All About Pocket Knives

Does anybody use the 3 gallon pancake portable electric air compressor from Sears or Porter Cable, for their shop and around home use?

Yup I got a porter cable sitting under the workbench right now

Yessir,
Have a Craftsman version in my shop.

Those Porter Cable pancake compressors are pretty good.
I am not sure who makes the pumps for their compressors, probably DeVilbiss.
The old DeVilbiss compressors were cast iron & darn near bulletproof. I worked for a company that did warranty work on DeVilbiss equipment. I have worked on DeVilbiss compressor pumps that were older than I was by a factor of 2. They make good compressors.

I don't use many air tools, mostly I use air to blow dirt off things or to dry them off.
I have a little 10 gal tank mount 4 hp Harbor Freight cheapo.
The 5.6 SCFM is more than adequate for my needs.
It has lasted me 3 or 4 years and it only cost me $98 on sale, new.

orvet wrote:
I don't use many air tools, mostly I use air to blow dirt off things or to dry them off.

Same here

I have a little Hitachi 3 gal pancake oil-less compressor that sits in the basement. 1.5 HP, 3.3 CFM @ 100 PSI. Works fine for blowing stuff up or off and if you go slow, it will run a nail gun long enough to get small jobs done. It has gone through two floods and still huffs & puffs up a storm.

Out in the garage/shop is a 5.something CFM 10(?) gal. DeVilbiss. Also been through two floods but I had to replace the regulator on it.

jerryd6818 wrote: Out in the garage/shop is a 5.something CFM 10(?) gal. DeVilbiss. Also been through two floods but I had to replace the regulator on it.

Is that DeVilbiss a cast iron pump or aluminum?

I use a Porter-Cable 20 gallon, 5hp oiless for spraying finishes. Over the last 10 years, i've worked that poor little compressor to death. I've had to replace the valve assembly twice, the head once and the piston, sleeve and ring assembly three times. Still, it's more then paid for itself 10 times over. Parts are readily available and reasonably priced.
If you want a top of the line compressor, my favorite is the 10hp Quincy that I have in my main shop. It's a twin cylinder on a 60 gallon vertical tank. About 30cfm at 120psi. (gotta have that kind of output for running air sanders) I've had it 25 years or so, and the only thing i've ever done to it, was replace a couple of belts.

WB

orvet wrote:

jerryd6818 wrote: Out in the garage/shop is a 5.something CFM 10(?) gal. DeVilbiss. Also been through two floods but I had to replace the regulator on it.

Is that DeVilbiss a cast iron pump or aluminum?

Aluminum.

I DO use a lot of air tools both in paint & body work and mechanics. I have a tendency to run these things to death.
Most of the time there will be 2 guys working it at the same time.

When I bought my first compressor for use around the house/shop - I could of kicked my own ars for not buying one sooner!!!!
What a time saver! What takes 1 or 2 minutes with a ratchet only takes 30 seconds or less with air!

Not real sure who made the Northstar (2 stage, single cylinder, 80 gal.) ... bought it at Northern Tool about 5 yrs ago. So far, so good. (had to replace
the motor shortly after buying the comp. They sent me a new capacitor first to see if that was the problem. Ended up getting
a whole NEW motor in the mail! No problems since.

This is the 3rd large compressor I've had. Used a Campbell Hassfield with a cast U.S.A. block for MANY years before it gave up the ghost.
The shortest lived, yet fastest recovery one was a Curtis twin cylinder.

When time comes to buy another - it will DEFENATLY be a twin cylinder!

....... Joe

In my mind, if someone is building a shop, be it small or large, home or professional, wood, metal or paint, one of the top five first tools to buy should be a good air compressor. Bigger is always better.

I have a Devilbiss pancake. It's a little workhorse! Only use it to out the insides of my knives after I soak them with Break Free CLP. Amazing, the crud coming out of those liners and springs. Have gained back a lot of snap often times. Bull