relamination of delamination

My wife got an "Edwardian" tea trolley at auction today for 50 bucks and the top plywood tray has delaminated to say the least but is relatively in place, if not actually physically attached.

The finish on the tray is similarly knackered

I was going to PVA together and clamp between two sheets of chipboard & mdf (because that is what I have to hand) cut to size. Then use shellac to finish. Yes I will use a sheet (or two) of plastic between my clamping and glued plies.

:no: or :D or better ideas.

Your idea is sound in principal. The only problem that you may encounter is, " What type of glue that was used originally to laminate the plies together ? " Modern day PVA Glues, and the older type Hide Glues simply refuse to attach to each other. Might be a good idea to heat the original glue, ( if there's any still there ) to test it;- old hide glue when heated has a horrid smell to it,- therefore if it is that type of adhesive you will need to use new Hide Glue to re-attach each of the plies. Apart from that problem, you have the right idea as how to do the repair work.
Roger

It is possible that the glue structure has broken down, and cannot be restored. You could try using a hot iron to soften the glue (use a sheet of brown or thick paper to avoid scorching the wood) Press firmly on a flat surface, keeping the iron moving . Keep this up until the laminates re-bind. If this does not work, you may have trouble re-gluing, as the old glue will create lumps, causin a lack of proper contact. The only alternative then is to buy a new piece of plywood.