Air Compressor Cart
My dad gave me his old air compressor since he wasn’t using it anymore. It had seen better days, but it was a (mostly) working air compressor that I would otherwise not have. I was growing tired of the slow leak that it had at the drain valve (not worth trying to fix) and the fact that it no longer had any kind of regulator adjustment (modifications done by my dad years prior). I opted to just sell my dad’s old air compressor and got myself a smaller pancake-style one by Porter-Cable for use in the shop.
I wanted to have it mobile, so I designed this cart to serve that purpose. The cart was a bit multi-functional. On the bottom would be the air compressor, the middle section would have a hose reel attached and the top section would house my table-top JET air filtration unit. This would be my very first time using Sketchup to design a project. Having a bit of a drafting background, going back to my high school days, this kind of a program was perfect for me. It was easy to learn, with the help of a few tutorials on YouTube and Jay Bates, and I wouldn’t be able to function without using it for every project. Anyway, back to the build.
The main frame is made up of just standard 2 x 4 material with holes drilled in specific places for either dowels or for the shafts of the wheels. The only plywood used would be for the base where the compressor would sit. This was necessary to enable me to anchor it in place to prevent it from tipping when moving the cart around.
The build went together very quickly. With the amount of detail and measurements I had on my Sketchup drawing, everything went together extremely smoothly. For the wheels, I found some flat-free wheels at a local Northern Tool & Equipment, a store I’d never heard of until moving to Florida. With the use of some long bolts to act as shafts for the wheels, this thing was ready to be put into use. With the air filtration unit on the top, it could be a little bit top heavy when trying to move the cart around the shop, but that wasn’t necessary very often. This cart was in use for a number of years, even moving from the rental house to our new house, until I eventually wanted a different air compressor.
I had grown tired of how loud this pancake compressor was, not to mention it was a bit over-sized for the amount of use it received. I had some pneumatic nail guns, but I grew tired of the hassle of getting everything setup when I wanted to use them. I’d grown to like the battery operated brad nailers offered by most small tool manufacturers. With the advent of the battery system that most of these tools were a part of, it just made more sense to go that route anyway. I love my Ryobi nail guns to this day. I eventually gave my pneumatic nailers to Habitat for Humanity and sold the air compressor.
I began looking for a bit smaller air compressor when I came across this one at Lowe’s. It was a Kobalt-branded one-gallon hot dog-style model. That was all I really needed as I pretty much only use it for filling tires. The best thing of all with this model was it was sooooooooo quiet. My PC one was so loud I needed to have on hearing protection. The Kobalt was quiet enough that you could stand next to it and have a conversation with someone and not have to yell.
Kobalt QUIET TECH 2-Gallon Single Stage Portable Electric Hot Dog Air Compressor
***RETIRED: April 2018***
I broke down the air compressor cart and reused what pieces I could for other projects. The new compressor would live on the floor in my new shop under my old workbench. Eventually, it would find its permanent home in my new workbench. I’ve still got this compressor in service to this day. I’ve used it a couple of times to clean out some filters, but otherwise its only use is inflating tires.
***UPDATE: February 2023***
The Kobalt air compressor is still employed in my workshop. It, along with all of my air compressor accessories, have found a new home under my Rockler material mate cart. It has been in this location as of January 2021.
I’m in the process of possibly making a couple of small alterations to the shop layout, and the compressor’s location might be changing. The workshop is always in a constant state of flux, especially when it comes to floor space and efficiency.
As for the compressor’s duties, I am no longer using it for the cleaning of the air filtration filters as I have moved to the washable filters instead. I am still only utilizing Ryobi brad nailers, so the compressor’s only function at this point is to occasionally fill up tires for our vehicles. Should this unit ever fail me, I would have no hesitation in picking up the same unit (if available) again.
***UPDATE: June 2023***
I have decided to move on from the Rockler Material Mate and it has been retired from use in my shop. The air compressor now simply sits on the floor near the two-car garage door. As for the few accessories and hoses, they have been moved to the small drawer under in my Kreg router table.
