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Question(s) about altering a flat pack shelf

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  • 07-09-2008 6:06am
    #1
    Xiney
    Registered Users Posts: 8,085 ✭✭✭


    I've just moved into a lovely new apartment and I'd like to buy a couple of shelves to go on either side of the fireplace in the sitting room. Unfortunately, there is only 75 cm on one side of the fireplace (from baseboard to baseboard) and the shelf from argos I want is 78 cm wide! argh!

    So, having lived in plenty of apartments and put together lots and lots and lots of flat pack furniture in my time, I can be somewhat confident of the plan of this shelf, thinking that if I take off 5 cm from each horizontal board from top to bottom and redrill the predrilled holes it should be ok?

    Here are my questions: Would a jigsaw be a suitable tool for this job? If not, what would be better, but also cheap, taking into account that I'm not really planning my own personal wood shop here.

    It's veneered particle board so would it cause chips in the veneer? (if they're small I don't really care that much)

    How difficult would it be to keep the cuts straight? (Bear in mind my experience with woodworking is limited)


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    #2
    Xiney
    Registered Users Posts: 8,085 ✭✭✭Xiney


    Nevermind, just asked my dad.

    He reckons it's one of the worst ideas I've ever had :o so it's a no-go.


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    #3
    ART6
    Registered Users Posts: 2,632 ✭✭✭ART6


    Xiney wrote: »
    I've just moved into a lovely new apartment and I'd like to buy a couple of shelves to go on either side of the fireplace in the sitting room. Unfortunately, there is only 75 cm on one side of the fireplace (from baseboard to baseboard) and the shelf from argos I want is 78 cm wide! argh!

    So, having lived in plenty of apartments and put together lots and lots and lots of flat pack furniture in my time, I can be somewhat confident of the plan of this shelf, thinking that if I take off 5 cm from each horizontal board from top to bottom and redrill the predrilled holes it should be ok?

    Here are my questions: Would a jigsaw be a suitable tool for this job? If not, what would be better, but also cheap, taking into account that I'm not really planning my own personal wood shop here.

    It's veneered particle board so would it cause chips in the veneer? (if they're small I don't really care that much)

    How difficult would it be to keep the cuts straight? (Bear in mind my experience with woodworking is limited)

    Jigsaw? One way is to clamp a straight edge to the board to guide the saw (running it's sole plate against the straightedge), and put some masking tape on the top of the shelf where the saw is going to cut to avoid too much flaking of the laminate. Personally, I would rather use a fine toothed hand tenon saw since they cut from the top down rather than from the bottom up, and will do less damage while being easier to keep straight. You can buy such a saw from any DIY outlet for peanuts. Just watch it when you get to the end of the cut and make sure you support the waste bit so it doesn't break off.


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