Air Compressor newbie ?'s

Nov 18, 2003 5 Replies
J

I recently picked up a air compressor for around the house tasks(what I told my swmbo) and wood working. Now I know I should have gotten something more pricey but the new harbor freight opened by my house and I picked up a compressor(2hp, 4 gallon), and brad nailer from there for pretty cheap, I figure the amount of time that I will be using it won't be such a big deal, plus I already recognize that if it breaks, well its no big loss to me. On that note I have 2 questions:


  1. The CFM at 90 and 40 what is better higher numbers or lower numbers?
  2. I read about using a propane tank as a secondary tank. I have a 4 gallon pancake tank and was wondering if you could connect a propane tank directly to the compressor through piping and then a regulator and my tools on the other side of the propane tank. this way I'm sucking off of the propane tank and not the compressor itself giving me a little more time.


Granted to run my brad nailer and air wrench to change tires its not really a big deal, but I wanted to see what my options are for this little baby why I had her. I am planning on buying a much larger (professional grade) compressor in a year or two when I get a new house. So I don't want to sink to much on it. Thank you in advance for your recomendations.



Joshua Goodstein


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M

High numbers are better. The number will give you the most it will be able to drive with respect to tools. If you look at a given tool, it will have number at a given pressure. Most compressors can run a nail gun, even a big framing nailer, the cheaper compressors (with low numbers) will just run more, as in cycle more to the keep pressure.

I don't think I would add a propane tank for extra volume, I guess it would work.

Note; an air wrench will take a bunch of air. You *should* be able to change a tire but that little pancake will run the entire time you use the wrench.

Good luck

Joshua Goodste> I recently picked up a air compressor for around the house tasks(what

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E

Any sort of tank will work. Make it so it can be bypassed though. The downside is that if you want to use your brad nailer for say, 10 shots, you must pressurize the entire systems to at least the minimum required to operate the tool. In theory, you can connect a 500 gallon tank and have a huge reserve, but it will take a damned long time to pump it up enough to drive that first brad. Ed

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C

Personally, I think I'd be a little careful what kind of tank I crank up to

100+ psi.

Clint

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B

I thought a tank had to be an ASME certified pressure vessel. "Any" tank isn't quite sufficient for pumping up to 125#. Be careful fellas...

dave

Edw>>gallon pancake tank and was wondering if you could connect a propane

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B

The pancake compressors are pretty much only good for brad nailers, pumping up your tire, and blowing dust off things. They don't have enough CFM to run most air tools. I'm not hacking your choice, I have one too and their nice to have because they are portable. They are very limited though. I got the PC package with the brad nailer and I figured even if the compressor died after a year or two, it came with a decent nailer and the price was right.

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