Rick Christopherson said:
I can't remember how much we discussed your boom arm, but make sure you do some solid engineering on its installation. I see that you have a block wall. At an absolute minimum you need to core fill and rebar the block. Even that is a little dicey since it wasn't engineered from the original construction. The alternative is building a steel mast securely anchored to a deep pier. The number that sticks in my mind is that the mounting bracket will impart a moment of 26,000 in-lbs on the wall.
That being said, it is a dream to have one. The more I use mine, the more I appreciate having it. Right now I am working with my neighbor to build a display cabinet for his living room. Every time I have to switch between working at my main bench and the MFT's across the shop, I get that, "man, I love this thing" feeling.
As I did mention once before, you really are not going to want the energy box. It's OK to keep your options open, but for your initial install, I would first look at just using a flexible vac hose, air hose, and pendant electrical box.
Rick,
I did a lot of research before making the decision to get the boom. I obviously followed your thread on the other forum regarding your install of YOUR boom. I knew I wasn't going to be able to attach to the wall.
I had a construction engineer come in and we discussed a number of options. What we settled on is a steel I-Beam which will be centered in the shop, though the swing will be to one side where all the machines are. It will be sunk into the floor and then secured in the attic. The reach is exactly what I need to get for all my major machines, and for what will be my sanding and assembly area.
As for the Energy Box... I went round and round as to whether to use one or not. I looked at your system, and that was a serious option. In the end, I elected to go with the box in order to use it the way my dealer in Germany had it set up. Both a standard 18V charger and the CXS charger will be mounted on the back of the box. Two of the 220V outlets will be replaced with grounded 110V outlets, and a 220V 30amp outlet will provide mobile power to all my heavy machines. That leaves only the PM 3250B lathe, my 6HP Laguna 20" Bandsaw, and the 3HP Cyclone...all stationary... needing 220V wall outlets. (The LT20 needs a 50amp dedicated circuit, while the other two only need 30amp). Overall, my electrical installation costs will be dramatically reduced by using the Energy Box to power my Tablesaw, Jointer/Planer, Laguna 3HP 14SUV bandsaw, eventual Jet Oscillating belt sander, Drill Press, Router Table, and Disc Sander....as well as all the 110V hand tools. The only drawback is Festool's failure to allow the Energy Box to have some limited swiveling capability in its mount from the arm.
Who knows.. I may not like it in the end, but the only other option would have been to use ceiling drop outlets for the 220V machines and a lot of 8-10 gauge cabling. I plan to put a California Air compressor in the garage attic for the air, and another CT near the I-Beam base for local DC.
Worst case scenario is that I don't like any of it, and WOW will immediately want to buy it all from me! [big grin]
Thanks for the advice, and I'll be following up on the forum as I progress through the buildout! [tongue]
Cheers,
Frank