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Thread: What happens if a pneumatic drill is under powered?

  1. #1

    What happens if a pneumatic drill is under powered?

    Having never owned or used pneumatic tools, what happens if the scfm of the air compressor is less than the rated scfm of a pneumatic drill?

    I have a 6 gallon pancake Porter Cable compressor that's rated at 2.6 scfm at 90 psi. Most 90 degree angle pneumatic drills seem to be rated at 4 scfm (Harbor Freight has one for $34.99). Will the drill just slow down in rpm but with sufficient torque? I want to use the drill with a flat drill brush to clean our carpet. (Yes, all of the carpet on hands and knees , but mostly in the high traffic areas.)

    I found an Irontron 0-1500 rpm variable speed 90 degree angle drill rated at 2.3 cfm. But all finds say "does not ship to your location". We have a trip scheduled for Las Vegas. Anyone know of a place that sells the Irontron pneumatic drill in Las Vegas?

    Another possibility is buying a 3 cfm 90 degree angle grinder from Harbor Freight for $13.99. But it comes with a 1/4 inch collet and flat drill brushes seem to only come with the typical quick change hex shaft. I haven't been able to find a 1/4" collet to hex adapter. (There are a lot of hex to collet adapters)

    https://www.harborfreight.com/air-an...der-32046.html

    Any ideas for using a flat drill brush with my small compressor to clean our carpet appreciated,
    Mike

  2. #2
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    Not that it matters but, a pneumatic drill fed by that compressor would drill for a very short time until it ran out of air and then stall completely.

    A $5 cheap scrub brush used by hand would be 1,000 times more effective than the first idea and 10,000 time more effective than the second one with the link. No brush with bristles is designed to run that speed without exploding.

    Using a powered brush on most carpets is a skill and also requires lots of power and very low speed.

  3. #3
    I would be looking for a different drill. Any air tool will just power down as the air runs out and ANY pneumatic tool other than a nailer is going to run on a small compressor for seconds (likely single digit seconds at that). You have to be up in the 5Hp, large tank, range to ever be able to run an air motor for any period of time.

    Whats the motivation for air? If your running a scrub brush electric would be fine and you wont freeze your hands lol.

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Greg R Bradley View Post
    Not that it matters but, a pneumatic drill fed by that compressor would drill for a very short time until it ran out of air and then stall completely.

    A $5 cheap scrub brush used by hand would be 1,000 times more effective than the first idea and 10,000 time more effective than the second one with the link. No brush with bristles is designed to run that speed without exploding.

    Using a powered brush on most carpets is a skill and also requires lots of power and very low speed.
    I've been scrubbing soiled areas of our carpet using a scrub brush by hand over the years and it's a lot of work. Trying to let tools do most of the work as I'm getting older . I was thinking that maybe I could set the drill to a lower speed by maybe taping a slim block of wood on the variable speed handle.

    You have all good points and I appreciate your response,
    Mike

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Bolton View Post
    I would be looking for a different drill. Any air tool will just power down as the air runs out and ANY pneumatic tool other than a nailer is going to run on a small compressor for seconds (likely single digit seconds at that). You have to be up in the 5Hp, large tank, range to ever be able to run an air motor for any period of time.

    Whats the motivation for air? If your running a scrub brush electric would be fine and you wont freeze your hands lol.
    I'm getting an education on pneumatic tools. Thanks.

    I was thinking of using pneumatic since liquids are involved in cleaning/rinsing to eliminate any risk of electric shock. I've used my bosch cordless impact screw driver with the drill brush to clean our bathtubs and it works really, really well. But the driver gets fairly warm and the height of the impact driver makes controlling the drill brushes harder, though it's easier than using my Bosch cordless drill which is even higher. Thought a 90 degree tool would be much easier to handle.

    I'll drop the thought of using pneumatic since my compressor is inadequate.
    Thanks,
    Mike

  6. #6
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    I've seen some brushes that attach to a reciprocating saw. Not sure if that would work well or not.

    We've found the best process is to lift as much dirt as possible out with a really powerful vacuum, then lift as much out with a carpet extractor which is really a convenient way to spray cleaner on the carpet and suck the wet solution out really well.

    Another process that works well is a good cleaner and then cheap terry cloth towel under each foot and scrub with your feet. Don't let them get very dirty before you replace them and then toss the whole bunch in the washer at once.

  7. #7
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    With an air drill or grinder you will need hearing protection

  8. #8
    Hey Mike? I keep wondering if a high speed brush setup like you are trying to put together might damage your carpet (higher speed or torque than a normal carpet scrubber)? It will depend on the brush and on the carpet, but I could envision a high speed brush turning the making the fibers get fuzzy or frayed. Might be nothing to worry about, but I'd sure run a test in a closet or something, first.

    Good luck.
    Fred
    Last edited by Frederick Skelly; 10-22-2017 at 7:10 AM. Reason: Clarify

  9. #9
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    I have an air-powered Grex 2" ROS. Once the tank on my small compressor is empty the sander still runs, but at a slower speed. It never stall completely. I don't know how a drill would compare to the sander.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Greg R Bradley View Post
    We've found the best process is to lift as much dirt as possible out with a really powerful vacuum, then lift as much out with a carpet extractor which is really a convenient way to spray cleaner on the carpet and suck the wet solution out really well.
    Yes, that is how I've been cleaning our carpets. First vacuum really well using our vacuum cleaner with a powered rotary brush attachment. Then spray cleaner with scrubbing, paying attention to more dirty areas. Only about 2'x3' sections at a time to minimize evaporation of the cleaner without soaking the carpet too much. Then rinse with plain water and suck the liquids out using our Bissell wet/dry vacuum cleaner that has a spray/suck head. Found that rinsing really well with water is key to not having the carpet acquire a light brown look after it dries.

    Because I'm cleaning the carpet myself, I only clean half of the carpet, leaving the other half as a path to walk on until the first half dries. Then clean the second half.

    Thanks.
    Last edited by mike sato; 10-22-2017 at 2:50 PM.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Jerome Stanek View Post
    With an air drill or grinder you will need hearing protection
    Yes, I always wear over the ear hearing protection when using loud tools. Thanks.

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Frederick Skelly View Post
    Hey Mike? I keep wondering if a high speed brush setup like you are trying to put together might damage your carpet (higher speed or torque than a normal carpet scrubber)? It will depend on the brush and on the carpet, but I could envision a high speed brush turning the making the fibers get fuzzy or frayed. Might be nothing to worry about, but I'd sure run a test in a closet or something, first.

    Good luck.
    Fred
    A definite common sense approach. Thanks.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Geoff Crimmins View Post
    I have an air-powered Grex 2" ROS. Once the tank on my small compressor is empty the sander still runs, but at a slower speed. It never stall completely. I don't know how a drill would compare to the sander.
    That is the kind if info that I'm looking for. Have you noticed that the torque is still sufficient when the tank is empty but your sander is running at the slower speed?

    Maybe setting my compressor's output psi to a lower value than the tool recommends will lower the rpm and prolong the air usage from a small tank. In my application I would want a lower rpm. Would doing this damage the tool? I don't see how it would damage a pneumatic tool but that's just a total guess.

    Thanks,
    Mike

  14. #14
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    Would that high speed melt the fibers togther

  15. #15
    There is a rechargeable powered scrubber called Turbo Scrub made specifically for your purpose.

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