To Boom? Or not to Boom? .. That is the Question

[Kev]

I've had a good look at the boom arm and I think is serves an excellent purpose - but I have to say it doesn't look particularly sturdy or durable.

In a fixed workshop environment, would a ceiling mounted set of anchors with some form of limited bungee or flex system work better? Nothing too elaborate though ...

(On a job site I imagine the boom arm on a Cleantex, parked under the MFT would be perfect !)

Has anyone done anything innovative in this situation?

 

[MrToolJunkie]

Kev,

There are lots of threads on self-made Boom Arms.  Personally I love the one Festool makes and find it very sturdy.  I was fortunate to find one used and saved some money, but I think it is some of the best money I have spent.

Scot

 

[mouppe]

I tried the bungee approach from the ceiling- didn't work for me.

The boom arm is very stable and durable, in fact, it extends the lives of your hoses by keeping them off the floor, prevents them dragging across the workbench, the MFT etc. It also swings freely so your range of operations is quite large allowing you a lot of freedom in the workshop.

It's a bit of a leap of faith because it's quite expensive but I for one have found it to be excellent value.

 

[NVA_WW]

I started off with a homemade boom arm out of PVC, but it wasn't sturdy enough for my work.  Likewise, it was stationary and I couldn't move it around my shop.  As a result, I purchased a boom arm and I am very happy with my purchase.  It actually exceeded my expectations and I found it to be very sturdy.  I liked my boom arm so much, I purchased another vac and boom arm early this year.

 

[RONWEN]

+1 on the posts above -- I've never wished for anything better.  Mine stays in one spot in the shop, if I were a contractor I may want something more portable but getting that hose (I have two sizes mounted) up in the air makes a world of difference.

 

[Jesse Cloud]

Yeah the boom arm is expensive, but it keeps that router from getting a hose caught on an edge and ruining your workpiece.  That used to happen to me pretty regularly, can't remember the last time it happened.  I suspect the boomer has more than paid for itself.

Also, it helps enormously that I can just give it a flick and the power cord and hose are out of the way so I can focus on the job at hand!  Put a price on that! [big grin]

 

[semenza]

My shop set up is here starting at post #4 http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-tools-accessories/shop-made-boom-arms/  The thumb nails seem to be missing, but you can see the pics by clicking the little pic links

I have been using this since that  post in 2007 with no changes, and no complaints.

Seth

 

[Mark]

I actually found the bungee worked pretty well for what it cost One of the more important things whether you use the boom arm or the bungee is that with a lighter tool like the ETS 125 with the hose supported it tends to keep the tool co-planar with the work. I was sanding down some inlay with the ETS 125 and the hose was clearly causing the pad to sit cockeyed to the work so I had to be extra careful to keep the pad level so as not to burn through the veneer. The boom arm seems nice in that it allows you to work in an arc but most of the time I'm just working off of my MFT 1080 so my need for a swing is less. In a pinch the bungee is pretty ghetto but it is still an improvement over dragging the hose. Just my .02

 

[Timtool]

i couldn't work without a boom arm anymore, just like i personally couldn't work with the festool vac-mounted boom arm.
My homemade boom arm is fixed and hinges on the wall behind the workbench, i can't work with a vac hanging around in the middle of my workspace. So my vac is stored under the workbench and the hose goes up against the wall out of the way.
Festool makes wall mounted boom arms for a reason aswel, the vac mounted arm is designed for those who need to be very mobile and work all over the place or on jobsites.

 

[Brice Burrell]

+1 on the posts above -- I've never wished for anything better.  Mine stays in one spot in the shop, if I were a contractor I may want something more portable but getting that hose (I have two sizes mounted) up in the air makes a world of difference.

Actually, the boom arm breaks down quickly and easily.  I have no trouble getting to a job site when needed. 

 

[Imolas3]

I consider the Festool vacs and boom arm way too expensive with no real benefit over less expensive vacuums, so my Festool money goes where it will make a difference, cutting, routing, joining, sanding...

I have a large 'shelf' mounted 400mm below the garage roof and I store some wood on it. I drilled in one corner and installed an 8mm bolt through the shelf and a 600x30x30mm piece of poplar that was lying around. Two nuts on the bolt locked together and I have a swiveling arm to hold the vac hose - I simply taped the hose to it with black insulation tape. The poplar is supported over around 60mm of length against the lower face of the shelf and so the whole assembly is rock solid. Whole job took 15minutes.

Easily reaches every corner of my workbench and the homemade MFT nearby

Been working great for 3 months.

This would work well with a wooden bracket on the wall too.

 

[RONWEN]

+1 on the posts above -- I've never wished for anything better.  Mine stays in one spot in the shop, if I were a contractor I may want something more portable but getting that hose (I have two sizes mounted) up in the air makes a world of difference.

Actually, the boom arm breaks down quickly and easily.  I have no trouble getting to a job site when needed. 

I was thinking more in terms of rolling through doorways from room to room at the job site although thinking about it that probably rarely (never?) happens -- once you get your "work station" setup the cutting, routing, etc. probably tends to be in one spot.

 

[Brice Burrell]

+1 on the posts above -- I've never wished for anything better.  Mine stays in one spot in the shop, if I were a contractor I may want something more portable but getting that hose (I have two sizes mounted) up in the air makes a world of difference.

Actually, the boom arm breaks down quickly and easily.  I have no trouble getting to a job site when needed. 

I was thinking more in terms of rolling through doorways from room to room at the job site although thinking about it that probably rarely (never?) happens -- once you get your "work station" setup the cutting, routing, etc. probably tends to be in one spot.

You're right, once set up in one room I tend to stay there, but it's no trouble to pop the top section of the boom off to get through a doorway. 

 

[RONWEN]

+1 on the posts above -- I've never wished for anything better.  Mine stays in one spot in the shop, if I were a contractor I may want something more portable but getting that hose (I have two sizes mounted) up in the air makes a world of difference.

Actually, the boom arm breaks down quickly and easily.  I have no trouble getting to a job site when needed. 

I was thinking more in terms of rolling through doorways from room to room at the job site although thinking about it that probably rarely (never?) happens -- once you get your "work station" setup the cutting, routing, etc. probably tends to be in one spot.

You're right, once set up in one room I tend to stay there, but it's no trouble to pop the top section of the boom off to get through a doorway. 

Mine is a little more cumbersome because I have the Dust Deputy and both size hoses mounted -- still not a huge problem but if I were moving through doorways I would shorten the boom height accordingly.

 

[HowardH]

the boom arm is another one of those Festool things that you take for granted after a period of time until you realize just how much easier it makes things in the shop.  No more tripping over the cords and hoses.  As others have said, it's very stable.  If you haven't done so, the original plastic connector mating the lower and upper arms is upgradeable at no cost.  The original one allows the top part of the arm to sag quite a bit and it is replaced with an aluminum version that prevents that from happening.  All in all, its well worth the investment.

 

[Mr Jones]

Got the boom/vac/workstation combo together this summer, having had both the planex hoover and mini already it was quite a commitment but it has been a massive improvement in site and workshop work for me. I bend over about 80% less than I used to, and all those little items that usually crowd the work off the bench are easily accommodated on the workstation which usually has 5 or 6 tools hanging on it too. I can't recommend it highly enough and as others have said, you quickly forget how you used to be catching the cords on rail ends or workpieces while routing/sawing.

 

[bonesbr549]

Ok, I'll say that I use my ct33 for a long time before gettng the boom.  I have a fixed shop and I have to say is it a requirement, no, but dang it is sweet.  I use my vac in multiple applications and to just roll it over and have that hose up and out of the way.  I've not seen an issue yet.  That tube is dany sturdy.  I will say that I started out with the cross beam (those two metal strips that fix the stabilizing legs.  I remvoed those because when I moved it it was a pain to undo it put them out of the way then roll it where I needed it and then redeploy the stabilizers.  Took them off now its not an issue and I've not had a single tip over.