Building cabin w/o power: 12V air OBA/tank for air tools

[Function > Form]

Hey all, next year, we are building a small cabin no bigger than about 15 x 25, 1.5 storey on our rural property in eastern Ontario. It will only be for occasional recreational use.



I just bought a Viair 88P and am so far quite impressed with the build quality and speed of fill (10 psi in 30 secs in a skinny 32). What I had planned to do is to connect it as an OBA to a 10 gallon tank that I already had from autocrossing (also for tire filling). Initially it is just for airing up.

Before I start messing with a custom connections etc, what I am wondering is if I will also be able to run some smaller air tools such as a 3/8" air drill mostly to drill 2.5 - 3" wood screws (#8) into SPF dimensional lumber? I know of course I need a min. flow rate to run the drill and will have to choose it carefully (haven't bought one yet but do have a cheap CH one in the garage). What I do not know is if the Viair can replace the psi in the tank that I would need to have constant and reasonable air power. I've seen other systems that have something like a 0.5 gal supplementary, is that a better option?

Of course if I had the cash or the desire I would just spring for some fancy battery powered tools, or of course a generator, but I do not have either. Essentially I want to figure out the most cost effective solution and not buy multiple power systems if I do not need them.

As a backup, I already have a 14.4V Makita 3/8" and should be able to charge it with solar (100W Renogy, 500W inverter setup - not yet built but on the way).

What I do not have is a saw to work without AC...I suppose that is the next tool still to be purchased if I go this direction.

TIA
Trevor
[2003 Liberty]

 

[RaggedViking]

My apologies for not being able to answer your question: but I look forward to the development of your camp.
Congrats on this adventure!!!!

 

[Function > Form]

No worries! Thanks for the comment, we are super stoked.

 

[The other Sean]

I wouldn't try to use air for a drill. I would look in to cordless for the saw as well. not sure if Makita makes a saw in the 14.4 like your existing drill, but, look at tools of the same battery family. with a few extra batteries, solar or an inverter hooked in to your vehicle, you can handle most cutting/screw setting. I have the Milwaukee M18 tools and the 15 minute charge time and same battery for all tools is nice.

 

[Function > Form]

Thanks! The M18s are INCREDIBLE I used a buddy's M18 drill, grinder, light etc extensively when building my bumper - I really don't want to drop a couple-few hundred per tool unless I need to though. The M18 circular saw (Cdn$150) and battery ($130) is already almost 3x as much as I paid for my drill...and that was a lonnnnnnnnng while ago lol

The 14.4 I have is getting older (nearing 10 years) and has been used a lot around home, so the batteries are fading.

I was hoping the pump could do double duty for not much more weight or cost since I have it already along with the tank.

 

[Lifestyle Overland]

I know battery tools can be expensive, but I highly recommend you go that route over trying to use air tools to build a cabin.

Here's my reasoning:

The Viair 88P has the following specs:
- Duty Cycle: 25 min. @ 30 PSI
- Max. Working Pressure: 120 PSI
- Max. Amp Draw: 20 Amps

The first red flag is the duty cycle, you're not going to be able to maintain any kind of steady work pace.
I just pulled a random air drill from harbor freight and its working specs are 5CFM @ 90 PSI. Since the 99P is rated at 0.64CFM @ 90PSI that means you're not going to be able to keep up with the demand of the drill while draining the tank in just a few minutes, then waiting quite some time for the tank to have any useful pressure.
For example, the chart on the Viair site says this compressor takes 5 min 45 secs to bring a 33" tire from 0 to 30 PSI. Shooting from the hip, I'd say that a 33" tire is equal to a 6 gallon air tank... now you need to bring it up to 90+ to get any torque out of your drill so you're looking at another 12+ minutes in a perfect world to get 90 PSI. The problem there is that now your duty cycle is reduced due to the increased resistance on the pump to get it beyond 30 PSI, increasing your wait for pressure.

In the meantime, you're going to have to be running your engine for all this to take place. So when you consider the amount of time to build pressure, wait for duty cycle cool-down, and the fuel you're burning in your vehicle... you'll be money ahead to get a decent battery drill kit.

I have the DeWalt 20V "Max" kit that you can find for a great price from time to time, just have to wait on the sales. I used a single battery to drive about 150 3" decking screws so you could literally charge 2 batteries and work all day long with it. The battery power on the circular saw is pretty efficient too.

Sorry to bring bad news, just wanted to give you a heads up before you got way back in the woods! Good luck with your cabin build, so totally jealous! It's going to be awesome!

 

[Scott]

I'd have to agree with @stringtwelve ... There's no way that Viair is going to keep up really.. It may be $$$ but well worth the investment in some quality cordless tools. Black and decker used to make a kit that had all the tools you mention in one big bag.. I don't remember off hand what it was called, but I've had one for years and it's worked great for me.

 

[Lifestyle Overland]

Here's the kit I have:

 

[Scott]

My black and decker set was called the PowerPak but it appears to be retired.. It's similar to this setup:

 

[Function > Form]

Hi @stringtwelve @Scott this is great and exactly what I needed to hear! OK so we can definitely put the final nail in the coffin on that idea.

I appreciate the metrics on the 3" deck screws - that would definitely work out well. OK, so the tool shopping begins. The 20V DeWalt doesn't look bad, 99 for saw without battery, and a drill driver multipack is only $189. Not so bad. Anyone able to compare function/power of the 20V dewalt to the Milwaukee M18 set? It's the only modern comparison I'm familiar with.

We hope it will be awesome! Lots of ideas still to finalize and to get the firm construction plans on paper. We have lots of pics and 'needs', just need to figure out what are actually needs vs. wants. So far we have chosen a couple spots that would work well nestled in the forest to take advantage of shade from the hot summer sun and angled to soak up the winter sun.

 

[Function > Form]

Here's the kit I have:

Holy crap - it's $474 for the equivalent 4-tool kit in Canada. Can't order the one you linked from amazon.com into Canada, maybe I could ship it to Ogdensburg and pick it up. *sigh*

 

[Steve]

For an option to purchasing several battery tools, and for something that you will use long term art your cabin, why not invest in a generator capable of powering plug-in saw, drill, etc, like commercial builders use. The plug-in tools cost less (and you may already have them) and don't require a long wait for solar charging or costly replacement batteries down the road. (I have several Makita tools, and sometimes it is cheaper to buy a new tool on sale than buy batteries!)

 

[Function > Form]

Yes @Steve that's definitely another option on the list. I've already floated the idea/need to my wife - and yup, I've got a pile of plug in tools... TBH though, I prefer my makita 14.4 as it has an electric brake and has much better variable speed control than my plug ins, which admittedly are not great quality, they are just 'get the job done' pieces.

So many fun choices. :D

 

[gandrimp]

I agree with Steve.

I have a few of all the type tools. I love my Milwaukee cordless stuff, but when it comes down to working all day, a gen and an extension cord is what will keep you working. Good luck in your cabin building.

 

[Captain Josh]

I agree with the advice on using battery-operated tools. Air tools are great if you have the compressor to handle them. But OBA solutions just aren't generally up to the task... it's different if you need to perform an emergency field repair, versus construction of a building.

Good luck with your project!

 

[theick]

You're going to want at least some power at the cabin when you are there. I would purchase a 2000w honda generator and use it for construction as well as power when you are the cabin. That way you could use corded tools.



Sorry, I didn't notice that this was already stated above.

 

[Function > Form]

Hey all, thanks again for all of the replies! We will be using battery-powered tools and a generator for the construction phase. I doubt we will keep a generator there for general power, 100W panel and deep cycle should do it for us.

Cheers
Trevor