Reply To: Quieter Woodworking?
Welcome! / Forums / Off-topic / Quieter Woodworking? / Reply To: Quieter Woodworking?
Thanks, everyone for all of the suggestions!
To answer some of the questions posed in your responses —
– I don’t really use machines due to lack of space, so most of the noise is chopping dovetails & mortises, as well as sawing larger pieces using a handsaw. As long as I keep my planes and chisels sharp, planing, paring and using the smaller tenon/dovetail saws are all very quiet.
– The hammer I am using is a plastic-head hammer similar to the one Paul often uses in his WWMC videos.
– My workbench is the same basic design as the one Paul demonstrates on his “building a workbench” Youtube video series, sized to accommodate my space constraints.
– Perhaps “semi-finished” isn’t the most accurate term to use to describe our home’s basement. The room is finished in that it has a textured drywall ceiling, but it is all one room with wood paneling mounted to the concrete foundation (with furring strips in-between). The floor is linoleum sheet over concrete. Unfortunately, some of the main floor’s plumbing is visible through the drywall. I previously said “semi-finished” because my wife and I have vague plans to refinish the basement so that the workshop area is partitioned off into a separate space from the rest of the basement.
I think I will start by trying out some of the anti-vibration pads under my workbench legs as well as the cutting mat between the bench top and my work. It seems like the most cost effective option, if it ends up being sufficient. If that ends up not fully resolving the issue, I could look into adding more sound dampening materials as part of a larger re-finishing project on our basement. Unfortunately that’s not a project I have the time (or money) to tackle right now. But it is helpful to hear about what options exist should we ever have the opportunity go that route.
Thanks again for all of the helpful replies!