# making cabinet doors without jointer/planer?



## monkeyboy (Aug 22, 2007)

Is there any way of making the rails and stiles of a cabinet door true without a jointer/planer combination? I have a tablesaw, and router, but cannot yet afford a jointer/planer. Can I buy lumber from somewhere in the Atlanta area already true? Any advice to this rookie would be appreciated.

Also, is there a recommended way of making plank doors? I've read that particle board that has been veneered resists warping.

Thanks.


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## edp (Jul 23, 2007)

Can't imagine attempting to make rail & stuile doors without a thickness planer. If you can swallow the cost of dimensioned stock from places like lowes or home depot, you probably should consider buying the doors ready made. www.sierracabinet.com They will be cheaper and offer more options.

As to "Plank" doors using partical board, I am assuming you really mean "Slab" doors and yess they do hold up. Unfortunately, they look just like you would expect a partical board door to look. Straight from the trailer.

I would say that you can get by without the jointer but you really should commit to a thickness planer.

Ed


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## Tangle (Jul 21, 2007)

Of course, you could hand plane the boards or ask someone to plane them for you or buy S2S. You can fix the router in a table and joint the boards or use a jointer hand plane. They made cabinet doors long before any of those machines were devised. You have a great advantage with the table saw and router. A #7 or #8 plane tuned up will give you all the jointing capacity you want. It's just not fast. If you cover a piece of particle board with laminate(formica) on all its sides( that includes the edges) you will have an absolutely stable piece of material. It is water impervious. If all you need is function this will make cabinet doors. Wood veneer will not hold up as well but will look better. When I make slab doors I edge glue the boards and clamp them with cauls to keep them flat. Then trim them with the table saw. A Freud Glueline Rip blade in your table saw will eliminate much of the need to joint. At least it will eliminate some of it.


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## monkeyboy (Aug 22, 2007)

Thanks Ed. You're right, I meant slab doors.


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## monkeyboy (Aug 22, 2007)

Thank you Thos.


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## monkeyboy (Aug 22, 2007)

Thos.,
If you veneered, edgebanded, stained and then sealed, would that be water impervious also?


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## Tangle (Jul 21, 2007)

I'm no great veneer hand but if you veneered the edges and both sides it would depend on the glue used to stick the veneer down. The only experience I've had with veneer is with Flexwood and I put that down with contact cement like I do laminate. If you finish with poly you should be fairly waterproof. I'd do one coat that was thined a little with mineral spirits and at least two coats more. I use MinWax Fast Dry. You can also wipe it if you thin it. The problem with doing the veneer over particle board is that you are stuck with a square edge. It is also possible to do solid wood edge bands around the particle board and then veneer very carefully and then route an edge treatment. But that's another story.


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## Hawgnutz (Mar 29, 2007)

Hey, check www.Craigslist.org and see if there are any "cheap" planers. I picked up a barely used Ridgid 13" planer in Phoenix for $150.00. You can find so e others, such as a Deltta, for even cheaper. That Ridgid was pretty cheap considering all the money I will save by dimensioning all my project lumber!

God Bless,
Hawg


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## ramram (Aug 14, 2007)

A couple of years ago I was in Southern India and there was a cabinet maker's shop next door to the house I was staying in. Although the owner didn't speak English and I didn't speak Tamil, we both spoke wood and became freinds. He and his crew were making frame and panel doors using nothing but planes and chisels and an occassional handsaw, sitting on the ground holding the wood with their feet (no vises)...and making some really good looking products! The stuff you get at Pier One and the like. It was rather humbling to me and when I got home I immediately went to work learning to use my hand tools better. This may not help you much but it let's you know it can be done. A well tuned table saw with a sharp blade can also substitute for many joiner applications although I prefer to use my 75 year old Bailey joiner plane.


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## dennis (Aug 3, 2006)

A router with a flush cutting bit and a straight board will work to.


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