What size air compressor do I need for my nail guns?
What size air compressor do I need for my nail guns?
If you’re using air pneumatic tools, there’s no avoiding the need for an air compressor. But when it comes to compressors, you’ll find they come in a variety of shapes and sizes – so how much power compressor do you really need? Use these simple guidelines to determine which air compressor suits your needs best.
Before we look at the best air compressor for nail guns, it’s important to point out there are a few different type of nail gun available. Each requires a different air volume (CFM) and air pressure (PSI) to drive nails. All of the compressors we tested deliver enough PSI for any type of your nail gun (typically under 120 PSI). But some models with a higher max PSI can keep up with repeated nailing in a longer time frame.
Most small portables will suffice. For instance; a very small 1HP portable (delivering 2.0 CFM – cubic feet of air per minute) will allow you to operate DP’s largest nailing tool at about 15 nail drives per minute. The same compressor will run a medium-size finishing nailer at about 30 nail drives per minute, and will run a small brad nailer at over 70 drives per minute. So we recommend you to chose the minimum 2hp compressor to drive the nail guns, unless you have very small nailing project, or you don’t mind to drive the nails very slowly.
We choose the best compressors that have storage tanks ranging from 1 to 8 gallons. They are the most common sizes of air compressors to power nail guns. In almost all cases though, they are built with portability in mind, lightweight and compact design so you can always move it from site to site without any trouble. You don’t have to buy the one that has a bigger tank, but a bigger tank does have one real benefit: It allows you to use more air before the pressure drops and the motor kicks on to refill the tank. That might let you avoid stopping work while the compressor refills the tank.
DP tools take a “gulp” of compressed air for each fastener drive. Big tools consumes more air; smaller tools use less air. That means “air consumption per cycle”. If you divide the air consumption per cycle into the CFM of a given air compressor you will determine the possible drives per minute. This should give you a clear picture if the compressor is able to properly supply the tool you are planning to use.
Few people, maybe some pros, will operate DP nails guns at super high speeds. Most people will buy the easy-to-carry portables for the convenience of being able to take the compressor to the job site. The 30-lb. portables tend to deliver about 2.0 CFM; the 50-lb. units usually deliver about 4.0 CFM.
| DP tool to operate | Compressor to buy |
| Upholstery stapler | portable, 2.0 CFM, 30 lb. |
| Brad nailer | portable, 2.0 CFM, 30 lb. |
| Finish nailer | portable, 2.0 CFM, 30 lb. |
| Sheathing stapler | portable, 4.0 CFM, 50 lb. |
| Framing nailer | portable, 4.0 CFM, 50 lb. |
| Roofing nailer | portable, 4.0 CFM, 50 lb. |
| 2-4 large tools at once | wheelbarrow, 6+ CFM, 150 lbs. |
After you finished your nailing job, you need a paint sprayer to apply the paint onto the surface. Normally we recommend the oil based paint for the exterior / outdoor wood / lumbers coating.
You can chose the high pressure airless paint sprayer X6 to apply it. Since the lumber is narrow width, not very big, so it’s better to chose the narrow width spray tip size like 315 / 215 which means the spraying width is only 6” (12cm) or 4” (10cm), or maybe even 115 which is only 2” (5cm).
That sounds very good for slim lumber, right?
When you use the airless paint spraying machine, it will be very fast, and it has very nice finish, equal finishing.
If you spray the fence / garden / or roofing, the airless paint sprayer from DP will be your 1st choice.