Compressor advice

[Jim Barstow]

I have a pretty well equipped shop but I’ve never had a compressor. I’m about to add one mostly for an air gun and to provide small amounts of compressed air to run small, model machines. (I have no need for any kind of nail/brad/pin guns.) I plan to put it in my shop basement and run a 15’ hose up through the ceiling to a 50’ reel mounted on the wall. I’ve got a couple questions:

1) I’ve decided on a Makita MAC210Q oil-less quiet compressor. Is this a mistake?
2) Do I need a dryer? I’m not worried about oil since this is an oil-less compressor
3) When dealing with electricity, you have to deal with voltage drop over distance and use the correct wire gauge. I’ve seen no discussion about this with air delivery. Is the friction loss to the hose not an issue so I’ll be fine with 65’ of hose?

[Paul F Franklin]

There is a pressure drop in compressed air piping and hoses. Like with electricity, the amount of pressure drop depends on pipe (hose) size and length and the amount of air flow through it. 65 ft of hose isn't that much and if your needs are for small air flows I wouldn't worry about it. You can minimize it by using 3/8 or larger hose, and then maybe a short smaller whip at the end because it's more flexible and lighter.

The blow gun may be an issue with that compressor. If you just plan to use it for blowing chips off stuff with brief blasts of air, then it should be fine. If you plan to use it to, say, blow down a large cartridge filter on a dust collector, you will find it painful and will spend a lot of time waiting for the compressor to catch up.

A small dryer/filter combo would help keep moisture and "stuff" out of your models, if that's a concern. It's more important if you are going to be spraying finish, but that compressor won't keep up with any substantial spraying.

[Alex LaZella]

for small compressors like that I think oil less is fine.

out of curiousity, you are buying a quiet compressor so why are you locating it in a basement and piping 65ft of hose? I could see that with a larger compressor but the "quiet" ones actually are and they are small enough to move around as needed. I have the california air tools 1hp 2gal which is the same specs to what you are looking at and I dont think I've ever used it with more than a 25ft hose. It is so quiet and so small I usually just keep it right where I'm working. I do have a much larger compressor in my shop that has 100ft of hose on a reel but for your application I would think a small cabinet in your shop, or tucked under a table somewhere would make more sense.

good luck

[Jim Dwight]

I have three compressors, one of them cordless. The one I use in my shop is a little Senco. HD carries them and they aren't expansive. It's quiet enough I don't mind the noise in the shop. It sits on the bottom shelf of my assembly/outfeed table. I use it to blow away dust but also to drive pin and brad nailers and staplers. I used it on a flooring nailer once but had to wait between nails.

What you loose with a long hose is not pressure, it is volume. If the compressor provides 1 cfm at 90 psi it won't give you that much on a long hose, maybe .7 or .8 cfm. For light use it may not matter. But a quiet compressor is nice since I do not use it all the time. I switch it on when I need some compressed air. Nice to have it nearby.

[Tom M King]

After I bought a California Air Tools little compressor (not their smallest one), I gave away, or threw away my other small compressors. You can carry on a conversation next to it, and the aluminum tank eliminates haven't to drain nasty, rusty water.

[Jim Barstow]

I picked the makita for several reasons one of which was that it is quick to fill when turned on. I looked at a similar model from CAP and it took much longer. Quiet is a bonus because who knows where I’ll find it useful. Even though I have a medium sized dedicated shop, space is at a premium. (Isn’t it always?) The dust collector is in the basement also. Seemed like a remote compressor would work fine and not take up shop space.

I was thinking I could use the gun to clean the big dust collector filter. Is this unrealistic?

[Paul F Franklin]

I was thinking I could use the gun to clean the big dust collector filter. Is this unrealistic?

Even a small blow gun will use 3 CFM. That compressor is rated at 3 CFM at 40 PSI and 2 CFM at 90 PSI. You will empty the tank very quickly and then the compressor will run continuously. If you will be doing this only occasionally and don't mind waiting a lot for the compressor to catch up, you can do it.

[Doug Dawson]

Even a small blow gun will use 3 CFM. That compressor is rated at 3 CFM at 40 PSI and 2 CFM at 90 PSI. You will empty the tank very quickly and then the compressor will run continuously. If you will be doing this only occasionally and don't mind waiting a lot for the compressor to catch up, you can do it.

Blow guns typically use 40psi. My Kobalt “Quiet Tech” compressor (the vertical double-tank unit) with nothing but a coil hose between the tank and the gun, works just fine as a continuous duty blow gun driver. I don’t think I’ve used a blow gun at above 40psi _ever_ with any compressor (it’s arguably not safe.)

[Stan Calow]

I have the California Air Tool compressor, the smallest one. I mounted it on a small cart and roll it to wherever I need it. I dont use the air gun for more than short bursts and its OK.

[Mike Cutler]

I have a pretty well equipped shop but I’ve never had a compressor. I’m about to add one mostly for an air gun and to provide small amounts of compressed air to run small, model machines. (I have no need for any kind of nail/brad/pin guns.) I plan to put it in my shop basement and run a 15’ hose up through the ceiling to a 50’ reel mounted on the wall. I’ve got a couple questions:

1) I’ve decided on a Makita MAC210Q oil-less quiet compressor. Is this a mistake?
2) Do I need a dryer? I’m not worried about oil since this is an oil-less compressor
3) When dealing with electricity, you have to deal with voltage drop over distance and use the correct wire gauge. I’ve seen no discussion about this with air delivery. Is the friction loss to the hose not an issue so I’ll be fine with 65’ of hose?

The Makita is a fine portable compressor. It's a mistake only if it is not suited for it's intended purpose.
You may not need a dryer, but you will still need a coalescing filter, and an external regulator with a moisture trap.
Yes, you're going to have losses across the arrangement you have detailed. You will probably have a 10-15psi differential pressure. You have a lot of orifice restrictions in the setup you detailed and air hose reels present themself as a huge orifice restriction to air flow. As for the Reynold's effect. I wouldn't worry to much about that.
"Friction loss" is a big deal with air systems. A tool required to run at a given CFM for a pressure, will perfom less than adequately if the final delivery pressure is less. Often time you'll read that someone states that their air tools run better at "X" psi, when they were designed around a value less than "X" Psi. What is happening is that the pressure st the tool is less than pressure at the gauge. So they jack the pressure up at the gauge, but have no idea what the running pressure at the tool is.
I have a nice Rolair JC10 portable compressor for small jobs and work in the house, but the garage/shop is serviced by a 5 hp, 17cfm compressor.

[John Jardin]

I'm going to depart from Jims original post and agree with Mikes approach to air compressors.
Years ago, Lois Snyder, the recent judge for the fine furniture competition, convinced me to go with Dynabrade RO pneumatic sanders. I did, but needed a serious air compressor - enter a 5hp Ingersol Rand beauty into my shop. Now I have 3 Dynabrade
sanders. I'm just a hobbies woodworker but blessed.

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