raised panels with it you should have at least a 2 1/4 hp to handle large panel coving bits. Even then you may need to make progressive passes.
A smaller router will handle the cope and stick cutting of the door frames but if you haven't done that before make a few practice pieces first. Even then I often cut a little short of full depth on the first pass and then make a second "finishing" cut so it comes out clean and smooth. Be sure to backup board with the end grain cuts prevent tear out. Good luck.


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## Ottis (Apr 17, 2009)

LesB gave some good advice. But if you don't have that big of a router, you can make a over sized tall fence for your table saw, figure out what angle your raised panels are, and precut the raised panels on your table saw, leave about a 1/8 inch or more of wood, then finish with your router. It really saves the router from a hard work out. Depending on the size of the doors/raised panels I am making, I will still do this even though I have a big 3hp router, easier on the router, easier on the bit (bits last a lot longer, less wood to hog out).

Easiest way I have found to pre cut these are to set up my router, then run some very soft scrap wood through it, then take the scrape to my saw and fence and tilt the blade to match it, and set the height just short and just slide it over till it almost touches the wood lock it down, I then run another scrape piece through it and then through my router to make sure everything matches up.


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## seriousturtle (Apr 13, 2009)

I just picked up a new jointing method in these forums that works incredible. Using the TS, I cut a 6"wide strip of MDF (had scrap). Now I run my stock against that strip, crown out towards the blade. I didn't think it would work but it did, perfectly. Now I can ditch my TS jointing jig that didn't work well at all. ~the turtle


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## miles125 (Jun 8, 2007)

The problem with straight lined lumber is that it may not be straight after you rip it on the table saw. Boards sometimes "banana" when ripped. You can work your way around this by picking the straightest for long door stiles and the less straight for shorter rails and such. A jointer sure makes life easier though.


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## Straightpiped (Nov 3, 2008)

I am building my cabinets right now. IMO, I couldn't do it without my jointer. I do buy all my lumber rough though. If you had a hardwood dealer S2S all your wood than you could get away with it. My dealer charges $15 a board for that service. Since I am doing all hardwood, no ply, the money saved will easily pay for a nice jointer.


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## North40 (Oct 17, 2007)

I love my jointer and use it *a lot*. Not just for face and edge jointing, but rabbetting and tapering and thicknessing … most people aren't aware of all the possibilities, so their jointer just sits in the corner except when they need a straight edge.

The answer to the question, though, is "no, you don't need a jointer to build kitchen cabinets." I've done a fair amount of edge jointing on a tablesaw or router table. If you don't want to spend the money, or don't have the space for the machine, then there are other ways to get a straight, flat board.


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## woodworm (Jul 27, 2008)

My approch of work as far as edge jointing is different. I cut my lumber to the parts measurements then dimension them accordingly. With manageable length of lumber, face flatterning and edge jointing can be done on the router or by using hand plane.


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## LesB (Dec 21, 2008)

More:
I didn't get into cutting or pre cutting raised panels on the table saw as Don Kelly said but it is a great way to do it and can save wear and tear on your router. You can pre cut the most of the wood and then finish the shape on the router if you want curves instead of a straight bevel.


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## rickf16 (Aug 5, 2008)

Vern,
Space is a premium in my shop, so I have a Delta bench top jointer. Works great for me. I use it for just about all my projects, including cabinets. I like to buy my lumber rough. Cost less. Just my 2 cents.


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## chriswright (Nov 13, 2008)

I know there's a lot a jigs and plans for jigs that allow you to rip a straight edge on a table saw. That being said, I never really used a jointer until I came to work here at this shop. But I do like having it now.


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## Moai (Feb 9, 2009)

That moster is just Noise and Noise and more Noise!!
For BIG shops with lots of jobs going on, yes, is a is a necessary evil…..

You don't need a jointer, live your life easier!
Just buy a couple of NICE table saw blades, crosscut and General use, I'd recommend the Industrial line of FREUD…..they'll leave your pieces ready for sanding.

It's possible also to straigh up boards at the table saw, making a straight jig with some toggle clamps, so the jig will run against the fence and the saw will take the bow from the board.


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## Brad_Nailor (Jul 26, 2007)

If all your building is plywood boxes than you may never need a jointer. But if you are putting face frames on those boxes then you might need one. I guess you could get by without one and make some fancy jigs to do the same thing on a table saw…or use the planer. But as Miles pointed out allot of times things start out straight and after a few rips..not so straight anymore. When I would do face frame stock I would always put the piece through the jointer after a few rips and it was always a little bowed..or allot depending on the wood. And, as Peter pointed out there are many more uses for a jointer than just to flatten/edge joint boards. Do you absolutely need a jointer to make cabinets…no. But a jointer, I think is very important and useful tool for the shop.


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## Joseph7505 (May 8, 2009)

I took some junior college woodworking classes, so I had access to a jointer and thought, at first, that I would need one. As it turned out, though, I never got one and have never missed it. I purchase wood that has been planed and has one straight edge. I get it too thick and plane it to the desired thickness on my Makita planer, which is a tool I very strongly recommend. I also have a Performax 22/44 thickness sander. With it, I can make my face frames-again too thick-and sand them to final thickness. Using the sander makes them uniform. I did have one board that bananaed on me, but in sixteen years, only one. I have done quite a bit of casework and never missed a jointer.


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## Ottis (Apr 17, 2009)

Verndog,
As you can tell, it is all up to the person making the project, some people love their jointers (like me) some think they are a waste of money. Just like some shops do not use a radial arm saw and others hate them (I personally could not live with out mine).

But the point is, do you NEED a jointer to make cabinets…No…DO you have to have one for future projects…No. It all boils down to, Do "You" want one. If this is going to be your only "Big" project, then I would not buy one. If there are more big projects in the future, and you plan on buying rough stock lumber, then yes, they are imo worth the extra money.

I have gotten by for years with out one. Now that I have one, don't know how I ever got by with out it.

just my 2 cents.


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## Maynard (May 9, 2009)

I used to have a glue line chain driven table saw. The fence was used only as a guide and the chain fed the board thru for a perfectly straight line. You can do the same with a regular table saw.

Make a sled, narrow but long enough to accomidate the length of your boards, and fit it to run in the miter saw slot. Clamp or screw (in the waste side, clear of the future kurf) the board to the slide and run thru the saw with a sharp blade. Raising the blade, although somewhat dangerous, will also cut more downward on the board for a little smoother edge.


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## dennis (Aug 3, 2006)

I love my jointer.


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## verndog (Feb 18, 2009)

Thanks to all for the great advice!
I probably will never use rough lumber so I think I will try one of the glue line blades as recommended by some here. I am more concerned with the space the joiner would take than the cost. I have done several projects with just blade joinery and have been satisfied for the most part. 
Les B. the router I have is a PC 3 1/4 hp. so that should be sufficient. I plan on making 2-3 passes and may trim some with my table saw as suggested. I may have more questions as I begin to make the raised panel doors. Thank you to all who were so willing to share your thoughts on this issue.
Vern


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## BootsTripp (May 5, 2012)

I came across this old topic as I am debating the same question… that is, whether or not I need a jointer (and planer for that matter) to build kitchen cabinets and furniture such as a bedroom wardrobe.
A 6' long floor mounted jointer is simply out of the question for my small shop, so my question is whether or not a benchtop jointer would be sufficient for a kitchen cabinet project considering the relatively short runs for making doors. I realize a floor mounted beast would be ideal, but if the joint is only used for doors and such, would a benchtop model make my life easier or am I better off following jointing methods on the router and/or table saw?

I guess more simply, is a small benchtop jointer "better than nothing" or "more hassle than it's worth".

Any input on the planer would also be useful, but I haven't yet decided whether I'm going to be working with rough lumber or not.


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## ducky911 (Oct 6, 2010)

For years i used my table saw or router to plane edges before joining…i got pretty good at it…i have a jointer now and my glue ups are easier and better…for a big project like you are planing i would get a jointer….your raised panels have to be dead flat or it will show….

Also i just got the router bit set to make doors with mitered corners and raised panels . Just finished my first sample…nice…went with 5/4 rails and euro hinges


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## TCCcabinetmaker (Dec 14, 2011)

the straight line rip saws they use to put that "flat" edge on the lumber, are really a machine that requires some finess to use and get a straight edge. I know alot of people think that they will create a jointed edge, but they do not…

Now there are jointing guides you can buy to use on your tablesaw, but they are rather hard to find.


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## TCCcabinetmaker (Dec 14, 2011)

I should also add, as you cut wood sometimes it releases the tension in the grain causing boards to bend, what do you do with that now boat hull making material? why you joint it…


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

Use a hand plane joiner. Easy peasy. With or without motor. Have fun making your cabinets.


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