Our liquor cabinet has the usual row of holes drilled on either side for height-adjustable shelves, with typical shelf pins:
I think the wood is MDF + veneer. It might be plywood. It's not holding the pins very well.
The end result was sudden catastrophic failure followed by two hours of mopping up glass shards while trying to convince the world-famous Siberian husky who lives with us to stay in the other room.
Yes, that is a marble tabletop that actually got shattered into pieces by a bottle of Maker's Mark (recommended).
What would you use to reinforce these shelves instead of the dinky little pins?
Best Answer
The type of shelf pins shown in your photo are able to twist out of crappy MDF or particle board side walls when a lot of torque is placed on the pin due to excessive weight placed upon the shelf. There are alternate types of shelf bracket pins that are designed to keep the pin at 90 degrees to the side wall thus keeping it from torquing out of the hole. Here is a picture of one type that I have used in the past with good success.
You should be able to easily use your existing cabinet and bracket holes with this alternate type of bracket. The old pins broke out the side wall at the top of the hole and these will rest on the bottom of the holes once installed. You may have to push some of the splintered wood flat but then you would install these brackets up tight to the side walls. The shelf will then sit on top of the part of the bracket with the hole. It is best if the side to side length of the shelf fits snugly between the bracket at each side. Once you have the brackets and shelves in place you screw the bracket to the bottom side of the shelf. It would be highly encouraged to drill a pilot hole for these screws ... but be careful to not let the hole or screw come through the top of the shelf.
It is the fastening of the bracket to the shelf that will provide most of the force to keep the pin straight into the cabinet side wall.