Woodworker's Journal 2009-33-3, страница 63

Todays Shop

While it excels at metal grinding, an air-powered angle grinder can also use sanding discs and burr wheels, making it a great choice for power carving. An air die grinder (right) fitted with a 1/4"-shank burr is also an effective wood shaping and carving tool.

Air die grinders pack a lot of power into a small package. Their 1/4" collets will accept a wide range of wood burrs, cutlers and sanding wheels/discs, making them great tools for carving and refining details — wooden handles, escutcheons, furniture feet, and so forth. J&

Sandor Nagyszalanczy is a writer/photographer and regular contributor to Woodworker's Journal. His books are available at www.sandorsworkshop.com.

A reversible air drill with a keyless chuck (front) is as powerful as a much bigger electric drill, although it doesn't have a variable-speed trigger. A right-angle air drill (rear) is just the tool for boring holes inside cabinets and furniture assemblies.

Right-angle and Die Grinders

If you build curvaceous furniture or sculpt or carve wood, you'll find air-powered grinders extremely useful. Filled with a carbide-burr wheel, flap-sanding disc (available at welding supply stores) or a carving disc such as the Arbotech Woodcarver, a pneumatic right-angle grinder is a wicked wood-eating tool. But using a standard grinding wheel, the tool comes in mighty handy for occasional metal work as well — say, reshaping part of a door hinge.

The Right Size Compressor

Even the smallest compressor can provide 60 and 90 PSI of pressure needed to run an air tool (check the tool's manual for specific recommendations). However, most tools require a great volume of air to run at peak performance: Anywhere from 4 to 5 SCFM up to IS to 20 SCFM or more. In contrast, a nail gun requires only about 2.2 SCFM to operate. Fortunately, you don't need a compressor the size of a Volkswagen to run most air tools. SCFM ratings reflect the amount of air needed for a tool's continuous operation. Even fairly small (2 to 3 HP) portable compressors can supply enough air to run all but the most air-hungry tools for short periods of time before the compressor must run to recharge its air tank. (One important caveat: letting any compressor run continuously can lead to overheating and premature wear.)

A good trick for getting more air volume from a smallish compressor is to hook up an auxiliary air tank between the compressor and the air tool. The tank creates a buffer of air, so the compressor doesn't have to run as often to recharge. Alternately, if the job at hand doesn't require the full-power output of the tool, you can reduce the tool's SCFM needs by setting the compressor's regulator to a lower air pressure than the tool's recommended maximum.

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June 2009 Woodworker's Jou ma I