CT26 and Boom Arm - Questions

mculik5

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Dec 20, 2013
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I currently have a CT MIDI, and am considering taking advantage of Festool's 15% off sale and upgrading to a CT26/36. I've been VERY impressed with my CT MIDI. The only reason I'm considering upgrading to a CT26/36 is because of the Boom Arm, which isn't an option on the MIDI.

With this in mind, I have a few questions:

1. CT26 vs. CT36 -- Other than capacity, is there any advantage to going with the CT36? I don't need the capacity, but is it any better in terms of hose/cord storage, or anything else?

2. Boom Arm and Portability -- Unfortunately, I don't have the space or money to have both a CT26/36 and my CT MIDI. If I move forward with this, I'll be selling the MIDI. Thus, the CT26/36 will need to do double-duty, working as both an "in the shop vac" and an "around the house vac." My concern is that disconnecting the Boom Arm to use the vac around the house is going to be very time consuming, and I'm going to be annoyed every time I have to do it. Is this the case, or is it easy to disconnect?

3. Boom Arm and Hose -- Related to #2 above, is it a pain to disconnect the hose from the Boom Arm to use the vac around the house? Am I going to end up wanting two hoses -- one to stay on the Boom Arm and one to stay in the hose garage?

4. What is the difference between the Boom Arm and the Boom Arm Set? Do I really need the set?

Thanks for the help!
 
2. Yes, you will be annoyed if you have to remove the boom arm.
3. Yes, the 36mm hose is difficult to remove from the boom arm.

Keep the midi for the house and get the ct26 for the shop.  I have both.  The ct26 has the boom arm which is fine for in the shop, but not if you have to use the ct26 in the house.
 
1. There is no difference between the 26 and the 36 other than increased capacity and weight.

2. The boom arm is not portable.  Its a great addition but getting it on and off is a pain.  I also never stalled the legs that come with the set I did not need it and makes it smaller and easier to maneuver.  It may be a bit tipsy but very little.

3. Separating the hose from the boom would become a pain.  The black hose holders you see are screwed together and they clamp the hose.  Every time you wanted to remove the hose you would have to unscrew them all in order to get the hose off.  Reattaching the hose is probably more time consuming than removing it.

4. The boom arm set comes with everything you need to attach the boom arm and the hoses and extension cords you will need.
 
You may want to search the forum, there are folks who have come up with various solutions to mount the boom arm to a table or wall.
 
If you get either the 26 or 36, hang not to your midi.  If you want a CT for using around the house, I think the first time you use the larger CT , you will go back to the midi for that purpose.
Tinker
 
Taking the boom arm off is super easy,what you do with it next it the problem
36 will weigh more,make the boom less likely to tip,because most don't use the legs,i do,with casters,which now makes for a wider footprint.
get a additional hose, removing it is not faster,smarter, easier.it does readily pull out from the clips
 
I made my boom arm from schedule 80 PVC, attached to my CT arm with compression clamps.  I did not glue the 45 degree fittings I use so dis-assembly is a breeze.  I originally attached my hose with velcro, later I used the velcro to attach 2" steel rings that I run the hose through.  Since the standard hoses are really too short I added a short 50mm hose with an Onieda right angle fitting at the vac to make the assembly more compact.  Attaching the standard 36 or 27mm hoses works well and I am never short hosed (always a guy's nightmare)  [cool]
 
I just wanted to echo some of the comments on here for keeping your midi. I bought a CT 36 a few months ago to keep in the garage woodshop and sold off the household craftsman shop vac thinking the festool could do all. I'm in the process of putting up new trim throughout the house so I'm generating small amount of drywall dust here and there. The CT 36 is a monster to drag back and forth between the garage and the house for doing quick cleanups.

I plan on ordering a mini during the sale to solve the problem : )
 
Thanks for all the comments!

I went to my Festool dealer this weekend to take a look at a CT26 and Boom Arm in person.

The CT26 is huge relative to the MIDI. Even without considering the Boom Arm, definitely not something I want to lug through my tiny house on a regular basis. If I do decide to move forward with the CT26, it will be primarily for the shop (and by "shop," I mean my driveway...on weekends...when the weather is nice...), only coming into the house for the bigger projects.

Thus, it looks like the only way this makes sense is if I keep the MIDI. Would love to get the CT-SYS for the "cool factor," but doesn't make sense to sell the MIDI and spend even more money to get a less powerful vac with significantly less capacity.

Unfortunately, despite the enticing discount, I can't justify $900 to essentially upgrade to the Boom Arm. As I said, I'm very happy with all aspects of the MIDI...except that you can't attach the Boom Arm. And as a hobbyist, the Boom Arm is total luxury/cool.

Again, thanks for your help!
 
I have a Dust Right seperatorfrom rockler. It i something like 10 gallon I think.  i have that used as a cyclone hooked up to my CT 33.
I have a CT 22 that I will sometimes drag into the house or outside if that is where I am working.  I have a few 5 gal. buckets that i put a "cyclone" type cover on so I don't fill the bag in my CT 22 so quick.  Both setups work very well.

I have placed my CT and five gallon bucket in my hallway while i have done work in my attic.  I use an extra length of hose for that set up.  Since I am sucking down hill, that works fine with the extra length of hose.  With the extra cyclone added to your CT, you don't really need the biggest and baddest DC on the block.

The only problem I have run into with the five gallon buckets is that i have to be careful.  some, unless strong constructed will collapse from the vacuum.  I have used a couple that have an extra rib for strength.  Those are hard to find
Tinker
 
mculik5, I decided to share my opinion about boom arm with you because I think it will make you feel better. I bought the boom arm along with CT26 dedicated to the boom arm last spring. I did not have a chance to test or see it at a dealer before ordering it as my local dealers did not have it on display. My impression from the boom arm is mixed. On the one hand, the idea of routing vacuum hose and power cable overhead offers great convenience. On the other hand, starting from the moment of assembly and through many instances of practical use during past summer, I had a strong impression that this is a Festool's foster child. Festool has some phenomenal tools, but it also has tools which barely deserve Festool's name on them. Boom arm is one of those not-quite-up-to-the-mark tools. The problem is integration. Since its range of motion is somewhat limited (it turns around a fixed axis), it is best used within a relatively small area, e.g., with MFT-3. In my perception, it would work best if one could attach it to the MFT itself, or at least position it near the corner of MFT-3. Well, good luck with that. When attached to CT-26, the only compact configuration is with CT26 under the MFT-3, the MFT itself is separated from the wall by some 10-15 inches to accommodate for the outriggers which prevent CT-26 with the boom arm from tipping over, and with the boom arm located behind MFT-3 approximately in the middle of the table. Any other configuration takes way too much space and the boom arm ends up too far from the table.

During assembly, I had to make some corrections to factory instructions, e.g., remove the pin which limits the rotation range of the boom arm, otherwise it does not cover the whole MFT-3. I also found that the hose tends to pull the boom arm and rotate it, I can't remember what I did to fix this, but somehow it worked. I may have ended up routing the hose differently than suggested by the instructions. The vacuum hose tends to slide under the weight of 50 mm extension hose and pulls the hose down along the boom arm. I found that I periodically had to pull it back, otherwise it eventually gets too short.  I think I use electrical isolation tape to attach it to the boom arm, in addition to factory clips. The 50 mm extension hose which comes from the inlet in front of CT-26 makes a loop almost at the level of the front of MFT-3, so this thing takes the whole space under MFT-3. Actually, if boom arm could be attached to the wall or to MFT-3, a Midi, with its inlet on top of the vacuum, would be a great fit for the system. Replacing the dust bag with the boom arm attached and CT-26 under MFT-3 is a not so convenient procedure if your CT26 is under the MFT-3 and the only way to get to it is to move MFT-3 off the way. Opening the vac with the boom arm mounting bracket attached is also kind of difficult. It is possible but hard. I am lucky that I only had to do it once during the season, after the bag overfilled and the vacuum lost suction. Opening it just to check is something that you probably would not want to do, with the boom arm attached and the system set up. While I used the boom arm and it was helpful, especially when you use MFT-3 with TS-55, my overall feeling was that it was, if I may put it this way, a Home Depot grade tool - solid, functional, but nothing to be particularly excited about. It looks better than it sets up. One could certainly design it better and integrate into the Festool system better as well. I love the idea, but do not like the execution.

The last but not least, due to a limited range of movement, you cannot use the boom arm to cut 4x8 sheets of plywood. The range of motion is pretty much the size of MFT-3.

Detaching the boom arm from CT-26 is fairly easy, detaching outriggers which are required (otherwise the whole thing may tip over) requires some work. It is not what you want to do more often than once per season... or once per month. Assembly is kind of lengthy. Required storage space, while not huge, is significant due to odd shape of the components. There is always a risk of losing a few small parts if you are not careful. You cannot really take it off and store it without disassembling - it would just take too much room. I would never consider detaching the boom arm and outriggers to move the vacuum somewhere else for a short use, and then attaching them back. I'd say, it is a 15-20 minutes chore each way, and there is a risk of losing the square nuts which just slide into pockets in CT26. In my mind, it has to be attached to a dedicated CT26 and stay assembled for the whole season.. or forever...

If it is not possible to attach it directly to MFT-3, then I think the second best idea would be to attach the boom arm to the wall instead of CT26. I might actually look into it this season. Then one would not need to bolt anything to CT26, and it can be positioned anywhere near the boom arm at any angle. Plugging a hose vertically into a Midi to circumvent the awkward 50 mm extension hose could be a great space saver. Basically, the boom arm is just a metal pipe. All you need to do to attach it to the wall is a wooden panel which can be attached to the studs and brackets which can hold the pipe in place attached to that panel. Then, one can connect any dust extractor to it, including Midi.

On the FOG and on Youtube, I have seen several home-made versions of the boom arm which I think work as well or perhaps even better than the original. All you need, is to attach your vacuum hose to something overhead, preferably something that can slide as you move.

Overall, boom arm is meant to create a creature comfort. Fewer hoses under your feet, fewer electrical wires around. It will not make your work much faster or more accurate. If it is not in your budget, do not worry about it.

Finally, I would also not sell the Midi. It has the best combination of form factor and capability for a non-stationary use.  I have one Midi, two CT-26, and a CT-36 AC. I do not have a workshop, I set it all up in my two car garage when I need it. One CT26 runs the boom arm, the second one is permanently attached to the Kapex. CT-36 AC is for the drywall sander, but I might utilize it for the router table this year. I use the Midi as a household vacuum and always grab it when I need to do something around the house. The idea of moving CT-26 is not enticing, and CT-36 is a monster. When I am done with my remodeling and can start selling some of my tools for which I have no future use, I will certainly get rid of the CT-36 and one or both CT-26. I might buy another Midi instead.

BTW, I am not even a hobbyist (as you are). I just decided to remodel my whole house as a DYI project, and decided that I will do a better job with better tools (almost wrote "toys").  I have a boom arm, but in retrospective, it was not really necessary for anything. Everything that I've done so far could be accomplished without it. So you are good! Don't feel bad that you are not getting it!
 
[member=28086]AIPDX[/member]

Thanks for your thoughts on this.  I've been considering the boom arm for my CT26, and your post makes me think a shop-made rig would be a better alternative. 
 
I made my first two boom arms using discarded office chair bases.  I used 1/8" wall aluminum tube for the upright and schedule 80 PVC for the overhanging portion.
 
Quote from AIPDX:

"The last but not least, due to a limited range of movement, you cannot use the boom arm to cut 4x8 sheets of plywood. The range of motion is pretty much the size of MFT-3."

I don't seem to have any issues cutting a 4x8 sheet with a boom arm on a CT-26.  Range of motion seems fine to me. 

I also haven't had any issues with opening mine to change the bag as was suggested above.  Perhaps i've just done it more now!

 
>>>The last but not least, due to a limited range of movement, you cannot use the boom arm to cut 4x8 sheets of plywood. The range of motion is pretty much the size of MFT-3.
 
I made my boom arm in 4 minutes from 3/4 conduit, 1 1/4 and 3/4 Cowboys back to back. I ordered some flexible sleeve material for the hose and once it comes I will attach the hose with an EMT clamp. Total investment so far under $20. I need a 2" hose 5' and a 5' extension cord and this baby is complete. I just cannot justify spending $130 for a 5' piece of hose. Anyone know where I can get a 5' 2"/50mm antistatic hose cheap. I love festool but seriously they need to ease up on some of the prices. They want $80 for a 5' piece of extension cord. I bought 100ft of 12 gauge for under $40 and the orange box. View attachment 1[attachimg=1]
 

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I really like that boom arm idea. I was thinking of buying one but after seeing this I will make my own. I agree festool seems to be pretty proud of some pipe and hose. Please post pictures of the finished system so I can copy you. Thanks

Also i think the bosch antistatic hoses are much cheaper than festool ones.
 
I have the Bosch 36mm hose but I changed the connectors to Festools as they are much better.  I have this hose on one of my office chair base booms that I use on a 64' X 101" MFT style cutting table.  The table seems large but I often cut 60" x 120" plastics.
 
I built my own work centre that sits on my CT26 with an integrated boom arm. I love my work centre but have removed the boom arm as the work area was very limited. I do a lot of site work and the boom arm was definitely great to use but not for longer cuts. The CT26 had to be manoeuvred to the perfect sweet spot to enable me to make the cut. That rapidly became more tedious than the hose dragging around.   
 
When I eliminated my Boom Arm, I got a bunch of Bungee Cords.  My ceiling is the floor joists of the rooms overhead.  I have metal cross bridging between the joists.  The jists are 6-1/2 feet above my floor which limits me to the size of projects i can do, but with moving the bungee's around, I can reach 360º around my shop to all of my power tools.  I can slide my hoses and power cords around in the bungee cords to give the best loop to whatever tool i am using.  It is sometimes a PITA to get the placement just right for the task at hand, but less problem for me in my shop space than it was for me to use the boom arm. There are just too many obstacles lower than the ceiling/floor joists for me to have free motion with the boom arm.

Some responders to other threads about boom arms vs stumbling over cords and cables vs tight bungee cords have commented on the dangers from the bugee's if tension is too great.  They can snap back to damage eye or other head or body parts.  I don't draw them tight, but just hook loosely onto the X-bridging so i can slide the vac hoses and power cords to the best position needed. I use no tension with the bungee cords.
Tinker
 
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