Looking for advice from the stand guru's, mod'ing a stand

[reefknight]

As the title states I need advice from our many DIYers as well as stand builders within the club.

I have a Deep Sea Aquatics 185 with the matching stand. The stand has four small doors on the front and a large door on each end of the stand. I love this about it as it lets me get into my sump area. Unfortunately its also my problem. The stand has a 6" board that runs the entire length of the front as well as the sides. This coupled with my sump standing 17" high means that it is impossible for me to get my new skimmer cup in/out of the stand without draining the sump and and disconnecting it from all of the plumbing. :shout:

I have inquired with DSA about modding the stand, but of course they are using the party line and the answer is "No". Party line being it'll void the warranty.

What I would like to do is cut a section, say 10"W x 1.5-2"H. How badly would this effect the integrity of the stand? I just need a small amount of material removed so that it will slide in/ out of the sump/stand.

Any thoughts or advice are appreciated!

 

[grouper therapy]

I need to see some pics can you get some.

 

[reefknight]

Here are a couple. First two are the side door, last is one of the front doors.

Thanks
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[reefknight]

Here are the front and rear, interior corners of the stand. Hope these help. Thanks!
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[grouper therapy]

cut a piece of 3/4" plywood around 4" wide and as long as the distance between the corners then screw on the inside . You can then cut the notch in the existing board. probably be fine with out the additional piece but a little security will not hurt

 

[reefknight]

Should I cut it to go between the corner blocks or should it extend the entire length of the cabinet? Or would you layer the pieces, say one piece to fit between the corner blocks and then a longer piece to fit over the corner blocks extending side to side?

Also would a 4" piece of either oak or birch work? I figure a hardwood would be preferred over say pine. Since I don't have access to a table saw to rip cut a piece of plywood I figure a pre cut/ sanded piece of lumber would be easier to use; just need to cut the length.

Thank you for all of your assistance and patience with my questions.