How to Make Shaker Cabinet Doors with Kreg Jig

Shaker cabinets are the go-to style for drawers and cabinets these days, so of course when we started planning our vanity, we wanted to DIY shaker cabinet doors. Well, we wanted two shaker drawer fronts, but the process to make a cabinet door is just the same.

To make a true shaker style cabinet, you need a router, but we don’t have a router. So today we’re going to walk you through how to make shaker cabinet doors without a router. We’ll use a Kreg Jig instead.

Alright, let’s start DIYing!

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link, I earn a small commission, but it won’t cost you a penny more)!

Tools

• Drill
• Miter saw or circular saw
• Kreg Jig

How to make shaker cabinet doors without a router

Want to get started with DIY? Get our Essential Tools Checklist so you can finally stop scrolling and start building.

Step 1: make your cuts

If you are using 1x2s, your plywood center will be the desired size of the cabinet minus 3″ from top to bottom and side to side.

Typically, the vertical boards, also called stiles, run the full height of the cabinet. We chose to make the horizontal boards (aka rails) run the full width of the cabinet instead so that the end grain would be on the side instead of the top and bottom of the drawer fronts.

Step 2: drill pocket holes

Using your Kreg Jig, drill pocket holes into each end of your stiles so that you will have one screw going into the top rail and one screw going into the bottom rail.

Note: If you made the cabinets the traditional way where the stiles are the full height of the cabinet, drill your pocket holes on your rails instead.

Drill pocket holes into your plywood, alternating directions so that you have screws going into both the bottom and top boards.

STEP 3: assemble

Place your .25″ item on your workspace and place your plywood on top of it. This will raise the plywood up so that it is flush with the back of your 1x2s.

Place your rails and stiles around the plywood into the position you would like them to be. Add wood glue to the rails and stiles for extra hold.

Assemble your shaker style cabinet by screwing in all of the pocket holes.

When you flip your cabinet over, it should look like just a shaker style cabinet. Now let’s clean up the back.

Step 4: fill your pocket holes

To fill your pocket holes, you have a few options. If you are staining, you might want to use the Kreg Pocket Hole Cutter to create hole plugs that are out of the same wood they you used to make your cabinet. This will help make sure that the plugs stain the same way as the rest of your cabinet.

If you are painting your cabinets, you can utilize these pre-cut pocket hole plugs, or you can use spackling to fill the pocket holes and any visible seams.

There you have it! Now you know how to create shaker cabinet doors with a Kreg Jig! No router needed!

We would LOVE to see your photos. Send us (or tag us in) a picture of your shaker cabinets on Instagram and feel free to reach out with any questions!