[TheForge] air compressors, CFM, and psig

[terry l. ridder]

hello mike;


On Thu, 7 May 2009, Mike Spencer wrote:

>
>
> 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.
>

i have settled on getting two duplex units from northern tool. shipping
is free on the compressors at the moment.

>
> 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.
>

yes, this is a possible future scenario that i was attempting to avoid
if at all possible.

>
> 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.
>

yes, i agree that some decision will be looked back on with 'what was i
thinking'. yes, prefection is an elusive butterfly.

>
> FWIW,
> - Mike
>
>

-- 
terry l. ridder ><>