Replies

1. 
   bobJackson | Apr 04, 2005 03:03am | #1

   That compressor is fine for a brad nailer, which used a puff of air to shoot a nail. The ros will use a continuous  air supply. The sander should be labled as to consumption. Match the comp to the tools needs and then some.  I would think that if you are going to use the unit in the shop you might figure out what you might eventually want that compressor to do in terms of tools you will add. Some possibilities may be spraying finish or sandblasting, air chisel. The comp. needs to keep up and also have a big enough lung to do what is asked of it. I think that a larger unit is money well spent. The little ones are for jobsite nailers.(Puff---Puff---gasp ) I have 3 compressors, a portable,a wheelbarrow unit, and a stationary upright.(5hp  80 gal) The larger one is in the shop. It never runs hard(less noise) and never is short of air. Good luck  bob

1. 
   Buzzsaw | Apr 04, 2005 02:32pm | #2

   Thanks Bob,

     That is good advice.  I think this one will be fine for a job site and, for the time being, that is what I really want it for.  It sounds like I may eventually buy a bigger unit for the shop.Regards,

   Buzzsaw

2. 
   DDay | Apr 04, 2005 05:30pm | #3

   That pancake compressor will definitely not run the ROS.  ROS's use about 10 cfm's and pancake's only produce 3 cfm.  You'll need a large compressor that cost about $1k to run a ROS.  You could use the pancake for a flooring nailer but you'll have to let it catch up quite a bit, which it does slowly.  If you want a good univeral compressor, get a twin stack or similar that produce cfm's of about 5 or 6 @ 90 psi.

   Rol air and thomas are the two with the best reputation.   http://www.abccatalog.com/store/listcategoriesandproducts.asp?idCategory=108

   http://www.abccatalog.com/store/viewitem.asp?idproduct=0150003119

    

    

1. 
   Buzzsaw | Apr 04, 2005 05:42pm | #4

   Thanks for your input.  I really appreciate it...Regards,

   Buzzsaw

3. 
   mike4244 | Apr 05, 2005 03:21am | #5

   The compressor you describe is fine for finish nailers and any other tool that has low air consumption. As another post said, forget any air sanders they consume a lot of air. If you step up a bit more you could run more tools. You would need a compressor with a capacity of at least 4 gallons, at least 6cfm @ 90. Most of the over and under double hot dog compressors will fill the bill.These will not run sanders either, use an electric ROS.The important thing to look for is cfm @ 90, and tank capacity. cfm's @40 are not important, the only tools I can think of that generally run at this capacity are paint sprayers.Most sprayers ( not hvlp)could run for short times with a 4 gallon unit.

   mike

1. 
   Tao | Apr 05, 2005 04:43am | #6

   cfm's @40 are not important, the only tools I can think of that generally run at this capacity are paint sprayers.Most sprayers ( not hvlp)could run for short times with a 4 gallon unit.

   That's a common misconception.  A lot of HVLP compressor guns will run just fine on a 4 gallon unit, especially for small jobs and non-production work.  I have three such guns myself, and know of several more.  Asturo Eco, Binks Mach1 with 92/92P air cap and fluid tip, Sharpe 998HVLP, Astro, Porter-Cable PSH-1.  I probably haven't named even half the guns on the market that use 8 CFM or less @40 PSI, and will work OK with a 4 gallon twin tank.   Most compressor HVLP guns seldom require maximum pressure or air flow to give a good finsh with many coatings.

   I do agree that the smallest compressor I would buy if I only had one would be a 4 gallon twin tank.  I have had good luck with C-H and P-C as light duty portables, except for people stealing them.

   Michael R

2. 
   Buzzsaw | Apr 05, 2005 02:47pm | #10

   Mike,

    How about using this compressor with a hardwood floor nailer? That was my initial reason for the purchase.  I can still return it if it is not sufficient for these needs.Regards,

   Buzzsaw

1. 
   BenA | Apr 05, 2005 03:12pm | #11

   the compressor that you brought will run a flooring nailer or any other type of pneumatic nailer. As the above post said it is too small to run any sanding tools and some larger pneumatic air tools. BTW I heard that Black & Decker will be discontinuing the Porter cable line of air compressors and just sticking with their Dewalt line of air compressors. So for the bargin shoppers you will probably see discount prices on PC compressors as there discontinued.

1. 
   Buzzsaw | Apr 05, 2005 03:48pm | #12

   Thanks Ben.  I was concerned about the flooring nailer but it sounds like it should do the trick.  I will probably end up investing in a more powerful compressor for the shop someday...Regards,

   Buzzsaw

1. 
   DDay | Apr 05, 2005 04:52pm | #13

   It depends on how well you nail the flooring.  If you are good and nail quickly then that pancake compressor will not keep up and it will slow you down.  Even if you nail slowly the pancakes have a long recovery time so its going to run quite a bit.  For a brad nailer or putting up small amounts of trim I would be fine with a pancake but for a flooring nailer, framer or sider I would want at least a twin stack compressor.  They recover much faster and the size/weight is pretty close.

   Check out amazon for a refurbished twin stack, you should be able to save quite a bit of money, plus free shipping and no sales tax. 

4. 
   forestgirl | Apr 05, 2005 04:50am | #7

   "What are my limitations with this size compressor?"  You've already gotten the lectures on CFM, I see.  Related to that:  don't push that little compressor such that it's running many, many minutes out of the hour.  It is, after all, an oil-less compressor built for light duty and not meant to run like a car on the freeway.  IIRC, there's a specification in there somewhere that tells you how many minutes out of an hour, max, it should be expected to run.  Don't remember the specifics (maybe 30 mins?) but it got my attention.  The other thing that emphasized concept was the sight of a piston from a dead PC that someone had over-run.  It was not a pretty sight.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
   Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

1. 
   Tao | Apr 05, 2005 06:10am | #8

   don't push that little compressor such that it's running many, many minutes out of the hour

   Good advice, and all the more reason for getting a little bigger compressor.

   As for painting, I've had pretty good luck on small jobs.  If the gun is roughly matched to the compressor's output, it will keep up while you are actually spraying, and it's very seldom that an amateur woodworker will actually have the trigger pulled for more than 30 minutes out of any given hour, so the duty cycle works out OK.

   Besides, all the little pancake compressors I have heard are so LOUD!  Something which hasn't been brought up yet.  It's good to listen before you buy.

   Michael R

1. 
   forestgirl | Apr 05, 2005 09:16am | #9

   I yearn for the day when I can afford more than "a little pancake compressor" LOL.  Tried to entice the stepson into moving his sorta-big compressor into the shop with the offer of a 220V hook-up.  Turns out, it'll only run on 110V.  Darn! forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

2. 
   RonInOttawa | Apr 05, 2005 06:23pm | #14

   Paslode makes a decent little twin-stack that pushes 4.1 CFM @ 90 PSI, 5.9 CFM @ 40 PSI. The best part is that it is oil lubed and runs at 1720 RPM, making it noticeably quieter than the 3450 RPM oil-free units. I would guess the US selling price would be around $300 for a combo kit with 2" brad nailer, upholstery stapler, hose and couplings. Regards,Ron