Shopsmith Forums

reible wrote:Hi,

From my experience you never seem to have enough air for any job you get into. Storage tanks have limited use for anything that takes much air so you are better off with having the compressor to work with.

Might I suggest getting a longer hose? I'd go with at least 3/8" and reasonable quality with quick disconnects. When I work inside my house I hook up the two longer sections of hose that adds 50 feet then go to my normal hose for another 25 feet. There is no noticeable problems at 75 feet but I guess at some point I would guess you can get too far away.

My compressor is near the front of my garage in a compress house to limit noise and to give me a good starting point for most of the places I need to reach. I do have a 12 gal portable tank that I can hook up to increase my storage for heavier use tools.

Some day I'd love to have a LARGE tank and 220 volt compressor like my brother does. Just can't get enough of that air.

Ed

I have over 200' of 3/8" hose in 50' & several 25' sections. I have been able to operate various air tools at the end of all these hoses. I have a lot of various air tools for specific jobs. A larger tank and compressor would be nice but what I have is good for me. I get too low air pressure about the same time as I need a break. Never found a need to go to 1/2" hose. Not like electric cords that are some what restricted in length.

Thanks all, I think what I will do is just haul the compressor via wheelbarrow as close I can get and the use hoss to the end. Thanks

reible wrote:Hi,

From my experience you never seem to have enough air for any job you get into. Storage tanks have limited use for anything that takes much air so you are better off with having the compressor to work with.

Might I suggest getting a longer hose? I'd go with at least 3/8" and reasonable quality with quick disconnects. When I work inside my house I hook up the two longer sections of hose that adds 50 feet then go to my normal hose for another 25 feet. There is no noticeable problems at 75 feet but I guess at some point I would guess you can get too far away.

My compressor is near the front of my garage in a compress house to limit noise and to give me a good starting point for most of the places I need to reach. I do have a 12 gal portable tank that I can hook up to increase my storage for heavier use tools.

Some day I'd love to have a LARGE tank and 220 volt compressor like my brother does. Just can't get enough of that air.

Ed

I have a couple of revisions to my late night post. Let's call it a senior moment.

First the hoses I have are a yellow 350 psi rated goodyear hose. They are 40 feet long, not 25 feet. So the two of them are good for 80 feet. In addition to that I have 2 black hoses each 25 feet. So my max reach is 130 feet.

Second my main tank on the compressor is 12 gallons. This means that my extra tank has to be more like 5 gallons. Right now it is too buried to go look.

As added reference the compressor is rated 7.0 SCFM @40psig and 5.6 SCFM @ 90 psig.

Ed

As general reference air compressor hose is not all that expensive. To put this in to prospective you can price them yourself but here is an example of a 50 foot length at $22.50.

http://www.amazon.com/GoodYear-8-Inch-- ... s=air+hose

If you get two of these the postage is free and you have a 100 feet of hose. Mind you this was not researched so lower prices might be available. When I got my yellow hoses they were 40 feet for the price of 25 feet so I got the two of them. Back then I believe they were about $10 each.

If you lug your compressor to the site you will need an extension cord, say the same 100 feet and because of the distance you will want 12 GA. wire. I'd say this is minimal and depending on the compressor you might have to go to 10 GA. Another quick look shows a cheap electrical cord running about $50 for the 12 GA and if you need the 10 GA you are looking at over $100.

Just saying it is most likely cheaper to go the long hose route. In addition the compressor is a lot harder to move then a hose, ie no wheel barrow involved. It is also true that the compressor being out some where will want to be on a GFI plug in for safety sake.

You can of course do as you like and change later if that suits you.

Ed

My 'roofing' setup has the compressor/main tank at ground level near an electrical outlet(no extension cord). A 1/2" hose goes up onto the roof to a second 5 gal tank. The tank has an inlet valve that allows disconnecting the inlet hose and still maintain tank pressure(nice when is really needs to be portable).

The tank outlet connection has a pressure regulator and an oiler in line. A 1/2" outlet hose goes to the nailer.

Everything has quick disconnect fittings. The oil hose is only used with the oiler.

I have smaller hoses for less demanding applications and adapters for that (quick connect/disconnect).

The compressor regulator is set to max and the upper regulator controls nailer pressure.

I have used this setup with a small 1 gal el cheapo compressor and although it runs often, the upper tank provides consistent pressure. A roofing nailer needs 75-90 psi and with a large piston, requires fast delivery(large hose/connections).

The cheap HF plastic hoses tend to be stiff in cold weather, but seem to be durable.

IMHO it is good to make it in pieces. That way most is light weight.

Sometimes rediscovering all the 'pieces' can be challenging!:D

This reminds me of one of my old posts. Might be worth a look see again or for the first time.

https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=3206

Ed

The portable tanks are more for inflating tires or quick operations. Air nailers are probably the most finicky air tools because if you drop below the required gpm and psi you're re-working the piece as opposed to cutting slower or waiting a couple more minutes to get a lugnut off.

A less awkward alternative to the pancake compressor is the "dual tank" that looks like side by side scuba tanks with a handle and wheels like a dolly. They aren't super expensive new, and there is a glut of them at pawn shops and on craigslist in my area as the construction industry has imploded at the lake.

Adding hose will work, but its also effectively adding unregulated volume to the system so you will see a drop in performance and cycle duty. Adding 50+ ft of standard sized rubber hose to a pancake compressor may be too much to ever get the required gpm and psi to the tool.

And reible's post is an excellent tip. Compressing air extracts heat and moisture, its unavoidable. Drying units to clean the air between the tank and tool are very expensive, instead I depressurize mine and remove the tank plug when I'm done with it. Waiting 5 minutes to fill the tank isn't worth spending big bucks on a dryer.

All this compressor talk reminds me I need to finally stop borrowing a compressor from friends for my previously fairly infrequent needs and finally get around to buying one. My immediate need is a finish nailer to install a zillion feet of new baseboard in our new house, but overall I'm sure it will also see duty for the usual filling and changing tires and possibly a sand blaster at some point for some procrastinated projects.

So I'm hoping folks can give me some advice on size, type, brand etc. of compressor I should consider. Portability is important, so I figure I'm probably looking at either one of the typical two-tank types that most contractors I know throw in the back of their truck and pack around to different job sites - the type with a handle on top that you can carry around, or else the bigger horizaontal tank type that is on wheels. Pros and cons of these? I'm guessing tank size vs portability is the main difference? What do folks recommend given the expected uses?

I don't really know the pros/cons of oil-free vs oiled, or the various specs of the compressor itself that are desirable - i.e. what to look for that will tell me how fast it will fill? What about brand? I'm leery of cheap Chinese junk but since virtually everything is made in China these days, how do I tell the good from the destined to be short lived?

As far as a finish nailer, I was told to go for Senco or Hitachi - thoughts on these or other types? Size for nailing baseboard (I was told 15 gauge)? Angled vs straight nailer? Other size nailers I should consider? I don't plan on a bunch of framing or anything like that - cabinet/shelving type assembly is probably more likely in my future.

And of course cost - I've already broken the bank on the house purchase and remodel, so I'm hoping to escape this purchase as cheapily as possible while still making sure I buy something of reasonable quality and longevity.

Thanks in advance for the advice.

dgale wrote:All this compressor talk reminds me I need to finally stop borrowing a compressor from friends for my previously fairly infrequent needs and finally get around to buying one. My immediate need is a finish nailer to install a zillion feet of new baseboard in our new house, but overall I'm sure it will also see duty for the usual filling and changing tires and possibly a sand blaster at some point for some procrastinated projects.

So I'm hoping folks can give me some advice on size, type, brand etc. of compressor I should consider. Portability is important, so I figure I'm probably looking at either one of the typical two-tank types that most contractors I know throw in the back of their truck and pack around to different job sites - the type with a handle on top that you can carry around, or else the bigger horizaontal tank type that is on wheels. Pros and cons of these? I'm guessing tank size vs portability is the main difference? What do folks recommend given the expected uses?

I don't really know the pros/cons of oil-free vs oiled, or the various specs of the compressor itself that are desirable - i.e. what to look for that will tell me how fast it will fill? What about brand? I'm leery of cheap Chinese junk but since virtually everything is made in China these days, how do I tell the good from the destined to be short lived?

As far as a finish nailer, I was told to go for Senco or Hitachi - thoughts on these or other types? Size for nailing baseboard (I was told 15 gauge)? Angled vs straight nailer? Other size nailers I should consider? I don't plan on a bunch of framing or anything like that - cabinet/shelving type assembly is probably more likely in my future.

And of course cost - I've already broken the bank on the house purchase and remodel, so I'm hoping to escape this purchase as cheapily as possible while still making sure I buy something of reasonable quality and longevity.

Thanks in advance for the advice.

Sandblasting is on the opposite end of the spectrum from finish nailing - it requires higher psi and much higher (and constant) gpm. You really need to be into one of those 60+ gal tank setups for sandblasting. You can destroy even a 20 gal with decent hp motor on a small project...ask me how I know!!! I now take my sandblasting to a shop run by the local Menonite community because I don't want to upgrade that far and all my other air tools work fine with a med size unit.

Oil vs oil free...I prefer oil. It's not hard to add an ounce when the window gets low. The oil-free ones make me nervous, they have to lubricate somehow and the only solution I can think of is plastic bushings which don't seem like a long-term solution to me.

Junk vs. non-junk (dictates which brand) - the big divide is parts availability/serviceability. If you want to keep the compressor long term and you'll be using it, eventually the reed valve will need replaced. If you can go to the mfger's website and order a new $5 reed valve rather than an entire "assembly" (half the motor!) then its not disposable junk.

Wheels vs. handle is a personal preference. If you're toting it across the yard wheels would be nice, if you're loading/unloading from a truck and taking up and down stairs handle would be nice.

frank81 wrote:Sandblasting is on the opposite end of the spectrum from finish nailing - it requires higher psi and much higher (and constant) gpm. You really need to be into one of those 60+ gal tank setups for sandblasting. You can destroy even a 20 gal with decent hp motor on a small project...ask me how I know!!! I now take my sandblasting to a shop run by the local Menonite community because I don't want to upgrade that far and all my other air tools work fine with a med size unit.

Oil vs oil free...I prefer oil. It's not hard to add an ounce when the window gets low. The oil-free ones make me nervous, they have to lubricate somehow and the only solution I can think of is plastic bushings which don't seem like a long-term solution to me.

Junk vs. non-junk (dictates which brand) - the big divide is parts availability/serviceability. If you want to keep the compressor long term and you'll be using it, eventually the reed valve will need replaced. If you can go to the mfger's website and order a new $5 reed valve rather than an entire "assembly" (half the motor!) then its not disposable junk.

Wheels vs. handle is a personal preference. If you're toting it across the yard wheels would be nice, if you're loading/unloading from a truck and taking up and down stairs handle would be nice.

Thanks for the input - sounds like I should consider renting or some other option if/when I get around to the sand blasting and instead focus on a smaller compressor for the more typical uses. Any advice on preferred brands for nailers?