New Shop Sound Dampening

bobgaggle

Well-Known Member
So we've moved. The old shop was a cinder block rectangle with a metal roof. The new shop is a metal walled rectangle with a metal roof. The noise has gone from loud to deafening. I'm trying to think of ways to dampen the noise, the main culprit is our cold saw. Its mounted to a steel bench that's been welded to the framing of the building. Whenever you make a cut the whole thing resonates and echoes through the shop. My one thought was to cut it out of the saw bench and build a stand for it so I can bolt it to the floor, not mechanically attached to the bench.

The other tools are bad as well though. The sqeaky whines of the motors seem to squeak more, the dust collector seems to boomy. Any thoughts on this? Line the walls with homosote? The lights are hung tight to the bottom of the roof trusses and there are sprinklers above, so hanging baffles below seems to be out of the question...
 
Pictures would help.

If it's a vibration issue, then you need to decouple the source from the structure on vibration isolators. Depending on how it's mounted, that could entail neoprene pads, springs, rubber isolators etc. Applying a dampening material to the metal paneling of the building near where the saw is mounted should help reduce the resonance in the metal paneling -- but to be effective it needs to be adhered to the surface like soundproofing in a car. Mounting the saw to the floor instead of the metal framing of the wall will probably also help resolve the issue.

Similarly, you can apply the same material for dampening metal in a car and stick it to the underside/inside surfaces of the bench. If you go that route, use a 2" or 3" roller to apply it and roll all of the air bubbles out as you go. Will also have the benefit of reducing noise of people dropping other items onto those benches.

Tectum direct attach wall and ceiling panels are probably one of the cheaper ways to go and the fibrous material won't obviously show scrapes or scratches. If you're in a pre-engineering metal building situation where you cannot drive fasteners through the metal paneling, then you may to be a little more creative. Again, photos may make it easier to see what kind of environment you have to work with. Depending on how your ceiling trusses are spaced from your sprinkler heads, you may still be able to do baffles. Measurements will be critical in determining what is viable here and what isn't. Direct attach to the deck is preferred.

If your tooling is aging, don't be afraid to open equipment and apply the appropriate lubricant or grease. Good for the tools and for the noise levels.
 
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