Dropped $400 on a used cast iron jointer and it fixed the one thing my table saw never could | Cabinetmakers - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals

David Shah · 2026-09-17T13:30:03.235041+00:00

I build face frames and cabinet doors in a one car garage in Grand Rapids and struggled with gaps for two years. I tried shimming the table saw, new blades, a zero clearance insert, nothing worked because the stock itself wasn't straight. Then I paid $400 cash for a rusty 6 inch jointer off a guy retiring out of his shop in Kalamazoo. First pass on a maple board and I could hear the difference before I even checked it with a square. My glue ups stopped sliding around, my rails and stiles finally met flush, and I stopped wasting hours sanding out dips. If you're fighting the table saw for square edges on rough stock, just get the jointer first. What was the one tool that changed how your doors and frames come together?

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Dropped $400 on a used cast iron jointer and it fixed the one thing my table saw never could | Cabinetmakers - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals