Pneumatics; or I'm an airhead

Long time ago I marvelled at the low price of air tools. Compared to electric ones, the powertools driven by compressed air were decidedly cheap. Seeing them used in garages etc I realised it wasn't a case of cheap and ineffective. The comparative then was that electric tools for DIY simply hadn't been developed. They have now, although air tools, without a motor, are still decidedly cheap. I was definately on the outside looking in, knowing very little about that side of (home) diy. Like many specialisms, it has its jargon which keeps out all but the inquisitive. I'd watched Norm Abrahams with his one penny nails and his pinners and framing nails and all sorts. OK, he has everything I know, but he sure does make it seem easy.

Anyway, Dorothea came up with this reflection.

Hmmm. I wonder how that works?

It stuck with me (and quite possibly a few other of her readers) as being the way things work for the curious. Anyway, last week I decided I wanted to know a little more. I posted to a woodworking forum in the hope of helping others. A little better informed I was in town the following day and visited Machine Mart, pretty clued up on air tools or so I was led to believe. Fatal. I walked out with a starter setup. Compressor, blower and 18g nail gun, nails, airline, conversion bits and oil. I can't say it makes me feel like Norm (A), but it has found its use already. The blower makes for a far better vacuum cleaner than my vacuum cleaner - reaches the corners that only the spiders visit! Did a good job behind my desk too (face mask needed for the dust!).

If only I had the willpower to resist! Machine Mart do a salvage corner where all the returns and battered boxes go to ... rest. They had a 25L compressor in at half price. Just too much to resist.