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I have a pancake compressor that I want to us as a stationary compressor hooked up to a retractable hose for basic stuff around the shop; like blowing off equipment running tools. Maybe at some point other tools. Would a 20 gallon unit be a reasonable size? Also, what is the advantage/disadvantage of oiless units?
Are Harbor Freight units ok? or should I spend more for another brand?
I have just been posting about the 20gal Puma upright cast iron oil filled. Oiless are SUPER LOUD - router loud. Look for a ingersol rand garage mate or a puma or a northern tool version of the same. I would definately buy a used oil filled in great shape over a cheap new oiless. A full fill of a 20 ga might take 3-4 minutes or more so that loud motor for that long is annoying to me.
You will still kick the compressor on using a 20ga like canned air but not nearly as frequently or for as long as a pancake.
Lowes is clearencing out some poly recoil hoses that are nice - they are in a box. New ones say china all over them and are in blister packs - I know these clearenced boxed ones are prob made in china too but at least it is not plastered all over it. :)
I'll also throw in a recommendation for the Makita MAC700, which isn't much bigger than a pancake but amazingly, and I mean amazingly quiet. It is a little more expensive (~$200) then some of the off brands, but every time I turn it on and hear how quiet it is, it makes me smile. This is all I use in my shop, but it is also portable if needed. I have a much larger and louder stationary compressor in the garage, but I generally need much higher CFM for tasks there.
I must use one heck of a lot less air in the woodshop than you guys do. My woodshop compressor is one of those Dewalt Emglo portable things, it works well. It is loud, but it runs so little it's no big deal. That being said, if you are using your woodshop compressor for other things, like air wrenches, rotary tools, air assisted tooling or something, a bigger compressor would be good. When I buy compressors for the farm, I look for a good US made motor, and preferably a US made pump. Most brands have a mix of components, some models being built for price, some not so it is hard to just pick a good brand. Generally, you will not find these compressors at a Borg, or any of the other discount type of stores. An auto parts source can usually get decent compressors, as can the heavy equipment dealers. There are of course online sources as well. Some brands that I know have good components if you pick the right model are Ingersol Rand, Quincey, Snap-on, and Matco.
That being said, because I can't imagine that a woodshop needs a compressor that will be used as often as these are built for, so just about anything should work. Don't worry so much about tank size, the real important number is the cfm of the pump. It needs to be able to keep ahead of whatever tool you are using. An air nozzle dumps a lot of air, but you normally don't use it long for example, so a small machine works ok on it.
I'll add to Mike's oil vs non, the oilless are typically a much lower life machine. They are usually made as a "throwaway" type of tool, where an oil type can be fixed if a component gives up.
I don't know anything about Harbor Freights compressors, but I would guess that they would work fine in the average woodshop, but poorly in a mechanics shop.
All my Compressors from the 80gal down are oil lubricated and are like the Little Bunnie Rabbit ... they keep going on and on. Oiless are short lived compared the oilled. One of my small ones, an EMGLO made before DeWalt procured them, for the air nailers etc., is about 30 plus years old and was used by contractors prior to my getting it. The 80 gal was procured new in the 70's. I have had zero problems with any of them.
Leo
I'm thinking about trying one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/Rolair-JC10-Su...I1J2SQCYRSV226
Read about it in a recent issue of Wood Magazine. It's supposed to be really quite. I have a 26gal in the shop now that I pulled down from the garage. Like others have said, there's no real reason for such a large compressor in the woodshop (at least for me). UNLESS you use a venturi based vacuum system. Those can require a lot of air, at least when pulling the initial vacuum. When I use the vacuum press, the larger compressor would be needed but that is a rare occasion.
And the previous post shows just how wrong it is to say that oil-less compressors are loud. Many are loud but the very quietest compressors are also oil-less. You can also not make the assumption that oil lubricated compressors are quiet.
Look at Makita's line of oil-lubed compressors. The MAC700 and MAC2400 are quiet. The MAC5200 is loud. The Rolair mentioned above is very quiet. You can't really say if it is quieter than the MAC700 & 2400 because the sound is different. The Rolair JC10 really is lower performance than the MAC700 and much lighter. It is more of a compressor to haul around that will run a 18Ga Bradder well. I have a Senco PC1010 for that use but would probably replace it with a JC10 next time. Senco is just not what it was 10 years ago and the Rolair JC10 is almost as light and just a bit bigger with better protection for fragile parts.
I think you will find either of those small units VERY limiting when trying to blow off anything with an air gun. A PC1010 will blow the dust out of small items like a computer but even then you may have to wait and let it catch up to finish the job.
Like almost everything else, you will have a tough time making assumptions based upon brand. It is hard to go too far wrong sticking with Rolair but you can still get a compressor that is inappropriate for your needs.
A MAC2400 will run two framing guns but trying to use it to blow out a garage would be frustrating. A spectacular next step up is the IR Garage Mate. Interesting thing is my local Sears actually carries that in stock and at a reasonable price.
I've been using a Makita MAC2400 for over a year. It's been perfect in running any of my four nail guns, air tools for working on my truck and even HVLP painting. The sound volume is a pleasure especially after a decade of using a hand-me-down Craftsman which was simply absurdly loud. The Makita is a quite reasonable at $299 from Amazon.