It was a great day in my life when I learned about air tools.

Air tools are powered by air from the air compressor.  Meaning that there is no electric motor.

When I bought my first air tools back in the 1980's I bought from Sears.  The die grinders I bought were about $55.00.  I can now buy the same die grinder for about $15.00 and they are made by the same people who made the Sears model.

No, I don't use a die grinder to grind on dies.  A die grinder is simply the power source for many different attachments.

Here is a selection of die grinder that I use in my shop.  Because they are so inexpensive I have a number of them so that I don't have to change attachments.

What you see here are several with wire brushes, a polisher, a cut off tools, a carbide bit, at needle grinder and a reciprocating hammer.  The one I'm holding in my hand is a die grinder with a replaceable sanding tube.

To run your air tools you'll need an air compressor, an air regulator, hoses and fittings.  For a general source I prefer Harbor Freight.  If you go into one of their stores you'll see a whole display of hoses and fitting, air tools and compressors.

Harbor Freight was out of one fitting I wanted, and  I actually found it at Menards at a lower cost.

The major builder's supply stores like Menards, Home Depot and Lowes also have all the parts and accessories for an air setup including tools, fitting and air compressors.

Below I'm using a carbide bit to grind off rough edges on a Magic Wand.

Below I am using a die grinder with a wire brush to clean up the brazed joints on this bicycle.

This photo shows wire brushing this tree trunk to enhance the finish.

Air Compressor

Pictured here is my air compressor.  It is a 6 Hp with a 60 gallon tank.

This is a larger air compressor than I need to do the work that I do.  I got it at a price I couldn't refuse.

Before this I had a 3 hp with a 20 gallon tank that was perfectly adequate for my work.  Unfortunately I didn't drain the condensation from the tank often enough and the tank rusted out.

Air Hose

Here are a couple of air hoses. The orange hose is the standard hose and these come in 25 ft, 50 ft. and 100 ft. lengths..  The yellow spring type air hose can be convenient but after a while they do lose their spring and become a nuisance. Fortunately they are inexpensive and cheaply replaced.

Overall I prefer the rubber hose to the plastic or poly hoses.

Dynafile

This is an expensive industrial tool.  I'm always amazed at the small spaces it will get into to sand a brazed or welded joint.  Today these are about $400.00, but you can find a substitute at a place like Harbor Freight at less than $50.00.

The $50.00 tool probably wouldn't hold up if you were using it 8 hours a day 5 days a week, but for occasional use it be would be more than adequate.

Air Impact Hammer

I built this anvil (what I'm calling an anvil) and mounted in a vice to hold the air impact hammer.  These air impact hammers are really cheap, abut $15.00.  They come with some attachments one of which is a chisel.

With this I vein leaves and butterflies.  By veining the butterflies and leaves the finished piece gives off light reflection making the piece more interesting for the viewer.

Very simple operation at a nominal cost and yet provides outstanding results.

The Veined Butterflies below.

Electric Die Grinder

If for whatever reason you decide that you don't want to go with an air die grinder, you can get an electric die grinder.  You can fit all the attachments, such as wire brushes, polishing pads, replaceable sanding tubes, etc. on an electric die grinder.

Spray Gun

The air compressor can also be used for a spray gun.  I'll cover that in the finishing chapter.

Back to table of contents