Need HF DC noise cure

[newood2]

I just got the DC for my basement shop. Boy, that thing is loud. I,m thinking of getting one of those noise-canceling ear muff or headphone, whatever they call them.
Do you guys use these? Do they really work? Which is a good brand, and how expensive are they?

Howie

[MilDoc]

Bought mine from Rockler. Tends to turn on and off. When it works, great. But it's not very consistent. I wonder if LeeValley has a better set?

[Hoover]

quote:Originally posted by newood2

I just got the DC for my basement shop. Boy, that thing is loud. Howie

Why not go with this to cut the noise?




http://www.pennstateind.com/store/sup1000.html

[dkhoward]

My HF DC is so much quieter than the shop vac I was using I guess I don't notice it. I do try to wear muffs when I am running saws or routers, but I have not found the DC to be too much.

[LarryG]

I have the Peltor H10A muffs (not the noise-cancelling type) that claim a 30dB noise reduction. Only $25 and worth every penny.

[MBG]

quote:Originally posted by Hoover

Why not go with this to cut the noise?




http://www.pennstateind.com/store/sup1000.html

Howie - do you have one of these. Just wondering how it's constructed and what they fill it with.

Mike

[Bulkley]

Another approach: I mounted an electrical line with a switch under the front of my table saw. The DC is plugged into that line. So, I can turn the DC on and off from there. Because this is so much handier than crossing the shop/garage every time I need it, I find that the DC is on a lot less. Such a switch could be wherever you find it handy.

Some wood workers put the DC outside the shop, in a small shed, with only a pipe coming in. That removes most of the noise. You need a big DC with lots of power for that.

[newood2]

Please allow me to backstep a little. Before purchasing the HF DC I had a 10gal Shopvac Ultra which is there quiet model. When I read all of the comparison reviews and opinions between the HF DC and shop vacs, the DC would be judged as lower in noise. My rude awakening was that it was not compared with my little Shopvac Ultra. I basically assumed the DC would make less noise. WRONG a thousand times!
In my anxiety I rushed to post the question to our "wood family" without doing a search on this forum. I calmed down this morning and digged around and came up with some previous threads that are very informative, and decided ear treatment was the way to go
http://www.bt3central.com/forum/topi...TOPIC_ID=16462

http://www.bt3central.com/forum/topi...TOPIC_ID=21387

I also found some ear plugs I got from Sound & Sight exhibition. They are the MaxLite NRR 30. I tried them with the DC and BT3100 running and it was magic. I could have taken a nap right there.
I will also try HF electronic earmuffs for $19.99. Has anyone tried those?
Hey Larry, how those Peltor fit with glasses, assuming you wear glasses?
Thanks again.
Howie.

[LCHIEN]

I have the DC and I think it's quieter than the shop vac by far. I think the noise is a vastly different pitch, the SV being a screeching howl
and the DC being a low rumble. In any case I can stand to have the DC on during the time period when I use the saw but turn it off when I stop sawing. I use ear protection when I run the table saw so maybe its not a serious issue either way.

I do have ear plugs and the HF electronic muffs.
The muffs if you do not turn them on, reduce the noise by simple attenuation. Their advantage over regular muffs and plugs is that there is an amplifier in them that measures the ambient noise, when its low it picks up the room noise and plays it into speakers in the head piece at levels approximating normal. When the noise exceeds a certain thereshold, they cut off the microphone so all you hear is what leaks past the muffs - attenuated 25- or 30 dB.

What this does is allows you to hear normal conversation, the kids playing in the backyard, the neighbor talking to his wife, your radio, the wife telling you its dinnertime, etc. but instantly cuts down when you start the saw, or bang a hammer on a nail.

I'd say it works OK.
P.S. 12/28 - except it sounds like listening to someone talking to you on a speakerphone - not that surprising, really, but that's what it sounds like.
Oh, and there's a threshold knob you can turn until it cuts off the sound, you adjust it so it makes the phones cut off when the saw comes on. I find I can have it "on" with the DC, the low freq response of the phones is not great so the DC doesn't sound as lound as it is, I can hear the radio quite clearly, but set the threshhold so that when the saw comes on it cuts the sound channel "off".

[final_t]

I did something similar to the Penn State muffler, but mine is just a small amount of pre-insulated HVAC flex. I also made a venturii tube inside of the doughnut ring in order to improve airflow, this seemed to cut the noise down.
Consider replacing the stock black plastic "Y" with a 4"-to-5" reducer. This will probably cut out some of the "whistle" you're probably getting.

[dlminehart]

I put mine outdoors in a shed, along with my air compressor. They're both real quiet now!

[LarryG]

Howie, I do indeed wear glasses, and the Peltors fit just fine over them. They have nice, thick, soft ear cups that seal tightly even when worn over glasses.

Also, they're not horribly heavy. When I bought them I was afraid they would be a bit much during the summer in an un-air-conditioned shop, but I had no problems with them.

[newood2]

quote:Originally posted by final_t

I also made a venturii tube inside of the doughnut ring in order to improve airflow, this seemed to cut the noise down.
.

Hi final_t, what does a venturii tube looks like? Could you post a picture
Howie

[vaking]

I can confirm Larry's statement and Loring's. I also use 30db non-electronic muffs. Different brand - Hasquarna from Lowe's but works the same way as Peltor. I normally don't wear glasses but I put safety glasses when woodworking. Muffs fit well over glasses but glasses will not fit with the muffs on - you have to put glasses first. How loud the DC is to me isn't very important - my DC comes on by itself together with saw or router and I will certainly put on muffs when those tools work. The one disadvantage of dumb muffs is that you cannot hear anything when wearing them. When the saw is working you hear a little hum but when the tool is stopped - it is dead silence. In fact, it is so dead that it is unnatural and annoying. Because of this I only put on muffs when the saw is on, I take them off after the cut. After reading Loring's description I am thinking of elctronic muffs.

[stewchi]

I have a pair of “in the ear” style noise cancellation headphones, that I plug into my cd/radio/mp3 player and then put a pair of muffs over that. That works well because (until I moved) I could listen to the Cubs game no matter what equipment I was using. Didn’t want to miss a second of Ron Santo
And, the combination of cancellation headphones and muffs did the trick on the noise.
I will also second what Loring said about the SV versus DC. My shopvac was very loud screech that hurt my ears, my DC sounds more like a wush, much lower frequency much easier on my ears. In fact my old roommate in college had a coffee table he built with 4 12” woofers and we would watch Star Trek NG with those woofers cranked, it was surprising how loud the back ground noise of the ship was, it had a strong low frequency rumble to it similar to the DC