Benjamen’s recent post about swivel connectors for compressed air lines brought to mind a little sanity saver. This Dynabrade swivel connector has a similar mission but adds a degree of freedom. It can rotate about the male 1/4 in. NPT connection, and the two composite sections can twist relative to one another. When I used this it was with a very light self-coiling hose, and even that was enough to pull the connector straight downwards. When you’re working above something, that can be a problem, but getting the hose out of the way is a simple matter of throwing it over your shoulder. In nearly every other situation, leaving the hose free to rotate is a boon.

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Attach one of these variable angle swivels to an air tool or air hose and it’ll allow it to move more freely, or so Milton claims. The fitting allows the hose to both swivel and bend farther than a rigid coupling without kinking. It’s not mentioned in the available information, but presumably there’s a ball fitting of some type under the flexible rubber boot.

Besides 1/4″ MNPT to 1/4″ M-style plug, the swivels come in 1/4″ MNTP to MNTP, 1/4″ MNTP to FNTP, and 3/8″ MNTP to 1/4″ M-Style plug.  Any of these chrome-plated variable angle swivels will run you $6 before tax or shipping.

Milton [Website]
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Instead of adjusting the air flow at the compressor, Astro Pneumatics’ digital flow regulator screws right onto your spray gun or other air tool to precisely control the flow of air. Love it or hate it, instead of a analog gauge it uses a digital readout.

Constructed with a mirror-plated finish, the regulator’s electronics are sealed and the display is behind impact-proof glass. Unfortunately this also means the battery’s not replaceable, but the display shuts off 45 seconds after you press the button to give the battery a life expectancy of 5,000 readings.

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You wire your shop for electricity and run ducting for your dust collection system, so why not outfit your shop with compressed air outlets where you’ll need them rather than dragging the air hose around?

RapidAir makes running air lines throughout the shop as easy as running PEX water line. You don’t have to cut and thread pipe or mess with pipe dope at the fittings. The system can handle pressures up to 150 PSI using just flexible 1/2″ nylon tubing and simple push-on fittings.

Pricing for the master kit starts at $140; it includes one compressor manifold, two outlets, and 100′ of 1/2″ blue nylon tubing. Outlets, tubing, and fittings are also available separately.

Master Kit [RapidAir]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
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I run a coolant mister on one of my benchtop CNC mills. The mister provides cooling to the toolbit as well as clearing the chips away from the cut, reducing the chance of the bit jamming (I use small end mills) in deeper cuts. The problem is, I have an old horizontal air compressor in my attached shop supplying the air. When the thing kicks in (usually every 15 minutes or so for at least 5 minutes, and programs typically run a half hour to an hour) the noise is deafening, even in the house. So I figured I’d ask what fellow Toolmongers suggest. I need around 60-80 psi and a relatively good flow, although I sometimes run the mister through a timer system. I also like to use it with an air gun to blast chips from finished parts, dry things off, etc.

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Ever have an air line or tool go shooting off accidentally when you disconnect it? Besides being dangerous, it could damage the connector as it whacks the ground. To prevent this uncontrolled reaction, safety couplers like this one from Milton Industries make connection and disconnection a two-stage process.

Several retailers of the safety coupler describe the operation as follows: “First click locks coupler and plug; second click engages air pressure. When disconnecting, first click will relieve air pressure; second click allows coupler and plug to be safely disengaged.” Not having laid our hands on one yet, this sounds a little vague. Has anyone used one that could provide a better explanation of how the coupler works?

This 1/4″ M-style safety coupler comes in either male and female 1/4″ NPT threads. Milton retails the safety couplers for $10.

Milton Industries [Corporate Site]
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If you want to remove paint, rust, dirt, or welding slag without damaging the metal surface, you may need an air needle scaler.  This air-powered tool has a piston that drives a number of needles or small chisels back and forth very quickly.

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While they’re no replacement for a torque wrench, torque sticks are a pretty cool alternative.  When used with an impact wrench dialed to the appropriate setting, they start flexing when the desired torque is reached, absorbing the impact rather than transferring it to the fastener.  Because of the way they operate, you can’t just use one as an extension to your ratchet — they’ll only work with impact wrenches.

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Air tools are generally lighter and more powerful than their electric cousins, but if you’re using an electric compressor, you still need a source of electricity.  With gas-powered air compressors you’re truly free of the plug.  While they’re not a new concept, DeWalt has added a couple new models that you might want to consider.

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I’ve used this Harbor Freight air nibbler a few times to cut sheet metal for home and automotive repair, and it performed flawlessly. Let me warn you, though, it shaves off small quarter-moon pieces as it cuts, thousands of them — so make sure you use it in an open area where you can find them all, or in a place where they won’t cause problems.

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Matco Tools’ new mini impact driver will fit where larger impact wrenches won’t, and its light weight (under two pounds) means less fatigue.  With its 1/4″ drive and 5 to 30 foot-pounds of torque it’s designed with smaller fasteners in mind, and it spins up to 11,000 RPM so it won’t slow you down on large assembly projects.

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I remember it clearly, though it happened 20 years ago:  I took my brand new 3/8” air ratchet to a valve cover bolt — and snapped the bolt cleanly in half.  That same day, after I was done with the ole extractor set, I picked up my first pressure regulator, one that you could turn the valve a quarter turn to regulate pressure, but it wasn’t very exact or reproducible if I needed to repeat a settings.  We’ve come a long way from that to Eastwood’s Digital Pressure Regulator.

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Like a lot of people, I often forget to drain my air compressor.  It’s not a big enough problem that I’m gonna shell out for a high-tech, high-dollar automatic compressor drain, but I’m willing to give this low-buck Harbor Freight version a look.

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With Jet’s vacuum gun in your air tool arsenal you can vacuum with your air compressor instead of digging out the shop-vac — no electricity or extra cords required.

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Getting the correct pressure in your tires normally takes a few rounds of swapping between chuck, pressure gauge, and sometimes the pin on the back of the gauge to let out air because you added too much.  With an all-in-one inflator like this tool from Campbell Hausfeld, just clip the chuck on the stem and read the tire pressure — then squeeze the trigger to start adding air, or release some pressure with the relief valve.

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Here we see our Ridgid twin-tank aluminum air compressor in its native environment — its central position right under the miter saw is no accident.  This compressor is a slightly dusty star of the show, and the shop wouldn’t be able to function correctly without it.

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The oddly themed Hoppymart is selling this air hose reel for $10.  Sure, the hose isn’t included, it’s a cheap import, and there are only two in stock — but if you need to organize your air hose, you can’t beat a hose reel.

Air Hose Reel [Hoppymart]
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