Ungluing a bookcase

[cambournepete]

6 months ago I build a bookcase for our kitchen. It is made of 18mm veneered MDF, trimmed with iroko. The sides are hollow, so they can house the back boxes and cables for the built-in double sockets. The shelves are rebated into the sides. Everything is held together with glue and screws (if I remember correctly.)

Now we are getting a new side-by-side fridge freezer and the shelves need to be made narrower. How ??

What's the best way to take the shelves narrower without destroying all the MDF (which is a bit £ at £50/sheet)?

Any input gratefully received.

 

[Anonymous]

wot you glue it with? PVA? PU? Hide glue (fat chance, but easy if so)? UF? Anything else?

Did you plug the screws, or are they removable?

How much do you want to reduce the width - how much can you afford to lose?

 

[cambournepete]

PVA glue (titebond).

screws are not plugged, but heads are hidden inside hollow sides. Imagine two tall narrow boxes separated by the shelves.

I want to lose about 12" off the shelves, so I guess I could just saw through the bookcase, chisel out the spare shelf parts and then reglue, but I'm trying to make sure I don't wreck the sides as I want to re-use them.

 

[Anonymous]

OK, if it was me, I'd remove the screws, cut the shelves off (leaving lots of space from the sides so you don't lose the veneer, and also lots of space off the desired width). Recut the housings (with router or shoulder plane or whatever you used to cut them originally). Then shorten the shelves.