Air Compressor
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You need one! It is kind of hard to power the pneumatic tools without one.
There are several different types of air compressors on the market from oiled, oil less, to pancake. The oiled compressors have a separate motor and compressor units on top of the tank. The compressor’s piston and crank shaft run in an oil bath, much like your car’s motor. The oil needs to be changed periodically. The oiled compressors are designed to last longer and run quieter than the oil less siblings.
There is a wide variety of models and capacities of oil less compressors, from tank less portable air compressors to 13 gallon units. Oil less air compressor has motor is mated directly to the air compressing unit. They typically run louder than their oiled counter parts.
For my wood shop I went with the Campbell Hausfeld 13 gallon oil less air compressor. It has enough SCFM (standard cubic foot (feet) per minute) to drive a Pasload framing nail gun. And has plenty of capacity for driving my various nail guns. The compressor is quite loud when running. It takes less than 2 minutes to fully charge the tank.
The original drain valve had a wing like design. The problem I had with it is, after I had been using it, I had to use a pair of pliers to open it up. After about a year the wing broke off. I replaced it with a better valve that I can loosen by hand without having to use pliers.
All tank air compressors require that the water be drained out after use. Please do this! If one does not drain the water after use it will cause the bottom of the tank to rust, from the inside, and will eventually lead to a structural failure of the tank. I would hate to image what happens when a fully charged 13 gallon tank ruptures.
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