Who has an air compressor and why?

1

1footdown

a little gimpy
I have a 12v cigarette lighter inflator that I've used for 25 years. you gotta have the engine on to inflate tires faster. For a truck tire or performance tire over 45 psi, it takes like 3-5 minutes a tire. too long if you have to hit them all.

last month I bought a 110v Campbell Hausfeld inflator. just snake out the extension cord to the vehicle and it's like 1 min/tire. not very precise, as the pressure gauge is in 5psi increments. but you can go to the nearest 5 and then let out air to back it down to your preferred psi.

and it's like $45
 
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fraz

fraz

Well-known member
Abacinator said:
If you want a quieter compressor you have to go with a scroll-type. They're about twice the money of a reciprocating type.
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Had a stand up big IR compressor when we set up my buddy's CNC mill years ago... almost killed it immediately (tool changes are air driven). I sourced and we got a screw compressor (some people call them auger) and it is sweet. It can run high CFM 24x7 without missing a beat. It's an Atlas Copco and and it has been servicing 2 CNC mills now for years. The down side, it was ~$3500 and it is about the size of a stacked washer/dryer. The real upside, you can talk over it as it is very quiet.
 
M

mtnmac

Active member
Have a small machine shop at my house. 2 mills, lathe, bandsaw, etc. Had a small Harbor Freight 8 gal compressor for years, it works fine. Loud as hell, have it in the adjacent building (the old shop), the new shop is plumbed for air with copper. The 5.5 CFM it puts out was not enough when using air tools, so I bought another HF compressor. This one is 10 gallons but puts out slightly less air volume. I run both... the old one kicks on at 90psi and off at 120. The new one on at 120, off at 175. I have the regulator set at 120 on the new one. It works great, when I am using little air the new one cycles when needed. When using lots of air, like with a die grinder or air sander, new one on at 120, old one turns on at 90 PSI, both running giving me 10 CFM. I’m planning on adding a small blast cabinet so this should work well. Oh, the new one is a oilless one and very quiet. https://www.harborfreight.com/air-t...horizontal-shopauto-air-compressor-57328.html
 
HardBodyNinja

HardBodyNinja

Throttle Therapist
bought a cheap one off groupon that plugs into my car's power outlet. Its in a case with a built in pressure gauge as well. best $20 i ever spent
 
dravnx

dravnx

Well-known member
I have a small airbrush type compressor that I keep at the front of the garage to top off truck/car/motorcycle/bicycle/sports toys and we use it all the time. GF brought it home one day with about 20' of hose. Got it for $25 at a yard sale. Since I moved my automatic tire machine to my shop at work, I don't use my twin tank 5 gal 3 HP anymore. It's never let me down seating beads or running a nail gun. Every couple of years I check the oil and inlet filter. Should I change the oil on this thing?
 
lgyee4

lgyee4

Well-known member
iu

I bought a Husky 30 gl to handle the framing and other pneumatic needs when remodeling our kitchen 12 years ago. It's been in the garage ever since and is constantly being used for this or that. I got long hoses now so I can get air power anywhere I need it.
 
Busy Little Shop

Busy Little Shop

Man behaving bikely...
I have a 10 gallon air compressor in the shop next to the Lathe and
Mill but and I also have a hand held cordless air compressor that
works surprisingly great... it's affordable and handy to use... you can even
take it with you... I pack it in the Camaro along with tire plugs to
handle flats to keep me moving...
 

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Eldritch

Eldritch

is insensitive
You probably don't need a large compressor.

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HappyHighwayman

HappyHighwayman

Warning: Do Not Engage
At some point I should probably try using it to fill my actual bicycle tires but the manual pump is faster if the pancake isn't on and primed lol
 
tzrider

tzrider

Write Only User
Staff member
During college, I worked at an air compressor manufacturing plant. One afternoon, I had the idea to make a blow gun out of a six foot length of 1/2” copper tubing. I crimped a fitting onto one end and mated that to a quick release valve, connected to 175 psi air. Made a dart out of a sharpened welding rod with a paper cone on the other end.

Once everyone had gone home, I stood up a 2x4 at the other end of the building and shot it from about 75’ away. It hit the board. When I went to inspect, the welding rod was sticking about four inches out of the other side of the 2x4.

You need an air compressor.
 
auntiebling

auntiebling

megalomaniacal troglodyte
Staff member
tzrider said:
During college, I worked at an air compressor manufacturing plant. One afternoon, I had the idea to make a blow gun out of a six foot length of 1/2” copper tubing. I crimped a fitting onto one end and mated that to a quick release valve, connected to 175 psi air. Made a dart out of a sharpened welding rod with a paper cone on the other end.

Once everyone had gone home, I stood up a 2x4 at the other end of the building and shot it from about 75’ away. It hit the board. When I went to inspect, the welding rod was sticking about four inches out of the other side of the 2x4.

You need an air compressor.
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i used to link pumpkin cannons but Smarter Every Day did mo bettah
h-t-yt-smarter-every-day.png


https://www.bardown.com/smarter-eve...-that-can-fire-baseballs-at-1000mph-1.1522796

various videos are available on the youtube channel.
 
T

TylerW

Agitator
Ok so what's a good "starter" air compressor? I think I'd like a better air assist for my laser, and I'm also wanting to build a DIY fogbuster for my CNC. Small tank is fine (I think) but the fogbuster would mean a steady, but low pressure stream of air for ~1 hour periods.
 
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