Electric Trim
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I'm interested in purchasing one and want to see what you guys have to say about it.
Your experience with the boom arm (poll for boom arm owners)
- Thread starter Electric Trim
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Electric Trim
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- Mar 17, 2011
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Hopefully I've given you enough voting options for you to voice your opinion correctly portraying your real feelings, please feel free to expound/lash out below...
Jesse Cloud
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- Jan 23, 2007
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I do a lot of router work and there's no quicker or more effective way to ruin a project that to get the cord caught on something and have the router go astray. When I'm finished using a tool, I can just take off the plugit and the hose and give them a gentle tap, and they are totally out of the way!
Downside is that if you have it mounted onto the vac, its a pain to move the vac.
I do most of my festool work in the shop and on the mft, occasionally moving the vac and the saw outdoors to cut some sheet goods on sawhorses.
The solution that works best for me is that I have mounted the boom arm in front of the mft on a shop made stand (with some added weight). Gives me good access to the MFT, the WCR is wide open, and I can turn the stand around to use the boom arm on my traditional bench. I have an extra hose that I use when I work outdoors, so I can leave the boom arm inside then. I guess ideally, I would have another boom arm mounted outdoors, but that would be fanatical wouldn't it? [blink]
Downside is that if you have it mounted onto the vac, its a pain to move the vac.
I do most of my festool work in the shop and on the mft, occasionally moving the vac and the saw outdoors to cut some sheet goods on sawhorses.
The solution that works best for me is that I have mounted the boom arm in front of the mft on a shop made stand (with some added weight). Gives me good access to the MFT, the WCR is wide open, and I can turn the stand around to use the boom arm on my traditional bench. I have an extra hose that I use when I work outdoors, so I can leave the boom arm inside then. I guess ideally, I would have another boom arm mounted outdoors, but that would be fanatical wouldn't it? [blink]
ccarrolladams
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- Apr 14, 2010
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When I purchased my first CT22, Festool did not offer a boom arm. My workshop was a room in my condo. I did own a motion picture folding senior reflector stand with a senior grip head. From those I created a boom with significant reach that is not attached to the CT22. That was important because I took that CT22 with me when renting space in shops belonging to friends.
Several years later, having seen Festool booms belonging to friends, when I expanded my shop into a second room of my condo, I bought another CT22 with a boom arm. I considered making my own until I priced a new reflector stand with grip head. That combo cost far more than Festool was charging. I did mount my Festool boom arm with outriggers because it is turned away from the CT22. That boom arm has served me well. When I opened my new large shop in Burbank, that was moved there. These days the arm swings over the CT22. That is used for my primary sanding table in our door and face frame department. That work table is made so the CT22 can slide under it if we want. Because it is only used for sanding and some LR32 drilling with OF1010, the boom is equipped with a 27mm x 5m AS hose. This provides fine extraction for those tasks.
Several years later, having seen Festool booms belonging to friends, when I expanded my shop into a second room of my condo, I bought another CT22 with a boom arm. I considered making my own until I priced a new reflector stand with grip head. That combo cost far more than Festool was charging. I did mount my Festool boom arm with outriggers because it is turned away from the CT22. That boom arm has served me well. When I opened my new large shop in Burbank, that was moved there. These days the arm swings over the CT22. That is used for my primary sanding table in our door and face frame department. That work table is made so the CT22 can slide under it if we want. Because it is only used for sanding and some LR32 drilling with OF1010, the boom is equipped with a 27mm x 5m AS hose. This provides fine extraction for those tasks.
Timtool
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- Mar 13, 2011
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i like the idea of having the cords and hose no longer on the floor in the way and wearing out fast.
but then i cannot immagine being forced to put my vac "in the way" because of the boom arm, right now my ct22 is stowed away under a workbench designed for that, with a shelf above the vac where i put my tools that are connected. this way i don't need to put them on top of the bench.
with a boom arm i would need to put my vac in the passage area, that sort of makes it worse in my case with limited space.
i am thinking of making a new systainer and vac storage bench with a mft-like top, where the vac hose would come out of the top of the bench against the wall and up in a homemade telescopic boom arm bolted to the wall. this way, no hose, no cable and no vac on the floor or in the way!
but then i cannot immagine being forced to put my vac "in the way" because of the boom arm, right now my ct22 is stowed away under a workbench designed for that, with a shelf above the vac where i put my tools that are connected. this way i don't need to put them on top of the bench.
with a boom arm i would need to put my vac in the passage area, that sort of makes it worse in my case with limited space.
i am thinking of making a new systainer and vac storage bench with a mft-like top, where the vac hose would come out of the top of the bench against the wall and up in a homemade telescopic boom arm bolted to the wall. this way, no hose, no cable and no vac on the floor or in the way!
GPowers
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I took me about a year to part with the dollars it took to buy the Boom arm.
Just getting the vac hose off the floor was worth it. Now, when breaking down sheet goods the vac hose does not get hung up on the guide rail. Same thing when using the OF1400 router. The one bad thing is it make it harder to move the CT22 out of the shop to another location because you must remove the boom arm.
It is a lot of money, but so far I have been please with the purchase.
Just getting the vac hose off the floor was worth it. Now, when breaking down sheet goods the vac hose does not get hung up on the guide rail. Same thing when using the OF1400 router. The one bad thing is it make it harder to move the CT22 out of the shop to another location because you must remove the boom arm.
It is a lot of money, but so far I have been please with the purchase.
When I first saw them online, my thought was, well that's nice, but I'll probably build my own (having the thought that they were probably overpriced).
Fast forward to a few months back and I was tired of:
Happened to see a handle and boom arm from a dealer that was going out of business, so I jumped on those at 30% off.
My first impression when they arrived was "wow, this tubing is a lot more robust than I was expecting". And after using it for a few months now, I really like it. I'll work inside, and then on nice days drag everything out on the patio. Unbolting the boom arm from the vertical section and then re-attaching takes a whopping 30 seconds of time, tops. I was just ducking the whole thing under/through the doorways, until I realized it takes no time.
Sometimes (like now), I just leave the boom arm off when I'm moving the vac around to use it as just a vac, or sanding close to the ground.
Never attached the outriggers. I had one tippy experience, but other than that, with a little caution, I've not found that I need them.
Fast forward to a few months back and I was tired of:
- Stepping on the hose, or jumping past it to avoid squashing it
- Dragging it over the rail, even with the little rail end deflector
- Having it give just enough drag on the routing/dominoing I was doing
Happened to see a handle and boom arm from a dealer that was going out of business, so I jumped on those at 30% off.
My first impression when they arrived was "wow, this tubing is a lot more robust than I was expecting". And after using it for a few months now, I really like it. I'll work inside, and then on nice days drag everything out on the patio. Unbolting the boom arm from the vertical section and then re-attaching takes a whopping 30 seconds of time, tops. I was just ducking the whole thing under/through the doorways, until I realized it takes no time.
Sometimes (like now), I just leave the boom arm off when I'm moving the vac around to use it as just a vac, or sanding close to the ground.
Never attached the outriggers. I had one tippy experience, but other than that, with a little caution, I've not found that I need them.
i have a ct22 and boom arm. . i took the boom arm off as i found it a pain in the bu,m to use it on the vac. it was a neusince to move from site to workshop. i left it up safe and worked away without it. the problem is i missed it too much. i never apricieated it because i never had it without the boom before. i bolted the boom arm to a corner petrudingout into the workshop. now i have the best of both worlds
I also can't attach a boom arm to "Uncle Fester" as the co-owner (My Spousal unit) wouldn't like that very much.
Instead I've been thinkingof a contraption of 2" pvc with electrical sweeps could achieve a DIY version. That way I could secure it
to whatever I want, and run both the hose and cord THROUGH the pvc piping (dedicated, of course). Then I'd just move the
vacuum into place and connect it when I needed the boom arm. Could go to 2 1/2" or 3" if needed.
I wouldn't bother with this if the boom arm was quick disconnect....
Instead I've been thinkingof a contraption of 2" pvc with electrical sweeps could achieve a DIY version. That way I could secure it
to whatever I want, and run both the hose and cord THROUGH the pvc piping (dedicated, of course). Then I'd just move the
vacuum into place and connect it when I needed the boom arm. Could go to 2 1/2" or 3" if needed.
I wouldn't bother with this if the boom arm was quick disconnect....
i think there is a gap in the boom arm market for a site version that folds up around the vac for easier storage in the van and for moving it around . if the arm folded so that it went down beside the vac and across the front of the vac and back towards the back again . it would be a big seller i think as most people see the point of the boom arm but think it is a PITA to move from one site to another and to store.
Guy Ashley
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Alan m said:
Now that is a good idea!!! [scratch chin] [scratch chin]
Any of the Festool guru's know if something like that is being considered?
Bearing in mind how they developed the Kapex with the UG cart, it would be an ideal compliment to that!
Alan, patent that idea!! QUICK!!!!!
Alan m said:
Euro design... quick folding.... removeable.
Seems oddly familiar....
[attachimg=#]
Wonderwino
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- Apr 5, 2008
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I have the boom arm on my CT33 and it stays there full time. I did just mount the arm by "gravity;" I leave out the pin that holds it in the vertical pipe attached to the Dust Extractor. I have the outriggers mounted, but rarely use the spreader bars; I just tighten the knobs that hold the spreaders enough so they won't easily move. This setup allows me to quickly compact the outriggers and remove the boom arm to get through doors and out of the garage if I need to move the machine.
About the only time I don't use the boom arm is if I'm working on the floor, in which case the hose isn't long enough. [embarassed]
About the only time I don't use the boom arm is if I'm working on the floor, in which case the hose isn't long enough. [embarassed]
pdlandgang
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- Feb 16, 2010
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I am somewhere between liking it and loving it. I have had one for some time now and this past weekend I took the hose and cords off the arm so I could move it between pieces easier. Kept tripping over the hoses and pulling things off the bench. Put everything back on and no more issues. I see it as a very nice, functional accessory to have. If you have the extra cash to spring for it, then do it. If not, it is worth saving for and treating yourself sometime down the line.
jonny round boy
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- Jul 21, 2007
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woodguy7 said:
Woodguy,
I had a setup like that - I posted about it a few years ago,
Edit: All working now!
jonny round boy
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- Jul 21, 2007
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oooohhh - I've just realised that only the small pics are missing - if you click on the little red 'x's, the big pics are still there! [thumbs up]
Just edited the old post so the pics show up!!!
Just edited the old post so the pics show up!!!
here is a link to a fog thread that i started about this subject. go to the bottom to see the pics of the boom arm on the wall
my boom arm
my boom arm
MrToolJunkie
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- Jul 6, 2009
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Some of the best money I have spent! No more hose catching on the rail is nice. It also helps you keep the hose at the right level when sanding and routing and cutting. A must-have in my opinion.
Scot
Scot
atomicmike
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- Apr 29, 2010
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I just took the plunge on the boom arm last week. When I first saw it in the catalog, I thought it was something that was nice, but wouldn't be worth it for me. Then I used one in class and was sold on the idea, but still didn't buy right away. Now that I have it, I can't imagine giving it up, and I can only wonder why I waited so long to buy it. It really does relieve so much of the aggravation that the hose can cause, especially while sanding.
- Mike
- Mike