[TheForge] Re: air compressors, CFM, and psig

[Mike Spencer]

Terry wrote:

> ...now that i have the opportunity to build a new shop and equip it
> i have a sense of urgency that people outside looking in probably do
> not understand.

In that case, I would go for a relatively modest-sized unit of
reputable make from a dealer as close to me as possible -- do it now
and get on with it.  But I would allocate "compressor room" space in
the shop design to accommodate any one of:

     + one additional, similarly sized unit.

     + one additional larger unit

     + one very large unit that would replace the original
      "modest-sized" one.


That will allow you to quickly terminate the process of making
difficult and unreliable projections of future needs, stop trying to
make the perfect decision and avoid getting stuck in the tar baby of
dithering over decisions the criteria for which cannot realistically
be fully disambiguated.

> (so yes, perhaps to some people i do have money to burn. depends on
> one perspective. )

In that case, should you suddenly discover one morning that you don't
have enough compressor capacity for that day's (or week's) job, you
can make a phone call, have a rented, large (or huge) portable diesel
unit on-site before lunch and then start making plans to upgrade your
own compressor setup, based on experience accumulated up to that
point.

If you were stretching your new-shop budget to within a hair's breadth
of disaster, making a less than optimal decision now might leave you
on the financial rocks later.  But you have back-up funds.  So make
what looks to be reasonably good decision now and get on with it.  No
plan of any complexity can be perfect.  Some of your new-shop decisions
will prove to be head-bangers later, even were you to spend months
doing engineering studies, cost accounting, process analysis and the
like.


FWIW,
- Mike

-- 
Michael Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada       .~. 
                                                           /V\ 
mspencer at tallships.ca                                     /( )\
http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/                        ^^-^^