A little upgrading

[lonesouth]

Like many of you, I found that far too often, what I needed was not close enough at hand and my workbench was constantly cluttered. Underneath my workbench had become a collection of oversized items that needed a home.

When we moved in, only the shelves were installed, my dad and I installed the workbench. Since then, I've been storing all the big, unruly, tools under the bench; HF 10 gallon compressor, welder, vacuum, air tank, generator, misc boxes. Now with the shelf in, I've got some other things to add.

HF 10cfm compressor
http://www.harborfreight.com/145-psi-3-hp-twin-cylinder-air-compressor-pump-67697.html

HF 3hp compressor motor
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-horsepower-compressor-duty-motor-68302-8181.html

HF retractable hose reel with 50' hose
http://www.harborfreight.com/retractable-hose-reel-with-50-ft-air-hose-69265.html

I have a 10 gallon air tank to use with the compressor, but am looking for another to put in the attic, connected with 1/2" copper. I already have a 30amp 4 wire service to the garage, so I figure I'll put a subpanel in using that feed so I can run the compressor hookup from that, rather than tearing up my walls, again.

 

[lonesouth]

I may end up adding some air tool organizers under the shelf as well.

http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=249381

 

[rburke65]

Welcome and hello from Ohio! Looks like a great start. Some of those air tools really eat up the air! Where are you from? Might want to update your profile with a state at least.

 

[lonesouth]

I got a little bit of time on the garage tonight.

mounted the motor and compressor to some 2x2 and plywood. Mocked up with screws, will go back with bolts later. Put it up on the shelf to see how well it fit.








should be getting a broken compressor and tank from a buddy this week. Going to plumb from the compressor to the tank with copper, then tank to the reel with 1/2 red rubber hose(i just happen to have a bunch of this stuff).

Still need to get a subpanel and run the wires. I happen to have about 50' of 12/2 already from another project, so I'm just about set. I'll probably add a flourescent under the new shelf as well, it should provide additional light over the vise.

 

[kingchevy]

I think that setup will be really loud with the sound resonating through the plywood. Maybe try to isolate it with rubber pads or what I'm planning is to do is hang my motor and pump from the ceiling with unistrut and allthread like you would a forced air heating unit.

 

[akdiesel]

If you can get a cheap 5 gallon tank to use as a saccrifical knock out drum then go to your larger main air tank. Easier and cheaper to replace the smaller tank if and when it gets a pin hole.
This process is a basic separation system. Not 100% filtration but better then just using one tank as your main collection for air, solids, and liquids.

 

[lonesouth]

I figured I would try out the pump as is and add isolators as needed. I've got an old air tank, 8 gallon I think, that I could use as an expansion tank too.

 

[lonesouth]

I'm looking for a belt for the compresor now. I'm using a 3.25" drive pulley, 12.5" compressor pulley and the center to center is 17". The calculator tells me I need a 60" belt.

I can shorten the center to center for a shorter belt, is there any benefit to doing so?

 

[QwikKotaTx]

How are you planning on tensioning the belt? You need some sort of turnbuckle and/or slotted plate arrangement, IIRC.

 

[lonesouth]

I figured a turnbuckle bolted to the end of the board, other end connected to the motor, would work. The mounting plate on the motor is slotted.

 

[lonesouth]

can I run the wiring directly from the wall(continuous to a double pole switch off of the breaker) to the pressure switch, or do I need to put a junction box on the wall and run the wiring through a conduit from the wall to the pressure switch?

 

[lonesouth]

picked up a gallon of compressor oil, 59" kevlar v-belt, 8 position sub panel, 30 amp 220 breaker, 20 amp 220 break, 2x20 amp 110 breaker, double pole illuminated switch, junction box, cover, wire clamp.

Got home and needed a win, so I went ahead and finished the TV. I get it mounted, roku up and running, I'm so dang proud of myself and the wife asks, "Why do we need a TV in the garage?" SMH.

 

[lonesouth]

got a little more done on the electrical.

Compressor is wired up 220 via 20amp circuit. Goes through a lighted switch, so I've got a quick way to check if I left it on. The shop lamp is wired through a 15amp circuit and I used a switch/outlet for that. The outlet came in handy for the small compressor I mounted to the wall. The shop light is the LED from costco and I have to say it is impressive, if a bit expensive.

I still need to install the 120v 20 amp which will go to the right of the panel and the 220v 30amp which will go below the panel. Still room for a few more circuits in the box, but I can't think of anything I need right now.

 

[lonesouth]

I've gotten most of the wiring done. got the compressor wired and tried it out. Far more quiet than I was expecting. It didn't walk around either, though I will still screw it into the shelf. I've also picked up 2 air tanks, one 20 and one 30. I'll put the 20 on the shelf and the 30 in the attic. decided to run an extra 220v 20amp on the bottom for more options should I need it.

unfortunately, I noticed that the right speaker is only working on the woofer, need to figure that out as it sounds very unbalanced.

 

[lonesouth]

got most of the upgrade completed. Panel is in and wired(correctly?). Compressor is in, things are cleaned up. It is looking good.

This is what I started with




After sanding and priming




After paint, John Deere yellow. I had a partial can laying around.




Some mockup




Final product




This setup is infinitely more quiet than the direct drive oiled compressor I have. It pumps 0-140psi in about 2 minutes. The copper coil gives some degree of aftercooling, more once I add a fan. It does shake the shelf a bit, but still far better than the old setup. Still need to get some lag bolts and make everything a little more permanent.

Also have another ~20 gallon tank to go in the attic.

Next addition will be a 44" tool chest from Harbor Freight.
http://www.harborfreight.com/44-in-13-drawer-glossy-red-industrial-roller-cabinet-68784.html

 

[theoldwizard1]

Still need to get some lag bolts and make everything a little more permanent.

Forget the lag bolts !

You need to use through bolt the motor and the pump to your platform. Use fender washer where the nut/bolt head contacts the wood and LOCK NUTS !

 

[lonesouth]

thanks for the advice. will do!

 

[c2sedan]

wife asks, "Why do we need a TV in the garage?" SMH.

That would be my question as well.
A TV in the Garage is just a distraction. Counter productive and possibly injury inducing.
A radio on the other hand is a virtual necessity.

Just my personal oppinion, otherwise I love what you have done with the place.

 

[Cypherian]

That would be my question as well.
A TV in the Garage is just a distraction. Counter productive and possibly injury inducing.
A radio on the other hand is a virtual necessity.

Just my personal oppinion, otherwise I love what you have done with the place.

I have a tv out in mine along with music, the tv is nice for when I am cleaning and straightening up or doing a lay out for a project. However, if I am using equipment it is off.

Cypher

 

[reverand2000]

A TV has so many uses in the garage such as looking up a video on a procedure you are about to do. Lots of instructional video on the web too.

 

[lonesouth]

Mostly use it for youtube videos on how to do this or that. Also fun to put the kids in the car and go to a "drive in movie". They get a kick out of it.

 

[lonesouth]

After looking and not buying on several occasions, i pulled the trigger on a Harbor Freight 44" tool chest. Need to do some serious garage cleanup now. Compressor is still running great. I got an airline plumbed through the attic to the pool for inflating pool toys, something I'll do at every house I ever own.

 

[58Yeoman]

I believe the large pulley on the compressor has a 'fan' built in to help cool the compressor, but up against the wall, there wouldn't be much air movement. Otherwise, to me, it looks good.

 

[yaidunno]

I believe the large pulley on the compressor has a 'fan' built in to help cool the compressor, but up against the wall, there wouldn't be much air movement. Otherwise, to me, it looks good.

I would tend to agree, the fan is definitely losing efficiency being that close to the wall. Its rather hard to tell in the photos, but I'd shoot for at least 2" between the flywheel and your wall. Your wiring should also be in conduit.

Nice use of space though.

 

[shortykorte]

Any updates on compressor system? It's been awhile since we have been in contact.

 

[lonesouth]

so, the compressor is still going strong. Just last week, I ran a HF needle scaler, die grinder, and HVLP for a few hours. The compressor was able to run all of them well except the die grinder. That would slow down after about 30 seconds. I did notice quite a bit of moisture in air. I have a filter/water separator/pressure regulator inline and still had quite a bit.

This got me thinking. If I plumb my intake into the AC ducts for my house, I could pull in dryer air. Instead of 80% humidity, I could pull 40% humidity and a denser air charge. Thoughts?

 

[lonesouth]

I had an extra ceiling fan, so...

https://scontent-atl3-1.**.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/23131621_10102519935027052_7474800163999167551_n.jpg?oh=041bc6ec745e72df6aee3256132c3f24&oe=5A697BAC

 

[lonesouth]

I started having some problems with my compressor about two months ago. It would start up strong, but once it got to ~90psi, the motor would slow down and nearly stall. It would struggle along till about 110psi, then it would kick back up to about 90% of the normal speed. I pulled the caps and found a bad run cap, though replacing it did not fix the issue.

Last week I was in HF picking up a welding cart and saw a 3hp compressor motor sitting back in the open box section for $105. I figure $60 off is worth a shot, so I tote it up front. The cashier rang it up and gave me 50% off, explaining that it was a refurb. Shoot, 65% off is a steal, but I only had 5 days to return it. Got the motors swapped out and the compressor sang all the way from 0-135psi.

I still have no idea what is wrong with the bad motor. I put it up on the shelf and will just hang on to it in case I ever need it. I went ahead and retested the caps and they are good to go. I'm happy to have been able to get the compressor back to good for $60 though. I went ahead and changed the compressor oil while I was at it.

 

[EOC_Jason]

It could have been a loose belt, that will also cause the symptoms you described...

 

[lonesouth]

Upgraded my living room speakers and wasn’t getting any traction on selling the old ones, so the garage got an upgrade.

Mirage omi-250 mains, klipsch c-1 center, velodyne va-1250 subwoofer. Once I finish the inside, I’ll add a pair of klipsch quintet mains as the surrounds.