What Size Air Compressor

[Steve Kinnaird]

My 30 gallon - 125 PSI - 1.5 HP Air Compressor died today.

I've never used it for wood working. Just filling tires and a few automotive air tools.

I want to purchase a new compressor for the woodshop that I am building out. Do I need a large air tank? It is only me and I don't see using it for much. Do air nail guns require a lot of air? I see the wood working catalogs promote small tanks. Around 5 gallons. I don't want to buy a small tank and find out that I should have went bigger later.

Thanks for the advice!

[Rich Engelhardt]

1 HP with a 3 gallon tank will run any nailer you can hook up to it.
What I suggest is take a look at all the air tools you might use and see what they require as far as air goes, the size the compressor based on that.

FWIW - most people are more concerned about noise levels than anything else. Great strides have taken place in the last couple years to really quiet down the smaller compressors.

[Matthew Hills]

Will you want to spray finishes using your compressor/tank?

Rich -- which small compressors are good for noise levels?

[Ian Moone]

Continuous flow air tools like air sanders etc are the ones that need a bit more air to keep up - air nailer's use very little air per shot... but air sanders is different.

Thing is when you use air sanders and the like and they out perform just about anything else you kinda get hooked on them.. more air is always better than not having enough and having to stop work for the compressor to catch up!. Spray painting / spray polishing can also use up a fair bit of air on bigger projects...where your laying down a lot of paint / varnish on big areas... so again you don;t want to be waiting on the compressor to catch up.

Mines too small... so I kind of know how annoying it can be to be always waiting for it to catch up. Years ago I had a much larger one and never had to wait - you don;t know how annoying ti is until you had it and no longer have it. You never think about it when you have it, but you can't stop thinking about it when you don't. Almost like wimmmin's in some ways! ;)

[Rich Engelhardt]

@ Matthew- Makita & California Air

[Jerome Stanek]

You could get a small unit and use the 30 gallon tank as an air storage tank. once it is full the small compressor will run a lot less

[Walter Plummer]

I have been looking myself. Take a look at this site. http://www.aircompressorsdirect.com

[Carroll Courtney]

If I had a do over and was in your situation building a new shop I would make plans to make an attachment on the outside of your shop to house the upright air compressor,that will keep the noise down.Now if your kinda young have lots of yrs to go and you know that this hobby will be forever then I would purchase the best air compressor you can buy w/either a 60 or 80gal tank.Why?Well when I started I did not plan on using a HVLP spray gun,then next I never figure that I would do some sand blasting,grinding,etc so plan for growth.Yep,small A C will handle the nail guns and other small tools but others will need something that can product the CFM never know what you will do/need next.Another thing I would also make plans to run air lines through the shop with quick disconnects for the air hose,do a search here,lots of info on airlines.So you can make a onetime purchase and say ouch once or you can keep upgrading which is also kinda fun and say ouch several times and comment to yourself"Why didn't I do this right the first time"Good luck with either compact or stationary -----Carroll
Every loaf of bread is a tragic tale of grains that could've become beer.......but didn't.... ​That is funny

[Steve Kinnaird]

Thanks for the replies.

That makes sense that the small pancake compressors would be packaged with a nail gun. Short bursts of air is enough.

I am sure that the possibility of running an air sander, paint/finish sprayer or just using it to blow the saw dust off a machine are probable.

I have looked at Harbor Freight.
They have a 26 gallon / 125 psi / 1.8 HP Oilless on sale for $199
They also have a 21 gallon / 125 psi / 2.5 HP / Oil Lube on sale for $157

Will the increased HP be better for maintaining psi?

[Rich Engelhardt]

Will the increased HP be better for maintaining psi?
Yes -
That's only part of it though.
You need to look at the air delivery & at what pressure it can deliver that air.

The 1.8 HP has a larger tank, but, it will take longer to fill that tank and recover.
If you read the fine print - that compressor will supply 4 cubic feet of air per min. at 90 psi.
The 21 gallon tank 2.5 HP will supply 4.7 cubic feet of air per min @ 90 psi.

Neither are really rated for sanding &/or spray painting. Sanding usually requires more like 6 to 8 CFM & HVLP spray painting needs more like 7 to 13 CFM.
The 2.5 HP may be able to get you by, but, it's going to run constantly.

Your requirements are more in line with an honest 3 HP (220 VAC) compressor with a 30 to 60 gallon tank that can deliver 11 to 13 CFM at 40 to 90 psi.

[Myk Rian]

HF direct-drive compressors are noisy. Really noisy. I have one, and wish I didn't.

[Steve Kinnaird]

Thanks Rich
The bigger compressors are cost prohibitive at this time. But make a lot of sense.
Might just hold off and save for a bigger unit.

Carroll,
I am building an out building for the compressor and my dust collector. I will be plumbing the shop with quick disconnects around the shop.

[Mike Cutler]

Steve

It really comes down to analyzing your needs, and the tools an applications you intend to use it for.
If you're uncertain at this time, I would recommend the Rolair JC10. This unit is small, lightweight, very, very quiet, and will run a nailer, pump up car tires, blow dust off machines, and will run an impact wrench,a nd air ratchet, on a limited basis. It won't run a sander, air grinder, or a spray booth.
No matter what you end up with as a final solution, the Rolair will be a compressor you will want to keep around.

[Steve Kinnaird]

Here are a couple that I am looking at:

Harbor Freight
$829.99
60 gal. 5 HP 165 PSI Two Stage Air Compressor
http://images.harborfreight.com/cpi/logos/CentralPnuematic.gif


Air delivery: 15.8 CFM @ 90 PSI, 16.4 CFM @ 40 PSI
Cast-iron cylinders and stainless steel valves
Automatic start/stop
ASME tank with safety valve
No mag starter required

http://www.harborfreight.com/5-hp-60-gallon-165-psi-two-stage-air-compressor-93274.html

-----------------------------------------

Home Depot
Husky
$799
80 gal. 3 Cylinder Single Stage Electric Air CompressorHusky 80 gal. air compressor features a cast iron, three cylinder, oil-lubricated pump with 1-piece cast iron crankcase, full cast iron cylinder body, durable Swedish stainless steel flex-leaf valves, oil level sight glass, 12 in. cast iron balanced flywheel, large intake filter/silence. Compressor has high air flow with 14 CFM at 90 psi. 155 psi max pressure gives the user optimum tool performance.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-80-gal-3-Cylinder-Single-Stage-Electric-Air-Compressor-C801H/203187346?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053

[Charles Lent]

If you are going to spend that much on an air compressor you can get an Ingersol-Rand at Trackor Supply or a Quincy from Northern. Same size and capability, but a brand name and from a company that specializes in air compressors. My 14 cfm IR compressor is 9 years old and the only thing I've had to do to it was tighten the belt and I changed the oil once. It lives in a 6 X 6' enclosure on the outside of my shop and I have to stop woodworking and listen to see if it's running sometimes. I went through three compressors before getting this one. Each was larger than the one before it, but I'm happy with this one.

Charley

[Mike Wilkins]

I have used a twin-tank Emglo compressor for years, running brad nailers and staplers, and occasional spraying, using a gravity-feed HVLP spray gun. It could also power a framing nailer if I had one. You may not need anything bigger if you use it as you stated. I also pump an occasional car/motorcycle/bike tire when needed.

[Rick Lizek]

Died isn't a complete answer. A compressor is made o components. 1st you need to give more details of the brand, model etc. Post a link to your compressor so we can see it. It's up to you to do most of the work. Could be a loose wire, pressure switch, motor, etc. Based on your vague description I seriously question it's dead. How old is it? Compressors can last a long time with light use. Is it oil filled or oil less? I spent 40 year repairing compressors, tools and machinery in commercial shops and schools. Most tools I could get more life out of them, sometimes with simple fixes. When you post, you can never give too much information.

[Roger Feeley]

Interesting thing about nail guns. They don't require a lot of volume....maybe.

I got curious about this once so I tried an experiment. It turns out that the inside of a male air connector is just the right diameter for a 1/4-20 tap. So I tapped one. Then I took a bit of 1/4-20 and drilled a very small hole. I used a numbered bit somewhere in the 70s. So basically I reduced the orifice on my nailer (framing, IIRC) to a few thousandths. I hooked up the nailer and applied the air. It took over 10 seconds for the pressure to equalize into the nailer and it fired a nail perfectly.

My takaway from that is that the size of the compressor is immaterial if all you want to do is drive one nail. Where size comes in is if you want to drive a lot of nails. You need a tank big enough to handle sudden demands and a compressor big enough to keep up with the average use. If all you want is one nail, a bicycle pump will do.

[Don Sundberg]

If you are considering wanting to use an air sander, blast cabinet, hvlp gun or die grinder, you will want to save up for a 5 he 2 stage min. The best ones will have bigger pumps and run slower. They will generally be a lot quieter. My 7.5 hp compressor uses the same pump as a 10 hp and runs slow. You can hold a conversation next to it.

I will second the suggestion to get a little rolair jc10 or the like if you want something to tide you over. I bought one to take with me to the house . It is quiet!

[Steve Kinnaird]

Rick, you are right. My son is a mechanic and explained that it was not worth the cost of the parts. Trust me if he could fix it for a reasonable cost he would. He uses it more than I do.

It was a Husky from Home Depot that had been refurbished by HD when I bought it 123 years ago.


Died isn't a complete answer. A compressor is made o components. 1st you need to give more details of the brand, model etc. Post a link to your compressor so we can see it. It's up to you to do most of the work. Could be a loose wire, pressure switch, motor, etc. Based on your vague description I seriously question it's dead. How old is it? Compressors can last a long time with light use. Is it oil filled or oil less? I spent 40 year repairing compressors, tools and machinery in commercial shops and schools. Most tools I could get more life out of them, sometimes with simple fixes. When you post, you can never give too much information.

[Keith Weber]

My little Porter Cable pancake compressor is my dedicated nail gun compressor. I love it because it's light and it goes anywhere where I need it to for trim work, framing, etc. If you run solo like I do, you'd be hard pressed to have to wait on it. By the time you layout the next wall section to be framed, or get the next trim piece cut and moved into position, it's all caught up and ready to go.

For everything else, there's my stationary 27 scfm, 7.5hp, 80 gal, upright (sandblasters use a lot of air).

[Jim Dwight]

My recommendation is to buy a little one and avoid tools which require a lot of air. Nailers run on very modest air requirements. I fill tires with a 12V compressor (Viair 70P) to avoid dragging out a lot of hose. It's a little slow but so is pulling out and rolling back up hoses. A small compressor will always be useful when you need to work away from the shop. The big ones are no better at the little things and if you never get a tool that needs that much air you wasted money and shop space on the big one.

[Jon Nuckles]

Another vote for the Rolair JC10 for a quiet small compressor. Got mine at Zoro tools with a 30% off code they run from time to time. If you decide you don't need a bigger unit, this is a good little one.

[Jim Becker]

If you anticipate spraying finishes in the future, then go larger with your tank. I have zero regrets going with a 60 gallon IR...the tank capacity really reduces the run-time. Something else I don't regret is putting on an automatic drain valve that periodically opens for a second and sends any moisture in the bottom of the tank out and away.

[John TenEyck]

When I wanted to get into spraying I looked for a used compressor and found a 60 gal one for about 40% the price of a new one. Five or 6 years later it runs fine and I run all kinds of things with it. It sits in my garage where it's available for filling tires, blowing out equipment, running air tools, whatever. Another line goes down into my basement shop where I spray.

You don't have to buy new. Patience and persistence are usually rewarded.

John

[Randy Rose]

Can`t tell you what to buy (other than bigger is better) however, I will offer what I would not buy again.

DeWalt D55168 15 gal upright

+`s low price / small footprint / on wheels/ runs any nail gun easily/ good regulator.
-`s tank too small for running an unrestricted blow gun / so loud, I pee my pants every time it starts/ noise seems to be endemic to "oil less" models.
Not knocking Dewalt or this product, just not the best choice for my application/ shop.

YMMV

[Brian Henderson]

It all depends on what you're going to do with it. I have a couple of compressors, an old direct unit with no tank for filling tires and the like, a 6-gallon version that I use for nail guns out of the shop and a big 80 gallon IR that's plumbed into the shop that I use for most things woodworking related. The big boy is in an outside shed with my dust collector, well insulated so I don't hear it at all, but the other ones are pretty loud.

[Ole Anderson]

If I were buying another compressor I would pick up a 60 gallon Husky from HD. They run about $490, have a CI compressor, 3.7 hp and are assembled in the USA. But then my compressor is used for both wood shop work and automotive stuff. I have a 1 hp 20 gallon Craftsman which is at least 30 years old and still working, but with a cycle of 80-100 psi, it doesn't have enough pressure to remove stubborn bolts even with a IR rattle gun. I have a Husky portable which I use for trim projects away from home.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-60-Gal-Stationary-Electric-Air-Compressor-C602H/205389936

[Steve Kinnaird]

I picked up a used compressor today.
I don't see me getting into air sanding or spraying.
So I think this compressor will work well for me.

Husky
5.5 HP
26 GALLON
6.5 SCFM @ 40 PSI
5.1 SCFM @ 90 PSI
125 MAX PSI

331022 331023 331024

[Jerome Stanek]

If you are going to spend that much on an air compressor you can get an Ingersol-Rand at Trackor Supply or a Quincy from Northern. Same size and capability, but a brand name and from a company that specializes in air compressors. My 14 cfm IR compressor is 9 years old and the only thing I've had to do to it was tighten the belt and I changed the oil once. It lives in a 6 X 6' enclosure on the outside of my shop and I have to stop woodworking and listen to see if it's running sometimes. I went through three compressors before getting this one. Each was larger than the one before it, but I'm happy with this one.

Charley

some of the IR units that the TSC sell are made to their specs and use cheap motors. We had 2 different ones from them that the motor burned out and IR said they were made just for TSC so no replacement and cost to much to repair. Had to buy a new one that cost as much as the whole compressor also the pump was from China