Subject: air compressors

From: [email-masked]
Date: Sun, 30 Jun 1996 18:36:59 -0600

I have put together a plan for an air-hammer ala Ron Kinyon and am in the
market for an air compressor. Enco (1-800-873-3626) has one listed in their
current flyer for $449.99. It is a five horse, 60 gallon capacity unit. It
has 16CFM @ 115PSI. Does anyone have any experience with this type
compressor? Some I have talked to are not to positive about these calling
them "throwaways". I am not an industrial user. To move up to a "real"
compressor such as a Quincy or Ingersol Rand doubles the price.
Has anyone on the list built one of these air hammers? Did you make any
mods from the Kinyon plan? Any ideas or comments would be appreciated.
Thanks
Bob

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From: Lee Marshall <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 30 Jun 1996 21:47:15 -0700

As a parts kit, they arn't too bad. The reason they are called 
"throwaways" is because it is not economical to rebuild them, what with 
the parts locating problem from Enco, et al. 
If you are really strapped for cash,I would recommend  that you purchase 
the unit with the expectation that you will have to replace the 
compressor in a year or two. At that time, buy the comparable compressor 
from Grainger (Dayton). They have excellent parts information, back 
their units to the hilt, and have 24 hour emergency service.
My first choice would be Grainger.
The air delivery spec's you quote (16CFM @ 115 psi) seems unrealistic. 
More usual deliveries are 16CFM @ 40 psi and 6-7 @ 115psi. 
I don't know anything about the air hammer you are talking about, but 
the experience that I have had with air hammers in the past is that they 
are the equivelent to having an open air hose with no restriction. This 
means that you are consuming in the range of 10-12CFM and the compressor 
cannot keep up.

Lee
Bonny Doon Engineering
Making a good impression

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From: "Steven O. Smith" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 1 Jul 96 9:14:35 MDT

Harbor Freight sells portions of compressors, including name brands
like Quincy. This can help economise if you already have a 5HP motor,
or something you can use as a tank.

--
Steven O. Smith
[email-masked]

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From: Jim Binnion <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 01 Jul 1996 19:25:56 +0000

Most air compressors from Enco and the like are not rated for continous 
duty these compressors will likely self destruct if you use them on a 
continous basis. The important factors in chosing an air compressor are 
the SCFM (Standard Cubic Feet per Min.), the PSI (Pounds per Square 
Inch or pressure), and the duty cycle. Most  homeowner and contractor 
grade compressors are rated for 50/50% duty cycle. If you exceed these 
duty cycle ratings the compressor will fail before it should. But to 
buy a compressor that will supply 16 cfm at 115 psi  that will run with 
a 100% duty cycle you will pay alot ($1525.00 for a Dayton brand 5hp 80 
gal tank two stage compressor with magnetic starter 17.1 CFM@ 175 PSI, 
part # 7Z510) You must decide how you are going to use the machine if 
you are using it all day long for production work you should buy the 
best compressor you can. If you are using it on an occasional basis a 
$400 compressor may do the job. One other thing to remember is that 
these cheaper compressors are not realy rated accurately for their 
output and may not produce the required amount of air.

Jim

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From: Lee Marshall <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 01 Jul 1996 21:21:01 -0700

Ya know, for some reason it seems that you always pay for what you get, 
but you dont always get what you pay for. Constantly chasing the lowest 
bid usually gets you the worst value. There is always a reason why 
something is priced lower than the competition. 
If you have the skill to take a cheap piece of equipment and make it 
into a silk purse, then you probably already know what is out there and 
what it requires to make it work. If you dont have the skill, pay more 
money and purchase a better quality piece and you will be much happier 
and have more "up time". 
If however, you enjoy the adventure itself and regard it as a learning 
experience and are willing to factor in the inability of the tools you 
choose to do the quality of work that you want to do (for example, a 20 
ton press that wastes 8 tons in flexing of the frame, giving you only a 
net of 12 tons) then by all means have fun.

Lee Marshall
Bonny Doon Engineering
Making a Good Impression