air tank to power nail gun?

[Matt Ralston]

I'm replacing the bannister in my house and I'm thinking that it would be a lot easier and better if I had an 18ga nailer to finish it all up. I have neither gun nor compressor. Has anyone ever tried to run a small nail gun such as this off of an 11 gallon or so air tank (i.e. - no compressor, just tank)? I could refill the tank at the gas station, or with a small small compressor that I have. I don't really care about refill time on the tank, since I'll only have about 50-75 fasteners to shoot in the whole job.

I just don't want to spend on a small compressor that won't do anything other than brad nail, and I haven't saved up enough to buy a real size compressor.

Any thoughts?

thanks much

[Ted Shrader]

Matt -

The nailer is dependent on air pressure for the drive the nails to the right depth (to state the obvious). As the pressure in the tank went down, you would see the effect. However, an 18ga nailer doesn't use very much air so it would work for a few fasteners maybe 15 or 20 depending on the length & what they were going in to.

Does your "small, small" compressor have a tank? If so, that might work by itself. If it is a direct feed one, it will not.

Or . . . . you could hook the compressor to the air tank through a Tee fitting (with the gun o the other side) and still be able to use the surge volume in the tank.

Ted

[Bruce Page]

Matt,
I have used this method with my 18ga brad nailer and it worked fine. You might run into a pressure problem with the gas station air supply. My brad nailer takes about 75-85 psi to seat the brad, I don't know if you'll get that high using station air.

[Tyler Howell]

Matt, for a major project at these gas prices you'l have that compressor paid for in no time. I think you'l only get a few good shots with just a tank. In rescue work we use air tanks to operate air tools but they are the equivilant of dive tanks operating at 2000 psi.

The small compressors are very handy and get quite a work out even with a 5 HP modal out in the garage. It can be your little dog till your big dog comes along.

[Jamie Buxton]

Matt --
I suggest you spend the $200 or so to buy a nailer+compressor combo like the Porter Cable. (Yeah, just $200. I'm sure I spent twice that much to buy my first nailer+compressor, and that was back when a buck was a buck.) Nail guns are not only faster than hand nailing, they're better. There's no hammer dings, and they'll drive smaller-diameter nails so the nail hole is smaller. You'll use it a little on this bannister project, but I'm sure you'll find other uses for it over the years.
If you're worried about compressor size, remember that the size really only affects how many nails per hour you can shoot. They all produce enough pressure to drive even big framing nails. Buy a nice portable compressor that you can easily carry in the house to do finish work. If you decide to do framing with it, you can -- just maybe not as fast as a pro runs his.

[Earl Kelly]

Matt, an air tank, of 10 gal. size will shoot a couple hundred nails before getting too low. I've done it many times. Make sure you get at least 100 PSI in there. They'll shoot fine till you get down to about 80-85. One warning, make sure your air hose is in good shape. Mine broke on me yesterday and still have the marks to prove it. Guess it was a little dry rotted. Air nailers and staplers use very little volume that's why they'll last.
Earl

[Tyler Howell]

[QUOTE=Earl Kelly]Matt, an air tank, of 10 gal. size will shoot a couple hundred nails before getting too low. I've done it many times.
wow!
I'm writing that one down!

[Chris Padilla]

...Mine broke on me yesterday and still have the marks to prove it....
Earl

Pics??

(...have a good weekend, Earl, and heal up!)

[Joe Scarfo]

I would rent the compressor and gun for a 1/2 day and be done with it.

or.... If you know anyone in a local woodworking club, maybe someone will rent you a small compressor and gun.

I loan mine out and all I ask is to bring me the left over nails.... I have an endless supply.

Tomorrow, with luck, I'll score 1/2 box of galvanized 1 3/4" ring shanks.

Good Luck
Joe in Tampa

[Curt Harms]

Hi Matt-

I was in your situation once, and here was my solution. I had a B-D tire inflator and a small tank. I bought a pressure switch to control the tire inflator, built a little frame to hold the compressor and tank. Noisy as all get-out but it did work until I found a bargain C-H at Wally World. Just a thought.

Curt

[Rob Russell]

I just don't want to spend on a small compressor that won't do anything other than brad nail, and I haven't saved up enough to buy a real size compressor.

For $100-$150, you can get a compressor that will run air guns, an impact wrench, fill your car tires, and give you short bursts with a blow-nozzle.

If, by "real" compressor you mean a 20 gall0n, oil-lubed job that pushes 6-7 CFM@90 (which still isn't tnough to run a sander or sand-blaster), the portability of small compressors in nice. I'm thinking about buying a small compressor to use for running guns when fixing m Dad's cottage.

[Peter Stahl]

I vote for the small compressor and brad nailer. I have a CH 4 gallon that was closeout at HD and good Brad nailer. The compressor gets used a lot for tires and the nail guns. Wouldn't want to run back and forth to the gas station. I like the 4 gal. but a pancake type would be a lot easier to move around.

Pete

[Jim Becker]

I picked up a small, "red", under $100 portable from the 'Depot to run guns in the house and it does a very good job. It's surprisingly quiet considering it's an oil-less design. It only gets very, very, very occasional use, so the design was not important. Portability, small size and the ability to actually supply enough air to the guns was my main goal. I not sure use it with a framing gun (haven't tried it), but for brad and finish nailers, it's just great. Keep in mind that I bought this compressor as a "point solution" and would not consider it to be a regular use machine for much of anything else.

[John Weber]

Matt,

It works, but you'll end up making several trip to the gas station, and you'll need a regulator. I did it for awhile but finally bought a small portable compressor for job site work. Before I had a gun or compressor I rented both at the local tool rental shop for $40 I think.

John

[Tyler Howell]

Pics??

(...have a good weekend, Earl, and heal up!)

Here you go Chris,
Matt,
Had to try it. Based on experience with filling tires and a desperate attempt to drill some holes. (Loaned out the electric drill I had at the time.) I hadn't given it a thought.
I usually leave two of these 20 year old 50 lbs Freon tanks hooked to the 5 HP Phoenix ( rebuilt Cman) AC. Not OSHA approved. Have an Isolation valve that doubles as bleeder for the system. (all scrap parts) They are easy to fill with the quick disconnects and offer a little more storage capacity.
The AC runs as long but not as often. They act very much like a capacitor in an electronic circuit, charging and discharging to keep the pressure constant. Used a 25 year old regulator and fired off about 40 shots with out refilling. job over. Tanks were free and the connector was $13.00, 20 years ago. (Freon tanks have a built in safety valve for you safety freaks.

Slammed together a trellis (from dumpster diving parts) I'll send pix when the Clematis takes over.
Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa