Air Compressors.

[fabricatordave]

buy the biggest one you can afford or fit you can never have too much air

[milner351]

I recently got an older 120v unit for the house - paid a whopping $25 for it - found it on craigslist - it's an older craftsman unit with belt drive and an oiled compressor - it's a great "thump thump" sound you can easily talk over the noise of it - unlike the horrendously loud "oilless" compressors sold allot now - they are positively hateful.


For the shop I bought a friends ~2 year old 7.5hp 2 stage ingersol rand with the 80 gallon tank, then hooked up another 60 gallon tank to it for added capacity - blasting cabinets require a lot of air! I wish I would have put it outside - and I still might at some point in the future. I may also just build a "room" around it to help with the noise - but I'd rather listen to it than the damned oilless satans spawn little monsters.

[SuperBuickGuy]

Right now I have nothing, & I need something to pump up tires, run misc air tools etc. I know all about the benefits of CFM's & painting/sanding/sandblasting. I will eventually get 240 in the garage & upgrade to a better compressor.

buy a used Sears/Craftsman one - only the green ones. My dad has one that he bought 40 years ago, never fixed anything and at one point it was his shop's compressor (when he started out). I have an identical one paid $40 for it (darn you squirrel ). The nice thing about those compressors (beside they last forever) is you can easily put a 220 motor on the compressor when you wire 220.

but, put another way, you don't have a clothes dryer?

[milkovich]

Tardis, the only thing I need a big two stage compressor for is body work running sanders, grinders, or scalers. If you're not running abrasives much, a little 30 gallon laydown 110 unit is fine. Plus once you upgrade to a two stage big compressor, the laydown acts like a mobile air pig to take to the track or run a nail gun or something. I've had a coleman branded oil-less (NOISY AS *#Y%) for almost 20 years. Probably similar quality to craftsman or something. The Lowes and Depot units are pretty junky IMO. I'd keep my eyes peeled for a craigslist compressor.

[1931s/x]

i have a small IR, its more of a home owner grade but it has done quite well. my dad bought it new around 90. i wanted a big compressor but didnt really like the stuff that was in my budget new. i built a beast of a compressor out of a bad 80 gallon compressor. i picked up a huge old devilbiss pump that is a real low rpm single stage monster. its probably over 300 lbs alone. i bought a brand new motor and starter for it. the rest was free. turned out one side needed rings and they arent redily available, so i put it on hold for now. they have to be cross referenced. i came across an IR t30 needing a motor for the right price so i just picked that up. you can buy anything for it, and it will probably out live me. even with the price of the new baldor motor, it was still less thna what used ones go for. i like the idea of buying a used industrial compressor, they are really built to last especially the way most guys would use them at home. check out the quincy stuff sometimes you can come aacross used ones pretty resonable.

[DanStokes]

John - remember that the condensate will freeze in Michigan, which is why mine was indoors in A2. I suspect there's a critical mass of condensate that can solidify before it does damage but I don't know where that point happens. I drain mine regularly but still, some remains.

I had an unused corner in the NC shop and I tucked it in there, between the door and the wall. It's fairly quiet so I don't mind.

Dan

For the shop I bought a friends ~2 year old 7.5hp 2 stage ingersol rand with the 80 gallon tank, then hooked up another 60 gallon tank to it for added capacity - blasting cabinets require a lot of air! I wish I would have put it outside - and I still might at some point in the future. I may also just build a "room" around it to help with the noise - but I'd rather listen to it than the damned oilless satans spawn little monsters.

[milner351]

Thanks Dan!

I have an auto drain hooked up that opens a valve for a couple seconds every minute the pump is running.... it does a pretty good job, but the freezing is still a concern.... my shop is only heated when I'm there - so - if it was going to freeze - I guess it already has....
Another reason I run amzoil synthetic compressor oil - that thing has to work when it's COLD.

[fine59]

Pulled the trigger and ordered it up..tried to find a used one but no luck, guy on craigslist had a used Snapon 60 gallon wanted 2k for it,f-that, 5 year warranty, folks were helpful, didnt seem at all pushy, so far so good, thanks for the responces.