Compressor purchase
I pulled the trigger. I was waiting until after our vacation last week to officially get going on this project. I faxed the order form for the empennage to Van’s yesterday. It should be shipped out today. I also bought Cleaveland’s aircraft tool kit plus a few other odds and ends (pneumatic squeezer with adjustable set and pins, rivet fan, Scotch-brite pads, and Boelube). I also stopped by Home Depot on the way home last night and picked up a “Husky Pro” (actually a Campbell-Hausfeld) air compressor. Since all I have right now is a small pancake compressor, I decided to buy the best compressor for the project. It’s a vertical, portable, 120v/240v, 5hp, 26 gallon, cast iron, oiled compressor. That should provide enough air without being obnoxiously loud, and I can haul it to the hangar when I get that far. I’m also planning on building a box for it eventually. I live in a fairly dense neighborhood. I want to keep the neighbors (relatively) happy. I’m going to do some experiments with running it at 240v vs. 120v and see what the difference is. If it charges up quicker, I’ll add a 240v circuit in the garage.
[Dec 23, 2003: I haven’t built a box for the compressor, and I doubt I will. The noise is not bad. If I’m working right next to the compressor, I’ll put on ear protection while it cycles. You can’t hear the compressor outside the garage at all now that the entire garage is insulated. Also, I never did experiment with switching the compressor to 240v. 120v works fine. It has an almost dedicated 20 amp circuit. I just don’t run the Shop-Vac and the compressor at the same time.]
