Oiled and Oilless Tools (not compressor)

[Tom Veatch]

I'm about ready to install air lines in my shop instead of dragging airhoses around. I won't be using these lines for spraying paint or anything like that, so the possibility of installing an inline oiler to lubricate the tools is on the table.

The question is, how would inline lubrication affect that don't require oiling. I have a couple of staplers/nailers that are "oil-less". Would entrained lubrication damage those? Or cause finish problems with oil spatter on the workpieces?

[Gary Kvasnicka]

In my experience, yes oil will hurt oil less tools. The shop I used to work at had a mix of oil and oil less, so the boss said to oil all rather than not oil the ones that need it. It caused premature failure of some plastic internal parts don't remember the specifics, in our Senco guns. On the other hand, not oiling the ones that need it would probably cause them to fail faster.

[Jason Roehl]

I've inadvertently put oil into an oilless nailer before, and it definitely had a lot of misfires until all the oil had worked its way out. Personally, I'd skip the inline oiler for hard-plumbed lines and just oil the tools that need it, when they need it. I can always tell when my oiled nailers need more oil, should I forget; a couple drops will bring them back to working like new.

Jason

[David Christopher]

I've inadvertently put oil into an oilless nailer before, and it definitely had a lot of misfires until all the oil had worked its way out. Personally, I'd skip the inline oiler for hard-plumbed lines and just oil the tools that need it, when they need it. I can always tell when my oiled nailers need more oil, should I forget; a couple drops will bring them back to working like new.



Jason


I agree with Jason..if you want to blow the shop down you wont get oil everywhere and you might want to paint one day.......

[Bill Huber]

What you could do is to bring the air line in to the regulator then come out to a tee, put a quick disconnect at that point and then out to and oiler and then another quick disconnect.

When you are using the oil less tools use the first quick disconnect and when you are using the oil less use the other one.

[Tom Veatch]

Thanks, guys. Consensus seems to be that I should take the inline lubrication off the table. I wasn't really hard over on doing it anyway, so I'm going to follow your recommendations. That'll bring the cost down a little closer to budget and putting a couple of drops of oil in the tool really isn't that big a deal. Besides, I've got a big "OIL ME!!!" written in indelible marker next to the hose connection on those that require oiling so I'm not likely to forget it.

Now if I can just find some Sched 20 PVC for my air lines, I'll be ready to go.:D

No, no, not really - I'll be using 1/2" and/or 3/4" black pipe.

For anyone seeing that reference to PVC, please understand that PVC is definitely NOT recommended for pressurized air lines.

[David Christopher]

Tom, Ive been using sch 40 PVC air lines in my shop for over 12 years.....no problems yet...

[Tom Veatch]

Tom, Ive been using sch 40 PVC air lines in my shop for over 12 years.....no problems yet...

A great number of people have and quite successfully, too. But, a few have found themselves suddenly sharing their workspace with PVC shrapnel. I imagine the vast majority will never see a problem. There's just no reliable way of knowing which of them will turn out to be in the minority.

I don't recall the name of the trade organization, but whichever one it was, issued their recommendation against using PVC for any above-ground, unshielded piping for pressurized air or other gases back in 1972. OSHA regulations, if I understand correctly, have forbidden the use of unshielded PVC for pressurized gasses in the work place since about 1988. The risk of catastrophic failure is small, but not zero.

I'm a great believer in personal freedoms and responsibility, so if someone understands the risk and is willing to accept the responsibility, as far as I'm concerned, in a private, non-occupational application, it's their choice based on their own risk/benefit comfort zone. But, I'm not going to the one who recommends using it for compressed air piping.

[David Christopher]

Tom, schedule 40 PVC has a operating presure of 289 PSI and bursting presure of 1540 PSI..I think thats plenty safe for 150 PSI if properly installed

[Bob Wingard]

Tom, schedule 40 PVC has a operating presure of 289 PSI and bursting presure of 1540 PSI..I think thats plenty safe for 150 PSI if properly installed


Yep .. UNTIL .. it gets brittle from exposure to the environment OR gets hit by something that cracks it. The crack then becomes a shatter, and the pieces become shrapnel. No thanx .. copper or black iron all the way for me.



<<<__ Bøb __>>>

[Thomas S Stockton]

Had a pvc line explode at a shop I worked at years ago, The line was only in about 3 years old. Luckily it was up in the rafters but it was still exciting. Another shop I was in had pvc for airlines and we never had any problems. So it seems unpredictable.
I would not use it, I currently have copper in my shop.
Tom

[Ben Franz]

I went a different route - have 3 plumbed in air outlets in the shop. I dedicate one to have in-line oiler/filter/regulator and use it for all tools that need oil. The other outlets never use oil. Now, I just have to remember which is which so this might have been an exercise in overthinking an issue, leading to an excuse to buy more equipment, leading to .... now what was I talking about?

Re PVC air lines - all the anecdotal experiences (We did it for x years and never had a problem, etc.) don't change the facts. It CAN be unsafe so why take the chance. There are plenty of ways to maim and/or kill yourself in woodworking without going out of your way to create more. My $.02.

[Jason Roehl]

Here's an anecdote from another site I frequent. No contact with the PVC, it just blew (note the shape of the missing pieces):

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/829195-why-not-use-pvc.html#post7234162

And another:

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/822754-where-to-find-copper-pipe-for-air-lines.html#post7155764