One question that seems to get asked all the time when it comes to using air tools is how large of an air compressor do i need.
Smallest air compressor to run air tools.
To operate something like blowers any small compressor will do.
In contrast a nail gun requires only about 2 2 scfm to operate.
Can a 1 hp air compressor run this air nailer.
The california air tools 8010 is an 8 gallon air compressor that produces 2 2 cfm of air at 90 psi and has the capacity to store and compress air up to a maximum pressure of 120 psi.
Will a 1 hp air compressor run this.
However most tools require a great volume of air to run at peak performance.
The photo above is of an air nailer.
Here is an air tool.
However you must be careful about choosing the right air compressor and it also must be reliable.
Instead you should assess the air requirements of your tools and find an air compressor that can meet those requirements.
The recovery time of the air compressor is remarkably fast which saves up time of the user.
Air compressor is not as complicated as people ought to say.
Air compressors come in many sizes but the size doesn t determine whether an air compressor is powerful enough for your air tools.
It has an average sized tank for a small air compressor and can run multiple tools at once if needed.
This pancake air compressor from dewalt is oil free and very quiet and slots right into most workplaces to function as a high powered noise free diy assistant for your project needs.
The california air tools cat 1p1060s on amazon is among the best air compressors that i owned.
3 4 inch air impact wrenches on the other hand will need 7 cfm or more from a larger air compressor.
The small air compressor comes with an 18 feet hose and 6 feet power cord for the purpose to enable the user to approach all the tires easily while plugging the machine in one place.
It s important to know if the compressor you purchase will drive the air tool you ll need for your project.
So using that rule of thumb since a 1 hp air compressor can deliver about 4 cfm of air at 90 psi is 1 hp air compressor the smallest air compressor for air tools.
For example smaller air nailers run on 2 to 5 cfm at 70 to 90 psi while larger shears air sanders require up to 10 or more cfm and 100 to 120 psi.
Anywhere from 4 to 5 scfm up to 15 to 20 scfm or more.
Even the smallest compressor can provide 60 and 90 psi of pressure needed to run an air tool check the tool s manual for specific recommendations.
The smallest 3 8 inch impact wrenches can run off a 3 cfm air compressor while a 1 2 inch air wrench will need 4 cfm both of these sizes can be run off a 1 hp portable kit.