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How Loud is My Lathe?

Wow, when I asked if they were loud, I expected a nah, not particularly, or ya, a little bit, but you get used to it......
I don't think United underwriters puts this much effort into their reports, you guys rock! Sounds like it won't be much different than my belt driven 10k. The 13" is another matter, with the drive mounted on the wall as it is, I find it quite tolerable in the shop, unfortunately it sounds like a herd of Buffalo charging by everywhere else in the house.....:(
 

StevSmar

(Steven)
Premium Member
I’ve been doing a bit of investigating on and off about soundproofing my basement workshop… The latest thing I’ve looked at is ”mass loaded vinyl”. At about $5-$10 per square foot it’s not a cheap product (I didn’t look exhaustively)

I’m hoping that when I come to soundproofing the ducts, I can put foam insulation around them that’s not touching them. I suspect that I’ll not be very successful.
 

DavidR8

Scrap maker
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I’ve been doing a bit of investigating on and off about soundproofing my basement workshop… The latest thing I’ve looked at is ”mass loaded vinyl”. At about $5-$10 per square foot it’s not a cheap product (I didn’t look exhaustively)

I’m hoping that when I come to soundproofing the ducts, I can put foam insulation around them that’s not touching them. I suspect that I’ll not be very successful.
I used a mass loaded vinyl foam tile to attenuate the engine noise on my sailboat. Worked by basically changing the frequency of the sound. Was darn spendy as each sq ft was about $12.
No idea how you basement ceiling is finished but I'd look at insulating the floor joist bays, use resilent channel to decouple the drywall.
The ductwork is basically a tube for sound transmission so foam around them won't have a lot of positive effect.
 

Susquatch

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I’ve been doing a bit of investigating on and off about soundproofing my basement workshop… The latest thing I’ve looked at is ”mass loaded vinyl”. At about $5-$10 per square foot it’s not a cheap product (I didn’t look exhaustively)

I’m hoping that when I come to soundproofing the ducts, I can put foam insulation around them that’s not touching them. I suspect that I’ll not be very successful.

I dunno about what is the very best, but I do know a few things that work. We built a few bedrooms in the basement and moved one of my boys into the room below our room.

My wife makes a lot of noise at night....

So I did my best at the time to make sure we didn't keep him awake. I put regular insulation attic R18 batting between the joists and then added a drop ceiling with sound absorbing panels I also insulated the walls thinking that there might be some noise transmitted through the structure.

He never complained or made any snide remarks.
 

historicalarms

Ultra Member
I used a mass loaded vinyl foam tile to attenuate the engine noise on my sailboat. Worked by basically changing the frequency of the sound. Was darn spendy as each sq ft was about $12.
No idea how you basement ceiling is finished but I'd look at insulating the floor joist bays, use resilent channel to decouple the drywall.
The ductwork is basically a tube for sound transmission so foam around them won't have a lot of positive effect.
Hmmm...Chicken...next thing you know R8 will be after you to deliver a load of sailboat fuel to him next time west.
 

Tom O

Ultra Member
I dunno about what is the very best, but I do know a few things that work. We built a few bedrooms in the basement and moved one of my boys into the room below our room.

My wife makes a lot of noise at night....

So I did my best at the time to make sure we didn't keep him awake. I put regular insulation attic R18 batting between the joists and then added a drop ceiling with sound absorbing panels I also insulated the walls thinking that there might be some noise transmitted through the structure.

He never complained or made any snide remarks.
Dam you! Now I want to watch Porkeys ( why do they call her Lassie? ) lol
 

Hacker

Super User
I’ve been doing a bit of investigating on and off about soundproofing my basement workshop… The latest thing I’ve looked at is ”mass loaded vinyl”. At about $5-$10 per square foot it’s not a cheap product (I didn’t look exhaustively)

I’m hoping that when I come to soundproofing the ducts, I can put foam insulation around them that’s not touching them. I suspect that I’ll not be very successful.
There is a product called SONOpan that is available at Home Depot. You use it in combination with drywall and it is less then a buck a square foot and it does work well. https://sonopan.com/
 

Susquatch

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There is a product called SONOpan that is available at Home Depot. You use it in combination with drywall and it is less then a buck a square foot and it does work well. https://sonopan.com/

This is VERY interesting.... It looks like an inexpensive improvement that is worth doing.

I get a little nervous when they use words like "can double the soundproofing of any wall or ceiling assembly". What does that mean? Sound is one of those energy sources that is a lot more complicated than it seems. Different frequencies act totally different. High frequencies are directional and would probably be stopped in their tracks by a sound deadening layer like that. Low frequencies that travel through structure might also be affected. The examples show it applied over top of the framing with drywall over that so perhaps it addresses low frequencies too.

But what does "double" mean anyway? The Decibel system was developed because our ears are not linear devices. 3db is a perceptible difference. 10db is like doubling the apparent volume. Maybe that's what they meant but I wish they had chosen their words a bit better.

Anyone who has ever been inside an anechoic chamber knows what silence really is. That surface is absorbative but also cone shaped to reflect sound into the absorbtion material. But it's usually two feet thick and not very shop friendly.

This material may not be perfect but it does do the one thing that is probably more important than any other. It separates the structure from the surface soundboard which should reduce transmission effects. Flat board insulation does the same thing.

Frankly, I'd love to try it, but my construction days are over. However, I do know a fellow who is building a brand new shop. I think I'll put a little bug in his ear.

For this thread, I think it's worth trying. But I'd still put insulation between all the wall joists. And if noise is a really big concern, I'd install an acoustic tile drop ceiling too. They are called acoustic tile for a reason.

As a side tip, all those accidental divits you get in an acoustic tile ceiling from broom handles and the kids light sabres can be easily fixed with a spray can of Dr Shoal's foot powder. It has the perfect texture and colour to patch those marks up almost as good as new!
 

Susquatch

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There's a little bit more info on the website
Excellent Peter. Funny how the blog sounds so much more credible than the marketing hype. Blog was prolly done by technical staff. Advertizing done by the sales staff.

Anyway, I certainly agree that it's worth a shot. Sounds very promising!
 
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