# Wood tool noise (Planer)<neighbor problems



## Itchy Brother (Aug 22, 2008)

The Planer is probably the noisiest Machine Tool in your shop. I heard thru a friend that some neigbors aren't happy with the noise Im making.I live in a senior community so I expect some grumblings and they do have a point.So now Im doing what I can to reduce the noise.Yesterday I installed insulation panels 1" made for Steel paneled roll up garage doors.Bought them at Lowes(expensive $100.00) but easy to install and fit like a glove.I have a two blade delta planer(very loud).I ordered a Steel City Helical Planer 40300.A little pricey but suppose to be quieter. Has anybody been thru this scenario ?Im hoping this will do it. There is another thing I could do but Im hoping I don't have to and that have insulation installed in existing wall.


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## RobinDobbie (Jan 31, 2013)

Looks like you're going in the right direction with the helical head on the planer. That can make a big difference. 

From what I understand about sound proofing, there are two major parts, killing internal reflections, and getting a pressure seal from the outside. The first part is potentially a pain, but not nearly as expensive and important as the second part, I think. 

I think maybe the first step is finding out where you're at right now by measuring and recording exactly how much noise you're making. That way you can track the effectiveness of your various efforts. You need an SPL meter: http://www.amazon.com/Galaxy-Audio-CM130-Sound-Level/dp/B0002GWFG4


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

The helical head will help. About the most inexpensive sound proofing you can use would be to put a couple of layers of carpet underlayment on the walls.


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## BassBlaster (Nov 21, 2010)

I have the SC 40200H. Its a very quit machine. About as loud as my shop vac.

I cant speak to the 40300 but to the best of my knowledge, it uses the same head so I would assume it operates at about the same noise level.


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## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

RobinDobbie said:


> Looks like you're going in the right direction with the helical head on the planer. That can make a big difference.
> 
> From what I understand about sound proofing, there are two major parts, killing internal reflections, and getting a pressure seal from the outside. The first part is potentially a pain, but not nearly as expensive and important as the second part, I think.
> 
> I think maybe the first step is finding out where you're at right now by measuring and recording exactly how much noise you're making. That way you can track the effectiveness of your various efforts. You need an SPL meter: Video Link: http://www.amazon.com/Galaxy-Audio-CM130-Sound-Level/dp/B0002GWFG4


Very good post.

Al

Nails only hold themselves.


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## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

My Delta 13" is very loud. It doubles when I turn on the DC. 

Al

Nails only hold themselves.


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## Civilian (Jul 6, 2013)

*duplex homes?*

Quote....but Im hoping I don't have to have insulation installed in existing wall. end quote

Are you in a duplex home? IE: is your garage attached to your neighbor's garage wall? Or is the noise just going out the garage door to the general neighborhood? If your walls are attached, I would have thought there would have been a sound deadening space between them. Or do you actually share the same studs, insulation etc? So if the walls are attached, build another wall not touching your wall and insulate it with sound deadening insulation. I don't know if you need to drywall both sides of the new wall or not. I would think you can find some instructions on the web to build one.

I have been in some duplexes that you can hear some noises through common walls. Not pleasant with voices and TV's, would be worse with power tools.

Jon
Northern Michigan


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## Burb (Nov 30, 2012)

RobinDobbie said:


> I think maybe the first step is finding out where you're at right now by measuring and recording exactly how much noise you're making. That way you can track the effectiveness of your various efforts. You need an SPL meter: http://www.amazon.com/Galaxy-Audio-CM130-Sound-Level/dp/B0002GWFG4


If you have a smart phone, I'd recommend downloading a noise meter app first. They will be much cheaper ($2-$5) and surprisingly almost as accurate as most meters in <$200 range. Loud is loud, whether its 85 dB or 87 dB. (I personally use a >$500 HIGH QUALITY sound meter at work for industrial hygiene monitoring and I find my smartphone app is typically within 1 dB of it.) I suggest taking some measurements before you do anything and then after modifications/adjustments to see if what you are doing is making a difference.

I'll make a couple of recommendations for sound deadening:
- Minimize the amount of visible metal and concrete walls. They bounce sound. As mentioned carpet absorbs. So does foam, rubber, etc. Think soft. 
- "Aim" your noise. Some equipment is louder from a certain side. You may be able to rotate things around so the noise doesn't seem as bad from outside. For example, plane into your garage, not out of it.

Good luck with this.


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## Fred Hargis (Apr 28, 2012)

I think you'll probably find the helical head will solve your problem. My planer was the only tool in the shop that required me to wear my shooting muffs when running (with the DC). After I put in the Byrd head I can now get by with the same ear plugs I use on everything else. The noise reduction is substantial and by itself almost makes having these on your planer worth while.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*I had the same issue with a Jet 15 " planer until ....*



Al B Thayer said:


> My Delta 13" is very loud. It doubles when I turn on the DC.
> 
> Al
> 
> Nails only hold themselves.


I stumbled on a solution by accident. I had removed the dust shroud/pickup for some reason and noticed the sound/noise level was about 1/2 of what is was with it on. I experimented with different methods of collecting the dust and found a plastic 18" floor sweep from Woodcraft on a rubber hinge worked pretty well.

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f12/jet-planer-noise-problem-13519/


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Instead of letting the sounds get to the walls, consider making an upside down 'U" (a three sided box) that will just fit over the machine and go to the floor. It can be made to length to be comfortable to work to. Inside and outside of that you could add all kinds of soundproofing.










 








.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*noise is like dust...*

It's best to capture it at the source rather than trying to put it all back in the bottle after it gets out. :laughing:

Hanging drapes/carpets are used commercially to absorb sound. A box that surrounds the planer may work, but it would have to have openings for the controls and for the work to pass in and out. If there were a jamb or other situations it may not be the easiest to get to the machine. A carpet or flap that swings out of the way would probably work.
I would try a hanging drape/carpet directly over the planer and see if someone standing outside can determine a difference before I did a whole lot more. A roll up awning directly in front of the metal doors would also be easy to try. :yes:


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## RonW (Sep 16, 2013)

After doing what you can for reducing noise levels. You might making something for the people around you. Wouldn't have to be much. Sometimes the little things make as biggest of a difference.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

*Here you go.*

Guaranteed! :laughing:


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## Gene Howe (Feb 28, 2009)

We needed to damp some sound on wall between a bathroom and den and bathroom and bedroom. We used the bottom half of fiber egg cartons between the studs. It worked.
In my shop, I filled the 6" space with fiber glass insulation and covered with 5/8 fire rated dry wall. The outside of the wall is 1/2" flake board, wire and stucco. The ceiling is also insulated with 8" fiber glass stuff and the 5/8" drywall. 
I've run Delta planers and now, a DeWalt. Either could barely be heard outside.... with the doors closed. I use a dedicated 1hp DC on the planer. It seems to make a difference in the sound level. too.


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## rrbrown (Feb 15, 2009)

Well all good ideas. My shop is pretty well insulated and I routinely work late nights and sometimes all night. A few years ago I was working out there and started planing around 3:00 am at about 3:05 the wife was yelling at me about the noise but with my hearing protection and the planer I couldn't hear her. 

I turned off the planer took off my ears and told her you can't stand there with the door open at this tome of the night because the noise will bother the neighbors. Lol our bedroom is close to the shop between our bathroom and the breezeway between the two buildings. She gave me the your kidding me face as she said you woke me up from a deep sleep, in the house and over my white noise machine. I think the neighbors already heard it before I opened the door. 

No more planing after 10:00 from that point forward. You don't want to mess with the wife's beauty sleep especially if they are cranky when they first get up.


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## HowardAcheson (Nov 25, 2011)

Some guys I knew used to talk to their neighbors and offer to make and/or repair things for them. Went a good ways toward establishing good relations. It also is good to try to see if there is a time the neighbors are not as opposed to some noise.


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## DeanK (Jun 21, 2013)

I have the Steel City 40200H and I run it in my basement with a Ridgid WD1450 vac. I wouldn't run it without my ear plugs, but I do run it at night with my daughter sleeping on the second floor and my wife watching TV on the first floor. She says she has to turn up the volume on the TV a notch, but doesn't mind. I went with the Steel City over the Dewalt for the helical cutterhead and have been very happy with that decision.


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## rrich (Jun 24, 2009)

Itchy,
I'm assuming that you are not running your planer after dark. 

I do not think that you could do anything in your shop without annoying some people. You could sit in the garage with the door closed and watch TV. This would offend some people. The whole problem is that "You don't live their lifestyle, therefore . . . " 

It isn't that your planer is too loud but rather that the neighbor can tell that you are running a machine. And running a machine isn't in their lifestyle. 

If you are not violating local laws and any HOA rules, it isn't worth worrying about it. The only way that you can make these types happy is to move. 

As you say, Looneyville.


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## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

I agree with rich on this one. You can drive yourself not only nutz but also bankrupt and some people will still complain. To add to your problem, you're dealing with a bunch of old farts who are mostly playing golf or bingo while waiting to die! They got nothing better to do with their time but complain because you are doing something different.

My neighbors hate my saws and planer and pretty much all of my machines. I never run any of them after 5pm or before 11am. However apparently its perfectly alright for them to play their so called music at all hours so loudly that I can hear it inside my house with all the windows closed and my headphones on at my computer while playing COD Ghosts!

If you are able to completely sound proof your shop, don't be surprised if the next complaint is that they hate the smells of your finishes or of the wood, or of the saw dust you use as mulch, or set out for the trash pickup, or just that you aren't sitting around doing nothing like them.


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## RobinDobbie (Jan 31, 2013)

I dunno, planers can get pretty darn loud. With houses being built just a few feet apart these days, the noise could be truly annoying to some. 

johnnie52, keep track of when they're playing music and how loud. Chances are, you're creating less total noise. If it's on paper how loud and for how long, they might reconsider being pricks about it. then again, it sounds like it might be past that. 

I'm just glad I live out in the sticks with neighbors a few hundred feet away!


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## Itchy Brother (Aug 22, 2008)

There are many great ideas here and some Darn Funny Ones too!Yes I live in a community where 75% of the people sold their house in San Fransisco retired then moved here.They live in Lah Lah land.Most are nice enough but they , and its hard to put my finger on it, nosey.I do have one friend that live two doors away.A couple days ago he told me that another neighbor (Bob) said that a few neighbors were not liking the noise,especially on Sundays.My opinion is it is Bob that doesn't like it.It doesnt really matter but I don't want him making a complaint to HOA. I never work before 9;00AM or after 6:00 pm.So far Ive put about $700.00 into the insulation ,1" thick panels for the garage door and the new planer. Weird the way life is. It would really take a lot for me to complain about any neighbor.He would probably have to be shooting his guns in the backyard,LOL Ill keep ya posted.


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## RobinDobbie (Jan 31, 2013)

Before noon on a weekend maybe pushing it. 



> He would probably have to be shooting his guns in the backyard


Well now since I live in Texas, and out of city limits, that _is_ something I have to deal with. A couple weeks ago you would have thought it was Normandy up in here.


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## del schisler (Nov 5, 2009)

*noise and db meter*

get or have some one from the PD if they will come out and check the noise level at the neibors house, if it is below the level of i belive they check stereo's ect. than i belive you should be ok, and also i would go to the next door and just ask them if the noise is bad? that you are building or fixing noise inside your shop and just wondering if the noise is bad? if not than i would say you should be ok, just like any one doing building around their are hours that you can start and stop, if you are in side the law than , have fun my 2 cents


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## Mandres (Sep 6, 2011)

:icon_cool:


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## Kahlua (Dec 6, 2012)

Do your woodworking between the hours of 9am and 5pm, not the reverse.


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## Wendel17 (Apr 20, 2009)

Itchy Brother said:


> There are many great ideas here and some Darn Funny Ones too!Yes I live in a community where 75% of the people sold their house in San Fransisco retired then moved here.They live in Lah Lah land.Most are nice enough but they , and its hard to put my finger on it, nosey.I do have one friend that live two doors away.A couple days ago he told me that another neighbor (Bob) said that a few neighbors were not liking the noise,especially on Sundays.My opinion is it is Bob that doesn't like it.It doesnt really matter but I don't want him making a complaint to HOA. I never work before 9;00AM or after 6:00 pm.So far Ive put about $700.00 into the insulation ,1" thick panels for the garage door and the new planer. Weird the way life is. It would really take a lot for me to complain about any neighbor.He would probably have to be shooting his guns in the backyard,LOL Ill keep ya posted.


For some, it really doesn't take much to complain. That's just the way they are. Me..I could care less what my neighbors do as long as they aren't messing up my side of the fence.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*carpet remnants on rods*

You can get carpet remnants for little or nothing, color won't matter unless you are a home decorator... hang them from rods near the doors, and overlap them so you can walk in between them. 

This is the principle:
http://www.acousticalsurfaces.com/acoustical_drapery/acoustical_curtains.htm


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## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

RobinDobbie said:


> Looks like you're going in the right direction with the helical head on the planer. That can make a big difference.
> 
> From what I understand about sound proofing, there are two major parts, killing internal reflections, and getting a pressure seal from the outside. The first part is potentially a pain, but not nearly as expensive and important as the second part, I think.
> 
> I think maybe the first step is finding out where you're at right now by measuring and recording exactly how much noise you're making. That way you can track the effectiveness of your various efforts. You need an SPL meter: http://www.amazon.com/Galaxy-Audio-CM130-Sound-Level/dp/B0002GWFG4


If you have a smart phone, there are plenty of sound pressure meter apps that are actually quite effective. 

I use the regular old plain jane "Sound Meter" app for my Android and I get good results. My noise via the planer is well under 60db outside of the shop. I can't run it after 9 P.M., but it's not loud enough to bother anyone inside their homes... 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kr.sira.sound

Mind you, my shop is using 5/8" fire rated drywall, and either fiberglass, or spray foam insulation in 3 walls and the ceiling. I have one remaining wall needing to be insulated. The doors and sealed, and insulated using 2 layers of foam board. The sound reduction is pretty extreme even with the one remaining wall to be done. I am betting with the remaining wall completed, you wouldn't be able to hear it outside of the shop... And that is the planer, a Ryobi AP1301, that thing SCREAMS, sorry, I haven't metered it... yet.


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## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

Mandres said:


> :icon_cool:


The way I use mine, there are extremely loud noises associated with it... :furious:


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## Dopalgangr (Jan 20, 2012)

+2 on the Byrd Shellix cutter head. I have a Dewalt DW734 and bought one of those for it. Now granted it cost me more than the planer did but it's half as noisy and provides a superior cut to the prior three blade system. The motor also doesn't seem to have to work as hard.


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## Itchy Brother (Aug 22, 2008)

I did find out that in this sun city community,"Any noise that may be irritable to your neighbors must only occur between the hours of 09:00AM and 7:00 PM. Sounds kinda open to me between those hours.The HOA is sending me a disk on all the CC&rs in about a week or so.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Itchy Brother said:


> I did find out that in this sun city community,"Any noise that may be irritable to your neighbors must only occur between the hours of 09:00AM and 7:00 PM. Sounds kinda open to me between those hours.The HOA is sending me a disk on all the CC&rs in about a week or so.


It would seem to me that if someone can run a leaf blower you should be able to run a planer.


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## Itchy Brother (Aug 22, 2008)

Steve Neul said:


> It would seem to me that if someone can run a leaf blower you should be able to run a planer.


 Yup,Ive got neighbors that have their landscapers cut their lawns (lawnmowers and blowers before 9:00) but I aint a whiner so I also aint bothered by it.I aint gonna lower myself to whining about every little thing just because someone doesn't like what Im doing.Its what I call being a good neighbor.I think Ive probably heard the last od this nonsense. It looks like Im getting my new planer in a couple of days.The Delta I have is loud.It needs new blades tho.Ill sell it on Craigslist.I don't know what to ask for it. 13" two blader. Any suggestions on what to ask for it ?


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## RobinDobbie (Jan 31, 2013)

> I think Ive probably heard the last od this nonsense.


I would never assume that. Good on you for not being a whiner, but it would be highly beneficial to you to make records of who is making noise(or hiring noise makers), when, and how much of it.


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## jjrbus (Dec 6, 2009)

It does not hurt to make a token effort to quiet it down. But I have to agree with rrich on this one.

The old gas bags can be an extreme pain!! They are old, cranky, in pain, on medications, bored and nothing better to do than look for something to bitch about!! I must caution on moving, there will be more there and they will be worse! JIm


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