On Thu, 24 Nov 2011 09:58:40 -0800, "Steve B"
wrote:

I am shopping for a compressor for a plasma cutter that is on my Christmas
list from Santa. The Thermal Dynamics 45 says 6.75 scfm @ 85 psi required,
then says operate at from 90-100# psi.

What would be a good compressor to keep up with this? I am thinking a two
stage. I want something that will keep up without laboring too much.

For a real Home Shop where you'll be running an impact and an air
chisel working on cars and a small sandblast cabinet and such... Or
doing house work with nail guns and a lot of hose...

(Set up a small air reservoir tank at the other end of the 300' hose
to provide "burst supply" close to the nail guns, then the hose from
the garage catches up to you.)

The bare minimum IMHO is a two-stage "5 Sears HP" (actually a 3.5 if
you do the math on the motor) and a 60-gallon tank. Must be an oil
lube pump, preferably rated at 10,000 running hours or better.

And Campbell-Hausfeld can't do Motor Horsepower math either, as with
most of the House Brands like Kobalt and Husky. When you find the HP
box on the OEM motor label marked "Special" it just means the motor
maker won't lie for the compressor maker.

If you have a two stage with the tank running at 150 PSI you have a
lot more running time before the output drops below 90 - where you
start to notice it.

And this also explains why a Real 5 HP unit from Quincy or American
costs you so much more than Sears or Campbell - it's Liars Poker. The
second Liar doesn't stand a chance.

-- Bruce --


With the plasma cutter you DO want to run a refrigerated air dryer if
you can.