Just thought I would share a picture of 1/2 of the compressor room at the plant, I’ll have to look to see if I have a picture of one of the big units at our plant south of me.
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I’ll double check my measurements, but I’m not sure I have room for one of them. Of course, it will also blow out my plasma in a hurry!
I might have room for the trash can…
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oops, wrong area
I have a kobalt quiet tech 26 gal compressor which works ok but does recycle too often. Despite adding an extra 20 gal tank. It is a 4.5 cfm @ 90psi machine so obviously can’t keep up. I use a 45xp plasma on the crossfire table.
Now I would def like a 240v 4-5hp compressor with 10+ cfm but wondering about the cost to add another 240v line in garage and also the space.
Then I found about this dewalt gas compressor which is 9.9 cfm @ 90psi even though a 8gal tank. Also the reviews said not too loud. https://www.aircompressorsdirect.com/DeWalt-DXCMTB5590856-Air-Compressor/p64976.html
This way I get a highly portable compressor and no additional 240v outlet expense. Am I missing anything?
I would think with a tank that small it will run constantly and you would be fighting water accumulation. Obviously you’d have to run the compressor outside due to the exhaust.
I wouldn’t even consider trying to cut with that compressor. I was hung up on portability when I was shopping for a compressor as well. I got a 60 gal 5hp and bolted it down. Couldn’t be happier. How often are you needing to move the compressor? Just make your current one your portable one and get a big dawg to be stationary.
I could not find a 30 gallon tank that came with a 5hp motor. I don’t think anyone makes them anymore.
Depending on your breaker box location and shop layout, it could be pretty cheap to add a 240v outlet. I added my own, luckily my box is on the other side of the wall from my garage so I only needed two feet of wire. You can also wire a plug up to any 240v compressor and either make the cord real long or make an extension cord using SO cord from a big box store.
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Thanks for the insights, all your points are valid.
I took a gamble by ordering the dewalt. Reviews did say that folks use it for plasma cutting too, also it is not super loud. I will keep it next to garage door and keep the door open when using it. If it does not work out like I expect I can always sell it but I think I may like it.
I was really considering the CA air tools 60 gal 240v compressor ($1400 on sale in aircompressorsdirect) but then deferred that idea to try the gas option first. Benefit of gas compressor is portability and ease of selling.
I think there is a cheaper way out for me if I cancel the gas compressor. I can just get another kobalt 26 gal and run them in parallel.
I have mine on vibration pads bolted to the floor. I don’t plan on moving it but if I do I just plug a couple of holes and drill a couple of new holes. Still waiting on my standard table. Hopefully soon!
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How loud is that quincy?
I think @GunTruck1776 is running dual compressors in his goat shack. At least I saw two in one of his pictures.
I was just like you, trying to find a creative way to get by with less, but I decided I didn’t want to spend any time engineering something.
I wonder if having the two feed into one line or another tank would work. In theory they would kick on at the same time, and you’d have a total of 4hp supplying your plasma. I know just adding another tank wouldn’t work well, but a whole second compressor is interesting.
Young Hannah built a nice compressor array. The issue with multiple compressors just plugged in is that one of them always kicks on and ends up doing all the work. Her controller method, utilizing an inexpensive Arduino makes it all work well. https://youtu.be/YGYgQO5TFto
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Well I know the only you tube videos my little girl is allowed to watch from now on. That girl rocks!
Yes both of my compressors are old but still work, will they work for this? Who knows, I still don’t know if the table will fit in there 
I am using 1 magnetic pressure switch to switch both hots so they will run at the same time, should help with heat buildup, and they won’t fight each other
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It isn’t bad. Most of the noise comes from the air intake. I keep think about Plumbing it to The out side or into my attic but I’m concerned that it’s too hot up there in summer. The other thought is to make a muffler for it. It’s not as quiet as those low RPM units but it is waaaaay quieter than a pancake compressor. When I use it for most of my other air needs the compressor only runs once in awhile. Will see what happens when my plasma table arrives (just got notice today it is shipping). I’d like to see if I can find a used 60 or bigger tank just to have extra storage capacity. When I use most of my other tools with the extra tank the compressor would probably only cycle 1 or 2 times a day. Again until I get the table up & running I won’t know how often it will cycle as it is. With the high CRM it has maybe a 2nd tank would be just a wast of money and space.
Cancelled the gas compressor order ($1k+) and bought another kobalt quiet 26gal 4.5@90 compressor ($250). Both of them running well on the single 20A circuit and very quiet. Just need to order one-way valves but right now it is a working setup with both regulators set at same pressure. The extra tank is not needed anymore but will keep it for extra capacity as it is hard to sell. I can always just use one of them, so it is indeed a good setup, plus these are portable.
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Nice. I think you’ll like that setup more than the gas one. Did you do anything to get them to run separately or prevent one from just running all the time?
No, I didn’t tweak any cutoff psi settings. Because I am using a T, both of them will supply half the needed CFH and will be triggered independently as they go under 120psi. So far it is working really well.
I did get another 220v wired in garage for future needs. But I still like the dual 110v compressor option much better for my needs – portable and can be used only one at a time for light work.
Interesting setup you got there @advmaker…I’ve been in market for a 60 gal, but liking what you did. How long does it take your setup to go from zero to full pressure with both running? With that extra tank - how many total gallons - looks like close to 70-80?
James – I didn’t measure the time for 0-150psi for the compressors as I am not in a rush when filling them. Disregarding the extra 20gal tank (trying to sell it), each of the 26 gal compressors will take a few minutes. I will measure and write back. Just the two of them together is 52 gal and 4.5+4.5 = 9 CFM at 90psi.
If you buy it today – Lowes has them for $259 each. Use a 10% coupon from quik-coupons.com. Your cost would be $468 before tax. Get the 3ft lines, T connector etc from harbor freight for a few bucks and you are set.
Note that without a check valve you have to set same regulated pressure for both, else the output line with lower pressure will leak air out due to higher pressure coming from the other. I have ordered https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007GDXA60 and will get them soon.
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Reporting back after some non-trivial cutting action.
I think the T manifold to supply half of the needed CFM by each compressor is not simple to do. Why, because if regulated pressure of one of the compressors is slightly higher, it ends up trying to supply the full CFM. So I saw that tank pressure in only one of the compressors started going down and I could swap that by adjusting regulators.
Looks like I have to do a daisy chain after I get the check valves. Note that both compressors will start the motor right below 120psi. The way I will do it is:
compressor1 regulated output (130psi) -> check valve -> tank of compressor2
compressor2 regulated output (100 psi) -> tool
This way compressor2 tank feeds the tool first. When it goes below 130psi, compressor1 starts feeding it air. When c1 tank goes below 120 it is likely that c2 tank is also below 120, both motors start.
Fingers crossed. Whether this works well or not, I am enjoying this learning process.
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