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Author
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Topic: air compressor
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sigtauenus
Gearhead Posts: 3969
From: Va Beach
Registered: Jun 2000
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posted 02-25-2005 09:28 AM
 
I submitted my claim for the free tool I'm getting for my mislabled Craftsman 5HP compressor. I'm annoyed because I bought a blasting cabinet from TIP that requires 5HP and I said, oh yeah, I have a "5HP" compressor, about a couple months before the lawsuit came out. Um, needless to say, the blast cabinet works ok, but only on stuff that is already mostly clean and only needs touched up. So, I'm in the market for a new air compressor, and I need one that will supply my air hog blast cabinet among other things. Any suggestions for a good 240v compressor? Doesn't need to be fancy, just reliable and get the job done.
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Robert K
Gearhead Posts: 706
From: Nashville, TN
Registered: Apr 2000
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posted 02-26-2005 12:45 PM
I've got a Quincy 80 gallon true 5 hp compressor that not only will keep up with all the air-hog tools (sanders, die-grinders, blasting cabinet etc.) but will catch up to and shut off while I'm using those tools. I bought mine locally and the folks were super nice. Some of the reasons I went with Quincy were they had a super reputation and they were easy to get parts and service on should it be needed.
I saw a really nice compressor at Harbor Freight that was powered by a Baldor electric motor and unlike some other things at HF looked to be of very high quality.
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sigtauenus
Gearhead Posts: 3969
From: Va Beach
Registered: Jun 2000
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posted 02-26-2005 01:18 PM
Thanks Robert, looks like a nice one.
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sigtauenus
Gearhead Posts: 3969
From: Va Beach
Registered: Jun 2000
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posted 04-30-2005 10:57 PM
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=134819-48540-K7060HFV&lpage=noneI'm looking for something in the 12-15 cfm range at 90 psi, but also want to try to keep it around $500. Everything from Craftsman, Campbell Hausfeld, Ingersoll Rand, etc in the $500 range is only 10 cfm. The Kobalt is claiming 13. Anybody have any experience with Kobalt compressors? Also has almost twice the life on the pump as what the others are rated at for similar price. Big thing is it comes from Lowe's, they are close, convenient for local pick-up and if I have any problems. I'm pretty loyal to the Craftsman, but can't justify the expense for a comparable model.
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sigtauenus
Gearhead Posts: 3969
From: Va Beach
Registered: Jun 2000
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posted 10-07-2005 10:18 AM
Still trying to decide on this one...Big question is, do I go for the best bang for the buck, or suck it up and buy the largest CFM I can afford? For comparison, all are 60 gallon vertical tanks, single stage except for the $799 Craftsman is 2 stage. Brand . . . . . . HP(running) . HP(peak) . CFM@90psi . . . . Price . Cost/CFM
Kobalt . . . . . . . . . 3 . . . . . . . . . 7. . . . . . . . 13.3 . . . . $499 . . $37.52
Industrial Air . . . . 4.5 . . . . . . . . 8 . . . . . . . . 14 . . . . . .$699 . . $49.93
Ingersoll Rand . . . 8 . . . . . . . . . 11.5 . . . . . . 18.1 . . . . $799 . . $44.14
Quincy . . . . . . . . .5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.6 . . . . . $699 . . $72.81
Craftsman . . . . . . 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.5 . . . . $799 . . $51.55
Craftsman . . . . . . 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.4 . . . . $479 . . $38.63
[This message has been edited by sigtauenus (edited 10-07-2005).]
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ddenton749
unregistered
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posted 10-07-2005 10:36 AM
Mine is a Porter Cable, 7 hp, 220V, 80 gallon, vertical tank, 16.7 CFM @ 45 psig, 14.7 CFM @ 90 pisg, $699 at Lowes, similar to this one:http://portercable.cpoworkshop.com/compressors/c7550.html It has worked fine for me. The only tool that starts to drain the tank is a 4 1/2 air grinder that uses 25 CFM. ------------------
'73 Convertible, 351C 2V
'91 LX Convertible 5.0
Member: Valley Forge Mustang Club
"The best things in life are free, but the really kick-a** things cost a fortune."
My Site
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sigtauenus
Gearhead Posts: 3969
From: Va Beach
Registered: Jun 2000
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posted 10-07-2005 10:49 AM
Have you done any sandblasting besides what you did when you used the rental unit?
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ddenton749
unregistered
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posted 10-07-2005 11:06 AM
No, I haven't sand blasted with it. I was thinking of getting a small Craftsman SB for small stuff------------------
'73 Convertible, 351C 2V
'91 LX Convertible 5.0
Member: Valley Forge Mustang Club
"The best things in life are free, but the really kick-a** things cost a fortune."
My Site
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2FarGone
Journeyman Posts: 97
From: Kent, Oh,
Registered: Nov 2004
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posted 10-07-2005 12:44 PM
quote:
Originally posted by sigtauenus:
[B]Still trying to decide on this one...Big question is, do I go for the best bang for the buck, or suck it up and buy the largest CFM I can afford? For comparison, all are 60 gallon vertical tanks, single stage except for the $799 Craftsman is 2 stage.
Theres a bunch more that goes into this than raw CFM or bang factor. How are you planning to plumb your shop? Are you planning to plumb your shop? How great of distance are you planning to run your air? This distance thing is really important even if it's only an occasional thing. Examples are for sand blasting or stringing hose to work around the house. My air system is relitively serious. I have the IR 2 stage, 60 gal tank, 1" pipe feeding 3/4" pipe with cealing drops. The air lines are regulated to 100 or 125 depending on what I'm doing. I've been tempted to make a page on this setup .... Naw, Too much ego enhanceing, even for me. Anyhow, If your going to run air line for any distance you'll want a 2 stage (Not a Craftsman). Single stage typically come on at 100 and off at 125. 125 is enough to push air through a length of line, 100 might not be. Two stage are typically on at 150 and off at 175. I set the first regulator at 125 ~ 135 and get a good constant feed through a second regulator through 150 feet of hose. 150 feet gets me inside the house to about the kitchen where I set up a seperator and the second regulator. The second regulator is set at 100 and doesn't fall below 90. This may seem a bit ... extream ? ... but I've become psycho about air. I've been in shops where I'll be happily grinding or drilling away and suddenly my air tool becomes powered by water. Bad enpough it tends to wreck the tool but do I really want what I'm working on to take a bath? And I really dislike breathing compressed air spooge.
Another consideration is how the compressor draws it's air. If it's through an integrated air filter don't even consider it. You'll want to be able to plumb your intake air outside of the shop. Start sanding or making dust and just think of where your compressors air is coming from. My air filter is from a 351 and is mounted high on the outside wall.
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2FarGone
Journeyman Posts: 97
From: Kent, Oh,
Registered: Nov 2004
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posted 10-07-2005 12:52 PM
quote:
Originally posted by ddenton749:
http://portercable.cpoworkshop.com/compressors/c7550.html
Looks like a deal. Free UPS shipping but ... How is it going to be gotten off the truck? Forgot to mention, iron pumps are quieter than alunimun pumps.
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ddenton749
unregistered
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posted 10-07-2005 01:03 PM
It's not all that heavy. Two of us got it in my Explorer and my neighbor helped me get it out. I rocked it into place myself.------------------
'73 Convertible, 351C 2V
'91 LX Convertible 5.0
Member: Valley Forge Mustang Club
"The best things in life are free, but the really kick-a** things cost a fortune."
My Site
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sigtauenus
Gearhead Posts: 3969
From: Va Beach
Registered: Jun 2000
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posted 10-07-2005 01:03 PM
Two biggest things I've heard is a copper coil and to route the line high, low, high with a drain off the low. What I was thinking about doing was having the line come out of the air compressor (relatively high) and drop into a 50' of 3/4 copper in a vertical coil. At the bottom of the coil will be a drain, then the line will route back up to the ceiling and down to about mid-height on the wall. There it will have an attachement for a water separator, a regulator, a manifold and then an oiler. I want to be able to pull dry air off the line both in front of and behind the oiler. Any serious work will not be done more than about 50' from the manifold. Anything more than that will just be the occassional airing up of a tire or something like that.
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ddenton749
unregistered
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posted 10-07-2005 01:07 PM
quote:
Originally posted by sigtauenus:
Two biggest things I've heard is a copper coil and to route the line high, low, high with a drain off the low...
My compressor is right in the 2 1/2 car garage where I do my work. I have a regulator/dryer mounted directly on the compressor and I just use a 25' hose that connects using a quick-coupler. The hose reaches out to the apron in front of my garage which is plenty. I put a drop or two of oil directly in my air tools every once in a while. If I have to fill a tire beyond the reach of my hose I have a portable air tank. ------------------
'73 Convertible, 351C 2V
'91 LX Convertible 5.0
Member: Valley Forge Mustang Club
"The best things in life are free, but the really kick-a** things cost a fortune."
My Site [This message has been edited by ddenton749 (edited 10-07-2005).] [This message has been edited by ddenton749 (edited 10-07-2005).]
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bonfire
Journeyman Posts: 45
From:
Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 10-07-2005 02:42 PM
You're dryer isn't doing much good connected directly to the compressor. The air coming out of the compressor is hot and holding moisture in suspension. The air needs to cool first then it will drop the water. I used to have mine set up that way and wondered why I never had to drain any water out of the dryer. now i have it hooked to 25 feet of 1" copper tubing and drain it daily. quote:
Originally posted by ddenton749:
My compressor is right in the 2 1/2 car garage where I do my work. I have a regulator/dryer mounted directly on the compressor and I just use a 25' hose that connects using a quick-coupler. The hose reaches out to the apron in front of my garage which is plenty. I put a drop or two of oil directly in my air tools every once in a while.If I have to fill a tire beyond the reach of my hose I have a portable air tank.
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ddenton749
unregistered
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posted 10-07-2005 03:11 PM
Actually I do get water out of my dryer. Maybe because of the the temperature drop when air goes from a higher pressure to a lower pressure.------------------
'73 Convertible, 351C 2V
'91 LX Convertible 5.0
Member: Valley Forge Mustang Club
"The best things in life are free, but the really kick-a** things cost a fortune."
My Site
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sigtauenus
Gearhead Posts: 3969
From: Va Beach
Registered: Jun 2000
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posted 11-13-2005 01:28 PM
Well folks, I ended up going for the Kobalt from Lowe's. So far I'm very pleased with it, although it would hard to be disappointed with any improvement over the old craftsman. It holds up well with the blasting cabinet, I have the regulator set to 85 psi going into the cabinet (with open flow), and the tank pressure never drops below 100 using the medium nozzles from Tp tools and the TL-780 cabinet. We'll see how it does when I break out the pressure blaster to do the unibody.
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Ryan Wilke
Gearhead Posts: 3237
From: Stanton, Michigan, zip 48888
Registered: Oct 2000
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posted 11-22-2005 12:26 PM
Hi Sam,Did you go with the 50' of copper 3/4" pipe as a "cooling coil"? What diameter size piping did you use for the remainder of the system? Did you install a remote air intake? ...just considering how I could improve my system. Thanks! Ryan  P.S.
I'm also considering adding a second (40-gallon) air storage tank about 40' away from the compressor.
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SteveLaRiviere
Administrator Posts: 48752
From: Saco, Maine
Registered: May 99
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posted 11-22-2005 12:47 PM
quote:
Originally posted by sigtauenus:
So far I'm very pleased with it, although it would hard to be disappointed with any improvement over the old craftsman.
I hear you. I've been waiting for my old Craftsman to keel over to justify buying a new unit. I even haven't changed the oil in 20 years but the damn thing still keeps chugging away.  ------------------
'70 Mustang Mach 1 351C 4V/FMX/3.25 Open
'70 Mustang Convertible 250 I6/3 speed/2.79 Open
'72 Mustang Sprint Hardtop 351C 4V/FMX/4.30 Trac Loc
'94 F-150 XL 5.8L/E4OD/3.55 Limited Slip
'05 Mercury Sable LS 3.0L DOHC 24V Duratech V6
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sigtauenus
Gearhead Posts: 3969
From: Va Beach
Registered: Jun 2000
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posted 12-07-2005 03:07 PM
Ryan,
I still have not hooked up the cooling pipe yet or the storage tanks. I do have the two old tanks in the attic, but the smallest one will not handle the psi of the largest, so I have to plan the plumming to keep it from getting over pressurized.
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