Do Silent Or Nearly Silent Air Compressors Exist For the Home Shop?

[squarei4dtoolguy]

Hey, I have the "affordable" Porter Cable 6 gallon pancake. My ears bleed when it fires up. I also have a 12 year old 25 gallon sears unit in my shop. Likewise, my ears bleed when it fires up. The fact is, just about any belt driven compressor that you have to oil is going to run quieter. That said, ask yourself the question. Am I going to buy the filters to keep the oil out of my spray gun? A small laquer job is not worth breaking out the hvlp unit. Unless there is a chance of oil getting in the gun and mixing ,or not mixing well at all, on my beautifully crafted, expensive hardwood project. I am of the opinion that compressors that you have to oil, are more at home in the mechanics shop than the woodworker's shop.

Tom in KY, thinking about putting my compressor under the counter and see if that helps keep the blood off of my collar. My wife thanks you John B. and I do too.

[THOMAS CLEVELAND]

As you stated, that you want to run a sand blaster, and tat requires a fair amount of "cfm"-cubic feet/minute, which means a large compressor. I am a field service tech for Atlas Copco air compressors, capacity and quietness generally (in less expensive air compressors) do not go together, if price is important than a exterior location with sound deadening material is the answer, however if you have the money or that, and can afford to put some more with it then I would suggest looking into a Atlas Copco oil free scroll (SF2) compressor, as I have serviced many located in quiet work areas in a lab at "Shrinners Hospital in Boston MA", at many "Lens Crafters" locations. I'm not sure of there cost, I would guess around 4 to 5 thousand, they are available in single phase (220-230) volts as well as the commercially normal 3 phase (208/230-460) volt. Expensive but very quiet, just about as big as a dormitory refrigerator and not as loud as a pain shaker.

Cheers, Thomas Cleveland

[Kevin Craig]

So far, nobody has answered the real question: "Sears kind", versus reasonably quiet.

The "Sears kind" are invariably "oil-free" or "oilless" compressors. Instead of a piston in a cylinder, lubed by oil, they have a diaphragm vibrating rapidly back and forth, with a *braaaaaaaaa* sound guaranteed to make grown men cry.

Get an oil-type. Even if you have to get Harbor Freight. Get cast iron requiring a top-off with 30W. Your neighbors (and your eardrums) will thank you.

Kevin

[Mike Berger]

[Juergen Hannappel]

[Blubber] I confused scroll with screw compressor. Disregard.

[The Visitor]

These aren't really for spraying. Can't you put the compressor outsicde close to your neighbour's house. That's what I am planning.

[e-mail] wrote:

[Charley]

Jun-Air makes some small "really quiet" air compressors. They are about as noisy as a frost free refrigerator and really quite amazing, but their price is a bit more (150%) than a typical pancake compressor.

I have one (4 cfm @ 60 psi pancake style) that I use when I'm doing power carving in my hotel room or doing demonstration carving at shows. The first time that I turned mine on I was in a cabinet shop environment, but off in a relatively quiet corner area away from the mainstream work. The light came on when I plugged it in, but I thought it was broken because I didn't hear it running. Then I realized that air was coming out of the valve. Careful inspection, and putting my ear against the compressor, proved me wrong. The small air pulse released from the unloader when it is shutting off is even louder than the compressor running noise.

I once used it with a Porter Cable brad nailer to do a job in an area where excessive noise was prohibited, and it did just fine. It'll build pressure to about 120 psi before it shuts off, so light nail gun use with it is possible. If I had originally intended to use it for nail guns I would have bought a larger one though. I had originally intended to use it only for power carving and it's perfect for that.

DAGS on Jun-Air air compressors

[I like To Please]

I have a new 5 hp Curtis that has a China made compressor that I DO NOT RECOMMEND. It is a quiet machine, I t has plenty of power, but the compressor was replaced on warranty as it had a lot of blow by, and would actually fog up my garage. The new one does not have as much blow by , but has fluid leaks !! Since it's Chinese maybe it would like Soy Sauce instead of compressor oil.......