Air compressor, minimum specs??

I know I should just google it, but it's Friday, I've spent the whole week doing tile in the house and I'm tired, my hands, knees and back hurt, and worse just too lazy to look right now. So, an assist from the rec would help here.

My old air compressor (given to me by pop in law - a really good guy) petered out on me a while back as a hole popped out in the tank. Given the aforementiond tile job I'm doing I need to replace a whole bunch of trim and the time has come to invest in a new air compressor. Dad in law is not footing the bill on this one.

What would you all recommend as a minimum for doing trim, moulding, furniture, etc. I don't need a workhorse for framing and huge jobs. Just something to take care of smaller jobs. I guess I am wondering what HP, PSI, etc.

Thaks in advance to all for hte help.

Geo

Reply to
taxpayer779
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I can relate, just finished grouting the kitchen last night. The room never seemed so big.

I have a 30 gallon Craftsman that has been great. Just bought two PC nailers for the reasons you mentioned. Before you buy a compressor think about this:

Does it need to be portable?

Will I ever have the need for an HVLP sprayer? (don't know much about this, but I gather it requires a special or high-volume compressor)

Space available (next time I will get one with a vertical tank for a smaller footprint)

Noise level of the compressor, wife, kids, neighbors, etc.

What kind of tools will you need to run? As already mentioned, nailers don't need a big tank, except maybe a roofing gun. Air tools like grinders, drills, ratchets, impact guns and the like use a lot of air. My 30 gallon at times can't keep up when using these tools.

As usual the answer is: It depends...

What about brazing the hole in the tank or having it welded?

Reply to
Ray

Think about this; the compressors these days are cheap. Buy a little bit larger one than you think you might need, and then buy plenty of hose.

It is not unusual for me to put the compressor out on a job by the outlet, and then run 250' of hose from it. My jobsite compressors are half oiled and half oiless. Some here think that the oiless are too noisy... roll, or take it away from your work area and put on all the hose you are to work with.

Unlike electrical, you won't lose pressure with longer hoses, but you will get farther away from a noisy machine. Both of my buddies that have cabinet shops have their compressors outside the shop and run their hoses where they need them.

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41

Because of the pressure involved, do try to have it done to ASME specs. OTOH replacing the tank should cost lots less than a new unit.

Chalk it up to lesson to drain water.

HTH, J

Reply to
barry

First suggestion: get a new tank. Cheaper than buying whole new compressor.

Second suggestion: for the first time, I tried a Harbor Freight compressor. It is just FINE and it's on sale now for $89. At least, it was last week. I think the normal price is around $139. There are two models that look almost exactly alike. I got the one that uses a copper tube instead of plastic between a couple of parts in front. Check out ITEM 38898-3VGA online for specs.

It's an oil bath unit, which I insisted on because they last longer and are much quieter than the oil-free units. It uses about one bottle of oil and has a little window so you can tell your oil level. I used it to run a couple of brad nailers, one 18ga and a framing nailer with 3" nails. I'm amazed at the performance for the money, to be blunt. I also got their $20 brad nailer and it runs fine too. I already had a Craftsman 15 ga nailer and a Dewalt 16 ga and it all runs fine. Nailers are easy on compressors. You can shoot a dozen or more nails/brads/pins/staples before the compressor comes on. 4 gallons isn't much to store but it does fine for nailers, IMHO. I wanted a unit that was easy to lift. At 50 pounds, it was perfect.

I'm surprised by the increased functionality of some of these super cheap tools. I never would have tried HF for anything with a motor a few years ago. I think nailers and compressors now are safe bets - just read newsgroups for personal reports. Keep a sharp eye on stock and model numbers. There are differences, even between units that look identical at first.

Reply to
Chita

By the way, I forgot to mention: I wouldn't buy air hose or fittings from HarborFreight. The rubber hoses are stinky and unwieldy. The fittings leaked like crazy. I got a poly type orange hose - lightweight and still very cheap. Available all over, any Sears or Home Depot, etc. Husky fittings from Home Depot didn't leak. I use a few wraps of teflon tape around threaded bits. I like Milton fittings (over time, I've found they're the best for function and longevity). I was in a hurry that day and couldn't stop the HarborFreight fittings from leaking so got the Home Depot Husky fittings as an emergency replacement. They worked fine.

Also - if you can, use a local HarborFreight and open the box before you leave the store. The first nailer had a broken case and it took a couple of kits to find one that was complete as well as unbroken. Some boxes did NOT have all the nail samples that were promised.

Reply to
Chita

You sold a rotten tool to your friend? How does he like it?

Reply to
Chita

About any compressor will do the job for running nailers and the like. However, you might want to think about how you used the old one - and future needs. If you run any continuous-demand tools (sprayer, sander, etc.) you'll want to go bigger. The 2HP, 15-20 gallon machines in the home and farm-supply stores will meet most needs. I personally have a CH 30 gallon, upright oiled compressor. It is on wheels so I can move it around if needed. I have used it for everything from nailing to spraying and can't image overloading in my shop.

RonB

PS - Shop the home stores for packages. I helped my daughter buy one for the son-in-law last Christmas. We picked up a Husky 26 gallon oil-less at HD for less than $300 and it came with a hose and lots of toys (impact wrenches, air chisel, grease gun, fittings, etc.) Granted the toys were not top quality but it got him going.

Reply to
RonB

I'm wondering what cause the hole in his tank? If it was from rusting which I understand is common from water in the tank, then I'd definitely be prone to trashing it.

Reply to
Upscale

Reply to
nospambob

A porcer cable, eh?

Is that one of those domstic porcers or is it a veitnamese pot bellied porcer? :)

Reply to
Lee Michaels

Seems like it would plug the condensate drain valve at the bottom of the tank.

Reply to
Vic Dura

I have this compressor:

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which is adequate for doing stuff around the house. About 11 CFM, 80 gallon, 3 honest HP, 220 volts. So far, there is no job for it that is too big for the compressor. It sits quietly in the corner, not taking too much space.

Mine cost me $350 used.

Beware that compressor ratings are shamelessly inflated. Some companies are selling "5 HP" compressors that plug into regular 110V outlets.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus27279

I had the same question and looked at the DeWalt and King Canada site. (

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)

The nailer you want gives the correct specs. I also had a look at the spray paint bottles/guns and made a choice based on the spray gun I wish to run. So that meant at least the upper part of the consumer lines for the compressor.

e.g. Spray guns -- each with a spec...

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Stapler and nailer kits -- click on specs and you will see that each gun gives an "air spec".
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See the air compressors. For example the 8489 model....

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Specs.... This one is $180 CDN ($150 USD???)and can power most stuff I found....

Very similar to Rigid and dewalt models -- half the price. Probably good for heavy consumer use at least. Similar to General equipment etc...

Motor 2.5 HP/CV Air Delivery @ 40 PSI 6.78 SCFM

Air Delivery @ 90 PSI 5.29 SCFM

Tank Size 2 x 2 Gallon

Motor amperage 13.5 Amp. RPM 3,400

Voltage 60 Hz Dimensions (LxWxH) 18? x 17? x 18? Weight 62 lbs.

So can't help you specifically, cause you did not even give the class of gun/stapler, but this should give you an education...

Reply to
WillR

Any small compressor will handl the nail guns and have plenty of pressure. I have a little 6 gallon Porcer Cable pancake that works well for me. Even the small ones will put out 120+ psi

If you are getting into air tools, grinder, etc, you need much more.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Don't even think about it. Once rusted through, the tank should be trashed.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

I tried that HF's pancake compressor. What a POS. Loud and hot.

I buy stuff from HF as well, but that pancake compressor was very unpleasant to use. I sold it to my friend.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus27279

They are cheap though. I have two, thy are not stinky, but they are indeed unwieldy.

that was failed on me instantly.

I bought their shop crane and it was missing all washers.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus27279

Yea, my tank rusted throw also, I brazed it and it's holding air (five years, so far). I will be replacing the tank though. But I have a question. My buddy had a leak in his motorcycle gas tank, he bought an epoxy liquid that lined the inside of his tank and stopped the leak. This material was made specifically for this purpose (lining old rusty gas tanks). What I thought was, if I get a new tank, can I use this same epoxy to line the inside of the new tank before I use it, to prevent future rusting. For some reason, I've never seen anything in print about this solution, what are the down sides, would epoxy paint work as well.

Ray

Reply to
Nirodac

When I was selling the HF compressor to him, I told him that it was a POS compressor that I hated. He was not, by any means, underinformed. He wanted a compressor and did not want to spend big bucks.

As far as how does he like it, he has not yet tried it. He probably will not like it, but it will do the job that he wants it to do.

I also sold him a complete oxy acetylene welding outfit, with tanks, for $50. I do not think that he he is getting very bad deals from me.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus27279

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