We earn commissions from purchases you make using links in our articles. Learn more. Whether it's for painting, dusting, inflating, or air tools, sometimes there's no substitute for an air compressor.

I first started using air-powered pneumatic tools nearly 40 years ago while working as a custom cabinetmaker and remodeling contractor. At that time, air compressors were behemoths: large, loud, and ...

Years ago, it was common for shops to have a central power source that drove all the tools through a system of belts, wheels and driveshafts. The power was routed around the work space by mechanical ...