DIY ceiling mounted boom

[beefheart]

My first post on the forum  [smile]

I wanted to make a ceiling mounted boom for the vac hose, but after searching for days I gave up on finding a suitable swivel mount. It had to be low profile due to the low ceiling height in the basement, so a bracket with hinges was out of the question. Fortunately I found this swivel castor with a ball bearing. I got the one with a brake because of the longer cage to support the boom. The width was perfect for a piece of broomstick handle i found in the scrap bin. With these parts on hand it was a breeze to make. I cut away the wheel and brake and mounted the boom arm in the holes from the brake. I only had to make one more set of holes for a through bolt in the back. Because of the small base plate I used long screws into one of the beams to make sure it stays in place. Didn't take long to build and works perfectly.

 

[copcarcollector]

Great idea!

And

[welcome]

 

[Timtool]

Simple and very effective, i think you will want to replace the rubber straps at some point as they decompose with UV or something.
Maybe the replace with hook and loop belts?

 

[beefheart]

[welcome]

Thanks!

Simple and very effective, i think you will want to replace the rubber straps at some point as they decompose with UV or something.
Maybe the replace with hook and loop belts?

The rubber bands seem to work well, but like you said I will have to replace them as they wear out. Time will tell if it is a good solution. They make it easy to undo the hose quickly, and they support the hose bends more gently. They also give me extra flexibility if I stretch the hose too far.

 

[Marc2010]

I've been looking to do the same thing and I like your caster idea. I have the same metal ceiling. I like the mft table that you made. Do you have a Facebook or instagram?

 

[beefheart]

Send me a PM. I don't have any other pictures out right now, but I was planning to do a write-up on the MFT-table and some other stuff I've made.

 

[GPowers]

Simple and elegant solution. Congraduations

 

[ear3]

Nice work.  What's the lovely oak drawer case you have in your shop?  Almost looks like an old library card catalog, but the drawers seem too big for that.

 

[MetalDemigod]

+1 love the idea and am likely to borrow.... Only small mod I would make as mentioned above is replacing the rubber straps which will likely rot over time... I think a cheep flat bungee would serve you better in the long run... I would love to see a post about your mft cart... Great looking shop you have there!!!! Cheers

 

[RENO]

good idea!

 

[Tinker]

[welcome] and  [thanks] for the great idea.  I tried the boom arm route, but had to give up.  I have only 6'8" to my ceiling joists.  Even less where I have lights and power outlets.  With limitation to swing of the boom arm, it was just too much hastle. I am in process of rearranging my shop and am trying to think of a better method for handling my hose and power cords. I like your idea.

It appears you are using velcro strips to hold your power cord and vac hose together once you clear your boom arm.  Why not some wider velcro to wrap to your boom.  If that won't work, I like the idea of bungee's mentioned by another responder.
Tinker

 

[FastEasySmartTOOL]

This is really awesome – simple and elegant!  Welcome to the FOG!  I look forward to seeing more of your creative ideas.

Kriss

 

[beefheart]

Nice work.  What's the lovely oak drawer case you have in your shop?  Almost looks like an old library card catalog, but the drawers seem too big for that.

It's only stained pine (I think). It has some kind of cutting board in the middle. It might have been from a pharmacy, but I don't know. It is something handed down from my father, and I have no idea where he got it. He used to find and fix all kinds of stuff other people threw away.

 

[Branching-off]

Really Nice setup.
But it's tearing me apart, not knowing what's in the t-loc systainer, that has a monkey face for a label.  [eek]

 

[chris s]

Very nice, how about a photo tour of you shop?? It looks pretty neat.
                                                          Chris
                                               

 

[GarryMartin]

But it's tearing me apart, not knowing what's in the t-loc systainer, that has a monkey face for a label.  [eek]

Looks more like the standard graphic for requiring ear, eye and respiratory protection, so I'm guessing it contains his PPE.

 

[beefheart]

But it's tearing me apart, not knowing what's in the t-loc systainer, that has a monkey face for a label.  [eek]

Looks more like the standard graphic for requiring ear, eye and respiratory protection, so I'm guessing it contains his PPE.

[big grin]  Correct. It actually looks very monkey-like from a distance, but so do I with my gear on.

Very nice, how about a photo tour of you shop?? It looks pretty neat.
                                                          Chris
                                             

I have just built the shop, not finished yet, but will be soon. I'll take some pictures then. It's only 155 sq feet, so every inch is in use.

 

[ChipMonk]

What a great idea.  Thank you for sharing.

 

[arso_bg]

Excellent idea!!! It doesn’t take space and looks very functional! I like it!

 

[badtastex]

Great idea! Thanks for sharing.

I have issues with ceiling height as well and I have used the Ikea curtain rails "Kvartal" to suspend a pipe that carries my hose and power cord.