Loud Noise From Tooling

[Skald]

I don't have a very exclusive or expensive range of tools, yet. So I simply work on the kitchen table, with a cutting mat on it. I don't have a leather mallet or such either, I just have a wooden one. So, pounding these stamps makes quite a lot of noise. Not that I myself get disturbed by it, but I have a half a year old son, who doesn't like it at all, especially not when he's going to sleep.

My fiance doesn't mind all too much, she can simply stay in another room. But it's not so simple that I can do this when she's out with him for some hour, a neighbor have just complained about it too. We live in this old block of flats, where you can hear noise from neighbors pretty easy - sadly enough (trust me, I don't like to hear them either...). I do have my parents place, that I can go to if I really need to, but it's like a 40 minutes travel to get there, so it's a several hours project to go there and work a little, and then head back. It costs money too going there, of course.

SO... What "tricks" do you have to give me? If there are any. I guess such a marble/granite slab and that kind of rubber mat beneath it, and getting a leather mallet would help a little? I also thought about getting a suitable large tree stump indoors and use for table. As it's massive, it should really absorb much of the vibration/noise etc., and keep the sound level to a minimum. Or am I all wrong?

I really can't afford to hire a place to use at workshop right now, but I might in the future (as I have a lot of other projects going on or starting up, and will need such a space sooner or later), I don't have the money to get a house on our own either. Renting an apartment is the only option right now, sadly enough. So finding another place (besides going to my parents, and use my fathers "multi purpose workshop" that is). I really want to start working more with this stuff, but as it is now, less or hardly at all is my only option.

[mendedbowl]

Hi Skald,

Sorry to hear about your workspace situation. I can imagine pounding on a wooden table top with no granite or rubber mat would sound like you were beating a drum. You've already said what would help your noise problem the best: a granite slab on a very sturdy surface (a tree stump would be very solid) if you can't afford a granite slab there are cheaper ways to get nearly the same effect. a piece of flat concrete, a flat rock, or heavy piece of metal. you can cover any of these with thin cardboard to give yourself a smoother surface. if you have a closet or small room to work in, you can try to soundproof the walls some to reduce the noise for your son and neighbors. layers of corrugated cardboard boxes, pieces of foam rubber from old furniture, or foam board all work wonders in reducing noise. just a few ideas, i'm sure there are others.

good luck, and don't give up,

best wishes,

ken

[Gawdzilla]

You can use a rubber bath mat or the foam rubber mats they sell for people to stand on at the sink. As for the tree stump, I use a 6"x6" post about three feet long. It has the mass to absorb the pounding. Lay it flat on the mat, and the mat on the table. You can also get rubber "sliders" to fit under the legs of the table to further dampen the noise.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Hey Skald,

do a search for noise, or apartment. There were quite a few suggestions recently tossed out to another member with the same problem.

Is there a garage space, or possibly a community recreation room available?

Here in the States we have senior centers that have rooms, as well as groups that work on various crafts like leather, wood, lapidary, etc. Some let non-seniors in to use the facilities for a small fee.

Love your avatar. Who is it?

[jana]

I would suggest highly a piece of granite or marble, sometimes you can get them rather cheaply at kitchen/bathroom remodeling center that use it for counters. Sometimes they have broken pieces that are available. At least

1 1/2 to 2 inches thick. I have talked to others who have bought broken grave stones (true!) For years I put a thick towel under the stone to dampen the noise while using the kitchen table.

[Skald]

Oki, lots of good suggestions! I guess I'll turn a closet here (a "walkthru" kind of closet) into a miniature workshop quite soon. And as I work with silver too, getting a tree stump wouldn't be a bad idea at all (need to use a small anvil at times). I'll get myself a granite or marble slab + rubber mat too, next time I make an order for stuff, plus a leather mallet or something like that. Hopefully it will fix the piece of cake. Been thinking quite a lot about how to come to terms with this, and it seems when asking you I was quite right.

BIGGUNDOCTOR: The man at the picture is an aghori from India, a certain kind of "yogi master", following a tradition which has striking similarities with Scandinavian shamans etc. Apart from me finding the tradition very interesting, he looks rather amazing, and I fell in love with it (the picture, that is) at first sight. However, I hope people doesn't think that it is me on the picture, I have a little more well trimmed beard and hair.

Edit: There are sadly enough no recreation room of that sort here, only a kind of "kitchen" which you can use for cooking with friends and have dinner etc. Mostly ol'timers that use it. I guess my activities are not seen as proper for that particular place. I lived in another area in Gothenburg earlier, where there was a sort of workshop (with no tools, only workbench etc.), but here there is none. I am looking out for an opportunity to rent a small garage or similar from the "landlord", but there are non vacant right now.

Edited January 4, 2011 by Skald

[Tina]

Oki, lots of good suggestions! I guess I'll turn a closet here (a "walkthru" kind of closet) into a miniature workshop quite soon. And as I work with silver too, getting a tree stump wouldn't be a bad idea at all (need to use a small anvil at times). I'll get myself a granite or marble slab + rubber mat too, next time I make an order for stuff, plus a leather mallet or something like that. Hopefully it will fix the piece of cake. Been thinking quite a lot about how to come to terms with this, and it seems when asking you I was quite right.

BIGGUNDOCTOR: The man at the picture is an aghori from India, a certain kind of "yogi master", following a tradition which has striking similarities with Scandinavian shamans etc. Apart from me finding the tradition very interesting, he looks rather amazing, and I fell in love with it (the picture, that is) at first sight. However, I hope people doesn't think that it is me on the picture, I have a little more well trimmed beard and hair.

Edit: There are sadly enough no recreation room of that sort here, only a kind of "kitchen" which you can use for cooking with friends and have dinner etc. Mostly ol'timers that use it. I guess my activities are not seen as proper for that particular place. I lived in another area in Gothenburg earlier, where there was a sort of workshop (with no tools, only workbench etc.), but here there is none. I am looking out for an opportunity to rent a small garage or similar from the "landlord", but there are non vacant right now.

Hej Skald.

Jag hade samma problem i USA, ingen stans att ta vägen och en massa grannar runt om (radhus) i ett väldigt lyhört hus. Jag tog lite reda på hur de jobbade och försökte arbeta runt detta, det slutade med att jag satt med en typ MDF board i knäet, sedan en rubber mat och sist en granitslabb ovanpå. Det funkade faktisk riktigt bra till allt som var normal tooling. Att göra hål eller stämpla basket weave fick jag göra när andra var utom hörhåll :-) Det finns ingen källare i huset som kan användas (källarförråd?)

Lycka till//Tina

[busted]

I don't have a very exclusive or expensive range of tools, yet. So I simply work on the kitchen table, with a cutting mat on it. I don't have a leather mallet or such either, I just have a wooden one. So, pounding these stamps makes quite a lot of noise. Not that I myself get disturbed by it, but I have a half a year old son, who doesn't like it at all, especially not when he's going to sleep.

My fiance doesn't mind all too much, she can simply stay in another room. But it's not so simple that I can do this when she's out with him for some hour, a neighbor have just complained about it too. We live in this old block of flats, where you can hear noise from neighbors pretty easy - sadly enough (trust me, I don't like to hear them either...). I do have my parents place, that I can go to if I really need to, but it's like a 40 minutes travel to get there, so it's a several hours project to go there and work a little, and then head back. It costs money too going there, of course.

SO... What "tricks" do you have to give me? If there are any. I guess such a marble/granite slab and that kind of rubber mat beneath it, and getting a leather mallet would help a little? I also thought about getting a suitable large tree stump indoors and use for table. As it's massive, it should really absorb much of the vibration/noise etc., and keep the sound level to a minimum. Or am I all wrong?

I really can't afford to hire a place to use at workshop right now, but I might in the future (as I have a lot of other projects going on or starting up, and will need such a space sooner or later), I don't have the money to get a house on our own either. Renting an apartment is the only option right now, sadly enough. So finding another place (besides going to my parents, and use my fathers "multi purpose workshop" that is). I really want to start working more with this stuff, but as it is now, less or hardly at all is my only option.

I would suggest this to you. A piece of 3/4" steel plate as backing for your work and beneath your table top directly under the steel plate I would put a 4x6 wooden post that would reach the floor. The wooden post should be long enough to put pressure on the underside of the table top. Place your piece of steel directly above the post. Maybe that will stop the "noise".

[JJLeatherworks]

I hope your table top is not one of the hollow ones from IKEA, they truly turn your pounding into a drum. Here in the states we have a store chain called Tractor Supply, and they carry a very heavy, firm rubber mat for horse stalls, it's about 5/8 of an inch thick. It comes on big rolls that are four feet wide and they sell it by the foot, for about $12. (thats a 2ft x 4ft piece for under $25) I have one under a granite counter-top slab that I picked up for nothing, kills the sound and is firm enough to give a real solid feeling to your work table. Put some of this under your table legs too, and it will stop the transmission of sound to the floor.

With this set up I actually got better tooling, a typical table top for the kitchen has some flex in it, which absorbs some of the blow from your hammer. For those of you out there that would like to test this, do some tooling on the table top in the middle, and then try the same tooling over the table leg. If the top was flexing you will see and feel the difference. Adding the granite and rubber mat gives you a top that does not flex.

I would suggest this to you. A piece of 3/4" steel plate as backing for your work and beneath your table top directly under the steel plate I would put a 4x6 wooden post that would reach the floor. The wooden post should be long enough to put pressure on the underside of the table top. Place your piece of steel directly above the post. Maybe that will stop the "noise".

Edited January 5, 2011 by JJLeatherworks

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Thanks Skald for the avatar info, as he doesn't look Indian to me. I thought he was some form of Yeti, or abominable snowman from your neck of the woods.

It is a very striking picture.

Good luck with your endeavor.