subject: Three Techniques To Selecting The Appropriate Air Compressor For Your Next Project [print this page] I began out my woodworking profession with a quarter-sheet electric sander, rapidly graduated to a random orbit electric disc sander and lastly realized that I could substantially shorten sanding time with an air palm sander. I settled on a 5" Dynabrade sander and Sears 3HP air compressor. It took me less than an hour to comprehend my error: The small compressor I bought could not begin to keep up air demands in the air sander. It would run out of air pressure practically instantly as well as the air sander would slow down towards the point of becoming useless. I would then have to wait for many minutes for the pressure to develop up once more to get another minute of sanding.
To make matters worse, I had 3 individuals hired as sanders and so I would should preserve 3 machines running at best speed all day long. I did some math and found that I would will need a ten horsepower air compressor with a significant tank to perform this. I was lucky to locate a employed one particular for not as well much cash nevertheless it necessary 3 phase power and numerous it. A lot more dollars went out for an electrician to wire it up to the building's 208 volt 3-phase energy. The huge air compressor was so loud it may be heard all over the developing and down the block nevertheless it powered these three sanders from dawn to dusk. The excellent news is that it paid for itself in saved sanding time quite quickly.
Air sanders are aggressive and efficient. They are light in weight when compared to their lesser electric cousins. My sanders took to them immediately and production took off. I was as content as they had been. Soon there was another machine apart from the air compressor necessary getting huge amounts of air within the shop: an Onsrud inverted pin router. It was also excellent to become able to blow sawdust of benches and machine even though cleaning upon the shop at the end with the day. The compressor was also employed to spray finishes on the completed furniture.
Years later, I built a smaller woodworking shop in my property which only needed a single air sander running at a time. For that shop, I bought an air compressor half the size and isolated within a soundproof room in one corner from the shop. I ran " galvanized pipe below the shop floor to 3 regulators at three diverse hassle-free locations. The machine I purchased for that shop as a 5 HP Ingersoll Rand model with an 80 gallon tank. At the 80 PSI required by my Dynabrade sander, the compressor would produce adequate air all day long. I must say that that compressor was quite effectively built. All I had to complete was keep an eye on the oil level in the sight glass. At night, I would turn off the master air valve on the side on the machine, leaving the electrical energy on, to silence the compressor for the night.
I ought to assume that, having read this far, you have some interest in making use of an air compressor to power air tools within your shop. Probably, a 2-stage reciprocating air compressor will fill the requirements of a small to medium shop. As a rule of thumb, a 5 HP air compressor will power one air sander, a 7.5 HP machine will energy two and a ten HP machine will be needed for 3 sanders.
The size from the compressor's air tank is an significant consideration: The smaller the tank, the much more usually the compressor will need to cycle on and off, This can be difficult on each the motor and compressor pump over time and it utilizes a lot more electrical energy. I would not even look at an air compressor used to power an air sander with much less than a 60 gallon tank and I would feel much additional comfy with an 80 gallon tank.
The kind of electrical energy essential by an air compressor is an additional consideration. For those who have three-phase energy offered at your location, fine. Three phase motors often use electrical energy a bit additional effectively than single-phase motors. Massive air compressors will all require 3-phase power but the 5 HP models come either way. In the event you do not have 3-phase energy available, you may manufacture it having a rotary or electronic phase converter as I did in my smaller shop. No matter whether you use single or 3 phase energy, you'll need 230V AC power for single-phase motors and 208 or 220V AC for the three-phase selection. Be sure you check the voltage and amperage needs of any air compressor just before you obtain it. Electricians might be expensive.
A two-stage compressor pump is a have to for a machine of this size. Two-stage machines have two cylinders, one particular bigger than the other. Air is initially introduced in to the massive cylinder where it is partially compressed and sent to the smaller cylinder for final compression in to the tank. As air is compressed, heat is produced and so a fantastic machine will constantly possess a finned intercooler built in.
Compression not only produces heat but squeezes water out from the air which ends up in the tank. Tanks can rust internally more than time and if this is not kept in check, the rusted air tank can ultimately explode causing tremendous damage and even death. That is why it can be critically essential to drain the tank of water each and every day. Most machines come equipped with a drain valve in the lowest point from the tank. In the event you don't wish to spray water all over the floor beneath the compressor, you might want to consider piping it from the valve to yet another location including below the floor or into a drain. Piped water will flow uphill into a sink because it is being pushed out in the tank by compressed air.
You will need at the very least a single regulator along with a water trap in line ahead of it. These will not be high priced. A regulator will allow you to set the right air pressure for the tool you will be employing (say, 80 PSI) instead of tank pressure (say, 175 PSI).
Air output of a compressor pump is expressed in regular cubic feet per minute (SCFM) or simply cubic feet per minute (CFM). Not all five HP compressors place out the same volume of air per minute. This can be a function not merely of motor horsepower but in addition the efficiency on the compressor pump the motor is powering. The higher the CFM, the much less your compressor will need to cycle on and off to help keep up with the demands that you are putting on it. A small compressor pump on a huge tank will create no a lot more air than on a little tank. The only distinction will be within the number of instances the compressor cycles on an off each hour as well as the time it takes to recompress the tank on every single cycle. Inside the finish, you need to spend focus to SCFM (or CFM) greater than you do motor horsepower or tank size. Air flow may be the finish item of any compressor and also the CFM must be enough to the job at hand.
All reciprocating air compressors throw out oil with all the air they compress. When the tank reaches it's created maximum pounds per square inch, a pressure switch will interrupt electrical energy towards the motor. Simultaneously, a certain level of oily air will likely be released in to the shop atmosphere. You might see oil collecting on the wall behind the compressor and on the pump and compressor as well more than time. This really is not trigger for alarm but periodic cleaning may be necessary.
Reciprocating (piston variety) air compressors make noise and this is some thing you'll need to program on for the sake of your self, your workers and others who surround your place. If quiet is an crucial criteria, you could wish to consider spending the additional cash to get a screw-type air compressor. Screw-type compressors have no pistons or cylinders. Air is compressed in turbine style by a sizable metal screw, turning at a very high speed. These compressors just purr in comparison to the reciprocating form but they are quite costly. They sound much more like a quiet jet engine than a loud truck motor.
I hope this short article has been useful to you. Buying an air compressor for the woodworking shop could be a pretty high priced investment any time you contemplate piping, regulators, hoses, water traps, wiring and electricians. You may would like to buy a machine which is equal to the jobs you will be doing but no greater than that. Shopping for the incorrect air compressor could be a extremely pricey mistake. My intention in writing this has been to give you the information you will need to pick the best one.
I enjoy wood, in particular fine hardwoods. I really like woodworking which is the art of turning wonderful wood into useful or decorative objects. I adore woodworking tools which allow me to do my woodworking accurately and effectively. I've been a professional woodworker due to the fact 1981 when I established Craftsman Woodworking, LTD in Honolulu, Hawaii. My 7 workers and medium-sized shop developed distinctive furnishings styles, mostly out of Hawaiian Koa wood. Through the time that I've been involved in woodworking, I've learned a terrific deal regarding the craft, frequently benefiting from my own errors. I've utilised a wide variety of hand, energy and stationary woodworking tools and I'd prefer to share what I've learned about these woodworking tools, hopefully for the benefit of other woodworkers like myself.
