Compressor??

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mailee

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I need a compressor for my framing nail gun but need something I can take to jobs not a stationary model. I am confused as to what size I will need for this job EG: CFM. It looks like I need free air delivery of 7CFM and at least 90 PSI. Can I use a compressor with a lower CFM so long as it has a tank attached? I have seen some cheap ones on E-bay but am not sure if they would run a framing nailer? Anyone help? :?
 
I'm not sure free air delivery is really relevant for a nailer because it isn't running constantly. A small tank compressor might be ok, the compressor will just have to run a bit more frequently to keep the tank topped up. Would a Paslode type nailer no be a lot more convenient, although maybe more expensive, for site work?
 
Hi George and thanks. I have been thinking of a Paslode nailer and they are about the same price as a decent compressor. Not too sure about them though as I have heard horror stories of them needing a lot of attention and often jamming, not sure if this is true. I do have a air framing nailer but no compressor to run it at the moment which I thought might be the best way to go. Still undecided what to do really. I have the De Walt 618 nailer which is great but will only take 16g nails of up to 63mm so no real good for frame work. :?
 
I've had a B&Q compressor (£99 inc nail gun) for site work for 4 or 5 years and it's served me well. I think they're even cheaper now. I've used my big Porter Cable 16 guage nailer with it and it copes admirably.
Not much use for spraying, though!
 
Hi Mailee,
any compressor should be capable of building up 90psi (min for a framing nailer), but you wont be able to fire more than one or two nails if your lucky, unless it has a substantial tank ( at least fifty litres ).
i have two paslodes and two bostitch framing nailers (AIR).
i run the bostitch off a hundred litre, 3 hp, belt driven compressor with no problem at all. it is on wheels and can be lifted in and out of the van easily enough, or run up two planks. the reason i have these air nailers is that they are a lot more economical to run, you dont need to buy gas.
the problem with smaller compressors of 24 liters or less is that they need to run a lot more frequently to keep the pressure built up in theri small tanks, thus leading to overheating and automatic cut-outs. you really need to spend a serious amount of money for an industrial rated model like a Rand that wont over heat as much.
one thing worth mentioning is that oil free are a diy only job!!

the paslodes are at times a god-send. no hose take anywhere sort of things.
they can be a bit temperamental if you dont keep them clean,oiled and use fresh gas.
all said and done if your only using the framer now and again for a few nails you can pick up a decent 24 litre compressor on Ebay for around £35 - £ 40 plus £25 delivery, from a german supplier , search under air compressor and then buisness and industrial. they are exactly the same as the sealy model that sells for three times the price, red in colour,2hp direct drive and oiled. sorry mate i dont know how to post a link. the supplier is called werkzeuge-online. check it out i havnt had any problems with mine running a 15 gauge finish nailer.
hope this long winded rant helps !!
:wink:
 
Well thanks Gary, that is just the sort of information I needed. I did buy the nail gun when I built my workshop but borrowed a friends compressor to run it which was a big unit. I will do a search on E-bay for the compressor you mention. I too would like a Paslode for the convenience but they seem to go for a high price and not knowing the gun I am a little reluctant to buy one. Of course the horror stories about them didn't help either. Thanks again Gary. :wink:
 
No Gary, i did a search on E-bay and couldn't find the one you mention. I did however find a Clarke one with a 50 ltr tank and twin cylinder with 12.5CFM for around £200 which I thought sounded good enough. Might be tempted with that one. :D
 
Gary M":13rsbwcm said:
any compressor should be capable of building up 90psi (min for a framing nailer), but you wont be able to fire more than one or two nails if your lucky, unless it has a substantial tank ( at least fifty litres ).
I am going to disagree with you based on experience of running a DW full head nailer - quite a bit bigger than a 16g tool. I have a B&Q cheap compressor with a small tank which has been out and done a number of fence jobs over the past 4 years. The DW, like many other nailers, is rated at circa 80psi, the compressor is rated at 100psi, so I can actually fire 6 to 8 nails before the compressor kicks in. Not brilliant, but man enough to do the job and because the compressor is oil-less it requires little maintainance. To data it hasn't overheated or seized. In fact it seems unkillable, although if I were doing fencing work 5 days a week I'd go for something bigger. But I don't. It also has the advantage of being very portable. Mine's been up scaffolding towers, on staging, etc. So for someone not using the beast full time a lighter, more portable, cheaper alternative?

Scrit
 
horses for courses dear Scrit.
bear in mind the nailer you refer to is rated with 900 in/lbs driving force at not 80 but 100psi-- the MAX your compressor can achieve.

Mailee i have checked through my Ebay and the german seller has no compressors listed at this time, they normally have five or six listed. try again next week or over the weekend, i got mine for £36 plus £25 delivery, couldnt be bad for £61! a bit cheaper than the clarke your looking at. what sort of use do you intend for your nailer anyway ?
by the way for a couple of quid more you could buy a second hand paslode or even a new one if your lucky, look after it and you will have no problems, a service every now and again will set you back around £35 or so.
 
You might need that amount of force with dry timber - with fresh tanalised which is fairly soft you most certainly do not. No theory, just practice. the other thing is the DW manual actually states that the pressure should be reduced to 85 to 90 psi as does the manual in the Snecos I have.

Scrit
 
Thanks Gary, I shall keep my eyes open on E-bay. There is no rush as I haven't got any jobs for it at the moment. Mostly it will be used for fencing or gazeebo type structures. Not too often used but useful nonetheless. I didn't realise that a service for the Paslode was as cheap as that either, might be worth considering one of those. As I say there is no rush for one at the moment so I can wait untilhe advertises again. Thanks for the info guys. :wink:
 
Never too sure how useful third hand (if my arithmetic is right) information is, but FWIW I recently had a lot of roofing work done and the guy in charge was wielding a Paslode for fixing the battens. He'd been using it full time for about eighteen months with, as he put it, just the occasional clean and reckoned it was a wonderful piece of kit. Not sure what the other guys thought as he reckoned he could now fix at least twice as fast as he had before, and they had to keep the battens coming to keep up with him.....
 
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