No skinning required. Just parent the limbs to the joints. In this example there are two cylinders (think of them as an arm). Select the upper arm (cylinder 1) then shift select the shoulder joint (joint 1) then press "P" to parent the upper arm to the shoulder joint. Repeat this process for each limb. Here the forearm (cylinder 2) would be parented to the elbow (joint 2). By parenting, your child objects (limbs) maintain their shape while still be moving by the parent joints. No deformations incurred. Hope that helps clarify this.