60 Gallon Compressor. Enough?

[cubby]

is a 60 vertical compressor large enough for a blast cabinet. not copious amounts of it, but blasting a fixed blade and folder liners.... every 6 years when i finish a knife...... give or take....

thanks!
joe

 

[stabber]

Bigger the better. Smaller tanks kick on to often when using

 

[12345678910]

Maybe, maybe not.

The truth is you are looking at the size of the tank and not the capacity of the compressor and motor.
Tanks are cheap and look impressive while they can short change you on the real guts.

Look at the ratings for the tool that consumes the most, then buy the compressor for it- always going bigger.

A bigger tank can help smooth out the surges, but you really need to pay attention to the specs

ie.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...ts&cm_pla=Google&cm_ite=sand+blaster++cabintt

uses
7 to 15 CFM Cubic feet per minute at 80 to 125 psi.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_158284_158284
this puts out 10.3 cfm at 135 psi

If you need 15 cfm and it put out 10, you will be waiting for it a lot,

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_211720_211720
this one puts out 18 cfm, probably enough..

Notice that both those compressor have the same sized 60 gallon tank..
but have a $300 difference.

Good advertising and tool suppliers should be quoting in SCFM
Standardized cubic Feet Per Minute - allowing you to compare specs directly at the same pressure and volume

 

[Curtiss Knives]

Cubby, you've seen my junk and everything I run with it!

 

[murphda2]

I don't know a thing about compressors, but Sears has one on sale for I think $260.

 

[Fellhoelter]

The #'s man is right.

BUT, per your stated requirements even the 3hp is enough for you.

I happen to have the 5hp model, and am happy that I do, but I consume a lot of air sometimes.

For the occasional blast, you are seldom running the cabinet for very long.
I can often blast 2 frames, screws, and a pocket clip and the compressor will not even kick on.

As with most things, buy the best you can afford.
A decent compressor is a long term investment.

 

[12345678910]

BUT, per your stated requirements even the 3hp is enough for you.

I happen to have the 5hp model

He is talking about those 2 specific models here.

I deliberately avoided any mention of horsepower.
You can't take that 3hp or 5 hp rating to compare it against any other models by different manufacturers.

The air compressor (and now shop vac) companies are quoting some wacky calculation of peak horsepower to inflate the values
http://www.truetex.com/aircompressors.htm

 

[Fellhoelter]

Yes, yes, I was referring to the specific compressors you linked to.

HP really means nothing from most manufacturers, I had a "5 hp" craftsman that ran on 110v.
Yeah, sure it was 5 hp...

I got lazy, it was easier to type HP than SCFM.

 

[BossDog]

He is talking about those 2 specific models here.

I deliberately avoided any mention of horsepower.
You can't take that 3hp or 5 hp rating to compare it against any other models by different manufacturers.

The air compressor (and now shop vac) companies are quoting some wacky calculation of peak horsepower to inflate the values
http://www.truetex.com/aircompressors.htm

I had to read his math model twice but it's a good reference and read.

 

[cubby]

thanks guys!