Who needs an Airstak? Rolair JC10 mod

[live4ever]

My shop, in the process of being downsized and split across 2 locations, has become very systainer stack-based.  As such, the Cadex compressors as well as the Airstak were really tempting despite their high price.  I've always loved my Rolair JC10, especially how quiet it is, so the slightly louder Airstak (according to specs) was going to feel like a downgrade in that regard.

So I made a few simple modifications to my JC10.  First, I added casters in place of the rubber feet.  The existing threaded holes in the rollcage for the rubber feet are M6, and I couldn't easily find M6 stem casters, so I just used cheap 2" plate casters with blocks.  This makes the compressor easy to push around - of course larger casters would be better for traversing cracks, cords, etc., but I also wanted to keep the height as low as possible.

To integrate with systainers, I added a Sys-base on top of the rollcage, adapted with a piece of nasty scrap 3/4" ply.  The ply is held tightly to the rollcage with 4 EMT conduit straps, which are bolted through the ply.  I added small pieces of foam between the straps and rollcage.  I believe I used 3/4" EMT straps.  The assembly is plenty strong - the compressor can easily be picked up using the handles on the Sys-base. 

Nothing terribly elegant but quells my desire for a systainer compressor.  Note that I have the older JC10, which has outward facing gauges.  The newer JC10 Plus has upward facing gauges, so if you wanted to do this with that compressor, you'd need to figure out how to turn them to face out.  That might be trivial but I'm not sure since I don't have one in front of me. 

[member=59951]Dick Mahany[/member]

Sorry for the wacky perspective on the first photo - makes the CT-Sys look rather beastly.

 

[live4ever]

Apologies for the rotated images...I'd love to know how to fix this.  [embarassed]

 

[Dick Mahany]

Thanks [member=13462]live4ever[/member].  After your post last week, I was inspired to try a similar stack on my noisy Kobalt compressor.  I had an extra T-Loc lid and reinforced it  to attach to the compressor.  It works, but I like your idea better and I'd much prefer the JC10 . I do realize that they changed the gauges to be upward facing on the current models  [sad]. 

I am really interested in the 60dBA rating of your compressor and I just can't justify the Airstack for the price.  Thanks for posting, it gave me a project for the weekend.

 

[copcarcollector]

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[rljatl]

Here's my version on a Sys Roll.

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[live4ever]

[member=18038]copcarcollector[/member] Thanks!  How’d you do that?

[member=59951]Dick Mahany[/member] Nice job!  Using a lid is definitely a clean way to do it. 

[member=18283]RobBob[/member] I really like that!  I wanted to keep my compressor off the Sys-roll for now, but as the shop gets itself together again I can see your solution working really well for me.  Anything special about the brackets you used?

 

[copcarcollector]

[member=13462]live4ever[/member] No worry. I saved them to my computer and re sized with Photoscape, then re posted here. Nice work BTW!

 

[rljatl]

[member=18038]copcarcollector[/member] Thanks!  How’d you do that?

[member=59951]Dick Mahany[/member] Nice job!  Using a lid is definitely a clean way to do it. 

[member=18283]RobBob[/member] I really like that!  I wanted to keep my compressor off the Sys-roll for now, but as the shop gets itself together again I can see your solution working really well for me.  Anything special about the brackets you used?

The brackets are ordinary shelf brackets from the big box store.  I used t-nuts in the front t-track of the Sys Roll uprights to hold the brackets on.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[Dick Mahany]

[member=18038]copcarcollector[/member] Thanks!  How’d you do that?

[member=59951]Dick Mahany[/member] Nice job!  Using a lid is definitely a clean way to do it. 

[member=18283]RobBob[/member] I really like that!  I wanted to keep my compressor off the Sys-roll for now, but as the shop gets itself together again I can see your solution working really well for me.  Anything special about the brackets you used?

The brackets are ordinary shelf brackets from the big box store.  I used t-nuts in the front t-track of the Sys Roll uprights to hold the brackets on.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

That's a slick implementation.  The SysRoll plus the JC10 combined costs less than the AirStack and you have roll-about portability built in.  Nice!

 

[gsdvorak]

Resurrecting this older thread since my PC compressor is at end of life and thinking of the JC10.  [member=18283]RobBob[/member], now that you've had this configuration for a few months, how do you like it?  Any changes that you made or would make?

Regards,
Gerald

 

[rljatl]

Resurrecting this older thread since my PC compressor is at end of life and thinking of the JC10.  [member=18283]RobBob[/member], now that you've had this configuration for a few months, how do you like it?  Any changes that you made or would make?

Regards,
Gerald

It is still set up like that now.  Works well.  No complaints.

 

[gsdvorak]

Sounds good- Thanks!  I really like your setup on the SysRoll and am now going to do something very similar.  Appreciate you sharing your pictures!

Regards,
Gerald

 

[pettyconstruction]

So I started thinking about this thread and mentally went down a couple of ideas.
A piece of plywood on the compressor ,
A donated lid , but a chat with a buddy , he suggested to just mount a box (systainer ) to the pump.
The idea is that I need to bring tools anyway,so why not?
What I did was use those broom holders that screw into the wall and pressure hold the handle .

I placed the compressor on the sysroll to get a idea of placement ,then set a box and marked the holes.

I think I like it,latter I may use a bigger systainer like a sys 4 or sys 5.

The compressor is just sitting there but the systainer is held with the strap.
Let me know what you think,
Charlie

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[sprior]

I'm starting to think about this too - I've got a JC10 in my basement shop and I just painted the floor and don't want the black marks from the feet I had before.  I hadn't thought about putting systainer storage above it until I saw this thread.

Lots of ways to do it, but I was recently thinking of trying to braze aluminum which I've never done before.  Maybe making a frame of aluminum angle stock which the JC10 would screw into instead of those feet, then 3D print systainer clips and screw them to the top of the frame.  I saw a model for a T-Loc knob here and the other feet are easy to find.

 

[Dick Mahany]

I recently upgraded my Kobalt compressor and systainer stack to the JC10 Plus and wish I'd done this a few years ago.  Great small quiet compressor.  I did rotate the gauges as the new JC10s face upward, but one gauge simply rotated and the other used two brass ell fitting to re-orient the position.  An old TLoc lid made easy work for the systainer mount. 

I would have liked to do the Sys Roll set up, but I blew the budget on the compressor, but I think I can live with it.

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[live4ever]

[member=59951]Dick Mahany[/member]
Looks really good, even if it ain't a sys-roll!  The home-brewed version looks more than sufficient.  Do you have a pipe threader?

Good to hear the JC10 Plus gauges are easily adapted to the use case. 

 

[Dick Mahany]

[member=59951]Dick Mahany[/member]
Looks really good, even if it ain't a sys-roll!  The home-brewed version looks more than sufficient.  Do you have a pipe threader?

Good to hear the JC10 Plus gauges are easily adapted to the use case.

Thank you for the idea originally.  I don't have a pipe threader so I used orange box store galvanized pipe and it did the job  [smile]

 

[Dick Mahany]

So I started thinking about this thread and mentally went down a couple of ideas.
A piece of plywood on the compressor ,
A donated lid , but a chat with a buddy , he suggested to just mount a box (systainer ) to the pump.
The idea is that I need to bring tools anyway,so why not?
What I did was use those broom holders that screw into the wall and pressure hold the handle .
The compressor is just sitting there but the systainer is held with the strap.
Let me know what you think,
Charlie

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Nice job, clever!  Never thought of those broom holders.  If it works, don't mess with success.  If you are mobile, will that arrangement remain intact if driving around?

 

[pettyconstruction]

Thanks,
My thinking is to just use it to go from the trailer to the job, we will see..
Not to leave it on the cart.
I’ll give it some time and report back.
Charlie

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Cheese]

I had an extra T-Loc lid and reinforced it  to attach to the compressor. 

I really like the idea of the lid starting the stack. Such a simple clean design.  [big grin]