Need Air

[Dan Kralemann]

Hello,

I would like to get an air compressor to blow the dust and grit off of my projects between the changes in sanding grits. I will also use it to blow the dust out of the chuck and off of the lathe. I have no experience with using a compressor. Before I purchase one, I would like to know from you as to your experiences with how many gallon tank size that I should consider as a minimum for what I have stated that I would like to use it for.

Thank you,
Dan

[Marty Eargle]

I have a small, portable compressor meant for blowing off grit next to my lathe...it is 125 PSI and probably just at a gallon. Works just fine for all my lathing needs. Though I also have a 4 gallon compressor for larger tasks and putting air in tires. I would probably go ahead an get one with enough power for use with the lathe plus more. Better to have more than you need than not enough.

[curtis rosche]

search craigslist for an old quiet one with a large capacity.

[Bob Bergstrom]

I have a Borg compressor (30 gal.) which has an oil reservoir. They are much quieter than oilless. It meets all my needs from cleaning to spraying or running cut off tools.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Dan - if you haven't been around compressors, the first thing you will note is that they are loud! Especially the oil-less versions! If you are just planning on using it to blow the dust off your lathe, you will not need a very big unit. However, Marty brings up a valid point in that it is better to have more of a system than less...

I have a 5 hp 20 gallon unit and it does everything that I need but it is heavy to haul around. Good luck with your search!

[robert baccus]

Roger the above. the big one's are not much more expensive. also consider spraying and air-grinders-sanders. the rating to look at is cubic feet/min at 90 psi. for dust and sprayguns 3-4 is fine. the air powered tools really need 8-9 '/min. you can get by on less but like buying a lathe...... --------------old forester

[Bernie Weishapl]

I would definitely get one if there is any thought of using air tools. I am glad I got my 30 gal unit because I have thinking of getting a Grex air sander.

[Carl Civitella]

I have a Portacable 150 pan cake compressor, it runs all the air guns from staples to brads to nails. I like it cause i can move it where i need it. Carl

[Andrew Kertesz]

I have a HF unit that is about 8 gals and has more than enough power to do what I need. While I don't run any air tools it does have the capacity. I paid less than $100 when it was on sale and used a 20% coupon.

[Gary Sichmeller]

I just went thru the process of getting a compressor. I had a smaller unit (2 gallon) that worked alright for blowing dust around. But, when blowing chips out of a hollow form, the capacity of the compressor left a lot to be desired. I bought one of the new Campbell/Hausfield 200 psi compressors (15 gallon) and what a difference. Yes, it's noisy when running, but once it's at capacity, I can blow chips out of my form with plenty of pressure and it does not need to recharge very often at all. I would recommend, if your budget can afford it, (my compressor was less then $200 at a big box store) the largest size compressor you can.(15 - 20 gallon size to start).

[Michael Menzli]

I have an older version of this.. http://www.harborfreight.com/25-hors...sor-67847.html .. decent price then add another 20% off with an online coupon and your at $130 or so .. i found they even discount the extended warranties so you can get one of those on the cheap should your unit fail. They are loud but only run for a few minutes unless doing heavy work.

[Rex Guinn]

Dan I had a 25 gal oil less for about 3 years it quit a while back. Bought a 60 gal tank for $20 from craigslist, had a 5HP 220v motor and a harbor freight 5 hp compressor, now just have to put it together. I should never have to worry about air again. Air tools will be the way to go in the future. But if you buy one of these new it will be about 800 to 1000. So far I have about 250 in it.

[Bill Bulloch]

Get one as big as you can afford and have room for and remember the more PSI the better. When you have one you'll find many things to do with it other than just blowing sawdust off your turnings. The Porter-Cable I had for years recently died and I was completly lost without it. It was a 135 PSI. I replaced it with, you guessed it, a bigger one with 200 PSI. And, if I have had more room in my shop I would have gotten an even bigger one.

[Jerry Marcantel]

I got my compressor in 1978 from WW Graingers, a Dayton 6 CFM @ 40# pump, 1 HP, 110 volt, 11 amp motor with a 20 gallon tank. It came on at 80#, and shut off at 100# when purchased. I discovered that wasn't sufficient for one nail gun that had to have at least 90# to sink a nail. I put in another on/off switch that started at 120# and shut off at 150# and went to a 30 gallon upright tank. . I've been using that same compressor since '78 and have replaced the reeds twice, and motor bearings once. With all the use I've put it through, spray painting, nailing, blowing off stuff, and now sanding with a pneumatic sander, it's still going strong. IMO,you don't need big hp. Also, check to see if the tank is ASME rated. I haven't seen any rusty water yet when draining the tank, which I do at least once a week.... .... Jerry (in Tucson) PS..... The daily use this compressor get's is equivilent to 3 hours constant running time...

[Justin Stephen]

If you have a permanent workshop and the space, you really are better off getting a large compressor. I would advise against small, oilless compressors as they are very loud and really don't have much oomph at all.

Knowing that a move was in my future, I decided to get something small enough to still be portable but with some chops. After substantial research, I picked the Makita MAC2400:

http://www.amazon.com/Makita-MAC2400...dp/B0001Q2VPK/ ($299 right now with free shipping)

It is very, very quiet for a compressor and puts off a fair amount of air (4.2 CFM at 90psi) so I can still run a substantial variety of air tools off of it without constantly having to wait for it to repressurize. Obviously, there are some sustained use tools (grinders, for example) that this thing isn't going to run very well. Another nice feature is the two outputs on the front where many other smaller compressors only have one.