Anyone Built an Enclosure for a Pancake Compressor?

[JoeyGee]

I am looking to build a wheeled enclosure for my HF pancake compressor. I want to somehow deaden the noise from it. It's pretty simple--just build a box and use sound-proofing materials on the inside.

My main concern is airflow--for both drawing air in, and dissapating heat. I had thought of just cutting holes in all four side and putting in some vents. Would that be enough, or should I use some of those small electronics fans?

I don't even know how much sound reduction I will get, considering the venting I need to put in. I have done some Google searching and have seen some fairly complicated chase/maze type venting, but I don't want to get THAT complicated with it.

[sweensdv]

I built this one from the plans in Issue 190, May 2009 of WOOD Magazine.

[dbhost]

Sweensdv beat me to it. While it wasn't for MY compressor, and we upsized it for a 21 gallon upright HF compressor. I helped a friend modify those wood mag plans and build that cart. We finished the interior of the cabinet with 1" accoustic foam from an online car stereo shop. It is ported at the bottom to allow airflow, and is very quiet.

[ironhat]

Here's another one in Shop Notes (link), Issue 101.

[JoeyGee]

Sweensdv beat me to it. While it wasn't for MY compressor, and we upsized it for a 21 gallon upright HF compressor. I helped a friend modify those wood mag plans and build that cart. We finished the interior of the cabinet with 1" accoustic foam from an online car stereo shop. It is ported at the bottom to allow airflow, and is very quiet.

Did you enclose it? It pulls enough air from the bottom to keep it cool and allow enough air for the instake?

[dbhost]

Did you enclose it? It pulls enough air from the bottom to keep it cool and allow enough air for the instake?

Our modified plan did enclose it, with a baffle. So say there is a piece of ply that encloses the box, sort of a baffle, next to the compressor , the opening on this baffle is on the bottom. It goes all the way across the width, and is 4" tall. Then a space, then another piece of ply, but this one has its opening at the top, so the air, and the noise have to go down, THEN up to get in and out... There are LOTS of soft surfaces inside the enclosure due to the foam padding to suck up the noise before it ever gets near the port.

He doesn't run the compressor very hard, and rarely longer than 8 hrs...

No thermal or air intake problems yet.

The back panel is hinged so that the compressor can be rolled out, drained, serviced whatever...

[scmhogg]

Before I got my full stand HF drill press, I had the, so called, bench version. It was too tall for a bench and too short to use. So, I built a square plywood box, around 2' X 2' X 2'. I left the back open. I slid my pancake in the box, with 1" foam type insulation, just shoved in place. The noise reduction was surprising, considering that the back was open. I never ran it very long, so the heat wasn't a problem.

Steve