[Woodcarver] Re: Pneumatic question

[Ramsey]

I have owned a number of pneumatic rotary tools over the years.  They 
range from the larger 1/4" shank straight and angle drive to the tiny 
1/16" 400,000 rpm model.  They all require a pretty beefy air 
compressor to operate at full efficiency.  Usually a 7hp 220 volt or 
above with a 60 gallon tank is needed to run continuously.  Smaller 
compressors will work for a short time but the tool will run out of 
power quickly.

If they are run at 90 psi they have superior torque and power to 
electric tools.  One of the tradeoffs though is that to run a tool 
such as the micro grinder continuously you will be using somewhere in 
range of 20 amps to run the compressor where a comparable electric 
tool would use less than 2 amps.  The tool may be cheap but the 
compressor will run $500 and up and the electricity costs will be 
substantially more.  You will also need a water filter so that 
condensation doesn't build up in your air lines.

For these reasons, I use my pneumatic grinders sparingly but for 
certain applications they are unmatched.
-- 
Ron Ramsey
http://www.carvedbyramsey.com


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