So my 20 year old craftsman oilless air compressor is dying. Tank is still good, etc. Just takes forever to fill, barely able to get up to cutoff pressure.
So in looking at replacement, I realized that anything good is big money.
So I got to thinking. Harbour freight has what they call a 3 horse splash oiled compressor head. Ive got a spare 2 horsepower 110 volt table saw motor. In the review of the head, couple users were using old 1.5 motors and happy.
I typically only use the compressor for a die grinder, cut off wheel, blow gun, and tire chuck. I'd love to use an air chisel and impact gun, but my compressor has never had enough balls to do it.
So I guess the question is, can I combine my tank, table saw motor, and the harbour freight head to make a compressor for my needs?What o parts will I need, and what else can i scavenge from my dead compressor?
Only because it's 20 years old and maybe not a part of our disposable era of tools, have you looked into rebuilding it? Compressor motors are pretty simple. Forever to build pressure may just need a quick hone and a new ring.
(From someone who's doing a LOT of assuming that it wouldn't be too bad to rebuild)
-Rob
The Harbor Fright pump, while better than most "oilless" pumps, is still a really crappy Chinese pump. I've yet to see a 20 year old home quality tank that wasn't well on the way to rusting through the bottom. And, your time is worth something.
Same advice I always offer in "what compressor?" threads:
Find a balance in the time/money/need triad and use Craigslist/Searchtempest to find the biggest American made commercial compressor you can tolerate. As you don't have other 3-phase power machines to deal with, stick to single phase, but bear in mind that running a 240 circuit isn't hard, and it's a vast improvement for compressors and welders.
I had a succession of hand-me-down ancient Craftsman pumps types, an oilless I paid money for, another than was free, and I'd had enough. It took a year, but eventually I scored a like new Dayton/Speedaire 240V, 5HP, 2-stage, 4 cylinder, low rpm, 60 gallon vertical unit for about $400. Some day someone will buy it from my estate, and they'll in turn give it up when they're dead. It runs anything easily, all day long.
And the sound is a deep, resonant, relaxing note. Not the hideous sharp, metallic thrash of an oilless.
Oh, and slow to build pressure is generally the reed valves being gunked up. Get some gasket paper and permatex aviation form-a-gasket, take it completely apart and clean and re-fit everything.
"Hone" the bores w/ 600 grit wet-or-dry sandpaper, flatten the reeds on the same paper on a flat piece of glass or metal, reseal, relube, maybe new bearings.
New compressor.
In reply to motomoron:
Is there some sort of how to on this? Never thought about trying to rebuild it.
Drain the oil and remove the pump, clean the outside. Take the pulley off, clear some bench space. Remove the head and disassemble it. There's most likely some covers and spacers and little paper gaskets above and below the reeds. Take lots of pictures so you can refer to them for the reassembly sequence and parts orientations.
The cylinder is probably cast integral to the cranckcase. The crank most likely comes out through a cover w/ a bearing on the side of the case.
Keep disassembling and cleaning 'til everything is spotless and all laid out. Check for wear, it's not impossible that parts are still available. If it's really worn out and there's no parts, cut you losses and scrap it.
But, if the reeds are sealing properly that can lower efficiency dramatically. Also, if anyone every used it for painting, the air filter is probably plugged up. That kills efficiency as well.
Find something like this on Craigslist.
Spend a couple of hundred going through it and have a 18 CFM compressor you can leave for your kids. The one above is 44 years old and will last forever doing shop duty.
Same situation, dad's hand me down oil-less craftsman starting pulling the same crap recently, cost of rebuild kit looks to be $150ish and may be NLA, and it'll be my first time doing something like that. Plus, rebuilding it will net a working yet still loud (and iirc pretty weak, even at it's best) compressor.
Have been searching craigslist and I could get something like this;
http://ventura.craigslist.org/tls/5052382137.html
but I have enough projects and the cost of something like this;
http://www.lowes.com/pd_54284-1126-VT6362_1z10d74__?productId=3370356&pl=1
plus the fact that sometimes they get even cheaper make me want to just hit the easy button.
Will it last forever? Probably not, but the loud, inefficient/weak oil less Craftsman I have now took a long time to officially die.
Toyman01 wrote:
Find something like this on Craigslist.
Spend a couple of hundred going through it and have a 18 CFM compressor you can leave for your kids. The one above is 44 years old and will last forever doing shop duty.
this looks identical too the one we have sitting blown up in the back of work. it lasted 28 years in a commercial business.
In reply to Toyman01:
Thats pretty much what im thinking, only making my own for around 100 and some time. Also 110. Dont have 220 in the shop.
You want a truly Grassroots solution? Find an old ACVW engine and use one bank for the compressor while the other two cylinders drive the thing.
Disclaimer: I've never done this, only heard that it was possible. And of course, there's a kit for sale on the internet.
http://vwparts.aircooled.net/Volks-Aire-Air-Compressor-Kit-Standard-Model-DR3S-p/dr3s.htm
I bought a devilbiss 60gallon upright that wasn't making air. The reed valves were shot. Bought some new ones and put it all together. Still nothing. Turns out it had swallowed something and effed up one of the pistons.
replaced with a HF unit. Still haven't run the new hardline to finish it, but it's quiet!
Dave: what all did you have to add to the harbour freight head?
Just lines from the pump to the tank. I flushed it with motor oil to get any garbage out too. Didn't see any evidence of casting sand.
Shot a quick vid so you could hear it running. This is on a 3.5hp 240v motor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbNVk0I9bv4
I bought a 21 gallon 2.5 hp harbor freight pump and it lasted about 3 months, still pumps fine just sounds like a diesel knocking around. I wish I got an old used one but needed one then.
Go big or go home. Spend a bit now or spend a lot more in small bits for the next, well, forever. You can NEVER have too much air capacity. EVER. Sure you don't paint now, but what about next year? Wanna keep your next paint fiasco intact and not at the mercy of some other shop-have the air capacity in YOUR shop. You can always cobble together a booth in a pinch. Whether you refurb an older unit or buy quality now you'll have a setup that like others have said you can live to your kids.
