Why I love Air Compressors
This summers studio build would, without doubt be slowly moving into autumn and this article likely crawling out next spring. Without my 5 gallon compressor the swear jar would be unnecessarily brimming with coins just as my studio would be unnecessarily abundant with screws.
The stud frame, the roof, the ply panelling, the shiplap, the floor ply, the roof frame, the MDF backed diffusers, the MDF speaker fronts, the pine panelling to name but a few handful of jobs were effortlessly and stoically completed with the ooomph of the mighty air compressor.
Having an arsenal of tools that don’t need to be self powered or require a battery change every 2 hours really does make the workflow so much better. To be able to snap off a drill tool then stick on a nail gun then an impact wrench then a finishing gun improves nearly everything.
Quality and efficiency were the outstanding positives for me but also were hugely economical.
Framing and finishing guns did the front-end business but it was the consistent blasts of regulated air that effectively allowed me to go home at a decent hour an continue my relationship with my missus.
Bang after bang after bang, things were just getting done. Replacing tools on the fly then simply cracking on meant we completed the build in under 4 weeks. Thats a whole 10 weeks quicker than my previous studio build, constructed WITHOUT the aid of an air compressor. Similar spec, similar remit and finished in less than half the time.
Thats a fully loaded studio, sealed for sound and weather, painted, decorated, treated and filled with stuff to make noise in under 5 weeks.
For me, that is truly amazing.
Working alone for most of the job, I cannot reiterate how important the air compressor was to this me.
Ok, you may find this whole homage slightly odd; me raving over a metal tank connected to a noisy air pump but let me tell you this. Working on my previous studio without air tools made the task hugely inefficient, way more expensive and lead to many late nights and too many early starts.
Having the right tools for the job, any job, is a sure fire way to maintaining high output, optimum efficiency and importantly, reducing stress. Add to that, maintaining a good relationship at home, you have a lot to be grateful for.
The air compressor was the best tool I could have asked for. Period
The Many Benefits of Air Compressors
Easy to use
Air tools are powered by compressed air. No shit Sherlock.
This means the air tools don’t require motors to power them thus making them more compact, lighter and ergonomically designed than regular power tools. Operators get less fatigued and productivity increases.
Whats not to love about that!
Reliable
As air tools don’t have a motor ergo no motor to go wrong. Less moving parts than their electrically-powered cousins. Minimal maintenance.
Safe
A failure in an electrically powered tool can be a shocking experience. Air tools eliminate this risk.
Also, where electric tools pose a higher risk in certain environments, air tools are again, safer to use.
Where combustive gases or high levels of water/water vapor may be present, it could prohibit the use of an electrical tool. Connected to the appropriate compressor, air tools can operate without this problem.
Economical
Air tools consume less electricity than their mains-operated counterparts, which includes the battery charger for cordless power tools. Where extra torque is required, air tools are also more powerful.
They typically cost less to purchase than electrical power tools plus thieves don’t fancy them as much!
Air tools increase productivity
Versatility is the word that sums up the air compressor.
Swapping one air tool for another is painless. Sanding, nailing and spray painting in, for example, a garden with new decking can be done with maximum speed and efficiency by using the appropriate air tools and a compressor that fills automatically when required.
Job done
We’ve had so much use from our air compressors over the years they’ve paid for themselves many times over and allowed us to deliver a successful array of jobs, from constructing stud frames to finishing fine joinery.
Some of our compressors have been dragged from pillar to post, across gardens, roads and carparks, up and down elevators and driven hundreds of miles in the pouring rain. And not failed once.
Take the plunge – you won’t be regret it.
