Sound proofing a workshop?

BigSky · Post by **BigSky** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 8:38 pm

You might want to talk with someone who installs home entertainment centers and in home theaters.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 10:35 pm

dusty wrote:http://www.harrisonhire.co.uk/Hire/Phir ... at_Ti_ID=3

acrow == jack post!;)

273kelvin · Post by **273kelvin** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 5:16 am

Sorry about that, I've just learned that 'Acrow' is a trade name. Here in the UK it's become a generic for jack posts like 'Hoover' is for vacuum cleaner. I've yet to learn what the correct Brit term for jack posts is, everyone I know in the building trade calls them Acrows.

Good to know it's just the table saw that's real noisy, we can plan around that.

Where I'd like to start is get some shelves up on the load bearing walls so they can be holding tools when the SS arrives and it's an empty floor. Not the way to go if I were building a recording studio but as it's just a workshop in a somewhat noisy area it's something I won't regret later?

horologist · Post by **horologist** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 6:16 pm

It sounds like your neighbor is pretty reasonable and I'm not sure I would bother with the soundproofing until it becomes a problem. When I read your first post I recalled someone I know that must be just about the worlds worst neighbor. Any noise at anytime of the day is infuriating and will result in endless complaints to the condo/apartment management as well as family members.

Set your Shopsmith up and see what happens, in the mean time your money will be better spent on all the extra tools and wood.

Troy

BigSky · Post by **BigSky** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 6:21 pm

Troy might be giving you some very good advise but if you live where they have Neighborhood Associations you might want to do some more checking about the rules.

robinson46176 · Post by **robinson46176** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 7:45 pm

I disagree... I have very good neighbors but we all work at being proactively considerate of each other. Why would anyone want to wait for a neighbor to complain before doing all you can reasonably to alleviate any potential problems? Why do things that may push them toward the brink of what they will tolerate before doing something to assist in their quality of life? I don't look at my neighbors like that and I never feel that they approach me like that. I applaud 273kelvin for taking a "how can I be a good neighbor" approach.

horologist · Post by **horologist** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 10:15 pm

Francis,

I guess I was too brief. From his posts it seems obvious that 273kelvin (the iceman?) is on good terms with his neighbors. It may be simple to work out an arrangement where the noisy operations could be limited to daytime hours or some other schedule. It sounds like this is essentially his plan anyway. Life in an apartment is give and take, sometimes you can have neighbors that are less agreeable, or have schedules that are completely contrary to your own, then you have trouble. To me it would be silly in this situation to spend a great deal of time and money to install soundproofing when it isn't even clear that there is a need, after all he hasn't run the machine yet. Not to mention any soundproofing would need to be installed with the active involvement of his neighbors to ensure it is working correctly.

Isn't there an old saying that the best way to keep people from calling the police is to invite your neighbors to the party?:D

Troy

scooters · Post by **scooters** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 8:05 am

I think that your challenge is that most acoustic dampening material is pourous. Most things that create an echo are hard.

Woodworking is a dusty environment and not the most compatible with pourous surfaces. My (non-expert) guess is that you need a spongy, souind absorbing material behind a flat surface.

The flat surface will "bang like a drum" and reverberate aganinst the hard surface of your neighbor's wall/floor, if it doesn't get captured by the spongy sound deadening material in between. Again, I don't have a background in this stuff. YMMV!

Don't forget to count the high-pitched whine of a dust collection system if your plan. You certainly will need one in an enclosed room. It is the loudest part of my shop. Much louder than the shopsmith itself.

robinson46176 · Post by **robinson46176** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 8:44 am

scooters wrote:I think that your challenge is that most acoustic dampening material is pourous. Most things that create an echo are hard.

Woodworking is a dusty environment and not the most compatible with pourous surfaces. My (non-expert) guess is that you need a spongy, souind absorbing material behind a flat surface.

The flat surface will "bang like a drum" and reverberate aganinst the hard surface of your neighbor's wall/floor, if it doesn't get captured by the spongy sound deadening material in between. Again, I don't have a background in this stuff. YMMV!

Don't forget to count the high-pitched whine of a dust collection system if your plan. You certainly will need one in an enclosed room. It is the loudest part of my shop. Much louder than the shopsmith itself.

Good observations. One of the better materials that I can think of is carpet. It can be treated with something like Scotchgard. With it you can just vacuum the walls.

I was in a restaurant a few years ago where they had carpeted both the floor and walls and had an acoustical tile ceiling. It was "very" quiet.
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As kind of a side note I once had a wall between a workshop and a showroom that was common studs with a layer of pegboard on both sides. I was surprised at how much noise it stopped. I was also surprised at how little heat passed through it.
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On another note, at one time we had a store on the public square that shared a common studded wall with cheap paneling on both sides (no insulation) with another business. We could sit in our office and hear every single word spoken on the other side very clearly. Ironically, they could not hear us talking at all (I listened from their side myself). I never understood why the sound travel was so one way.

273kelvin · Post by **273kelvin** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 4:37 pm

I'll be using a Henry for dust extraction. (Same name in America?)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000 ... B00008Z9XZ

They make other vacs seems like jet engines., can even keep a conversation going while it's on.

We'll set the machine up and see just how much noise reduction is needed first, thanks for the help.