ear plugs?

I use foamies for smaller tools (drills, screwdrivers, biscuit joiner, etc…) and I use both foamies and muffs when using my sander connected to the shop vac, and using the router, table saw.
I have to use hearing protection on a regular basis in my day job for the Navy, so I just carry those habits into the workshop.

-- "You get what you inspect, not what you expect"

I use the ear muff type hearing protectors when using most of my bigger tools. The router table is a good example. I swear that thing is louder than a jet engine when I have a cabinet bit in it. Also, the table saw has a whine that is tough on the ears so it’s good to wear ear protection as well. I don’t bother with protection with my drill press or hand drills or sanders. They’re not all that noisy. The ear muff type protection is easier to use since you can take them off and put them on very easily.

A side note – protect your eyes, too. And a dust mask when sanding is recommended (for me, especially when I’m sanding walnut!). Good luck, and good to hear you’re feeling better.

-- Randal, DeKalb, Illinois

I wear mickey mouse ear head sets. I have a couple of pair around the shop. They are easy to find and (usually) lying near the loud tools.

Router, Band Saw, Planer, Jointer, RAS.

My Cabinet saw isn’t that loud but I wear the ears anyway.

-- Scott - Chico California http://chicowoodnut.home.comcast.net

Wow we were all typing at the same time. Looks like I hit enter last.

-- Scott - Chico California http://chicowoodnut.home.comcast.net

Foamies are nice sometimes, I prefer the kind you get for shooting guns, that slip in and have a bit more protection, if I’m going that route. Mostly though, I’ll use full ear protection. Yes, as someone who didn’t start until this last year with ear protection around tools, it’s a must! My hearing has been terrible for the last five years or so, as a result.

-- Respect your shop tools and they will respect you - Ric

I have a set of muffs, but am guilty of not putting them on all the time. My hearing is already shot from too many years playing in a band when I was younger.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

I use the muff type ear protection when I am working in the shop. I do not like the ear plugs, just because they are uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time. I use the muffs for all tools so I can protect my hearing as much as possible. Even with drill presses, sanders, etc. Having the same steady drone for hours can cause hearing damage as well as the very loud and high pitched sounds . Protect what you have for as long as you can is my motto.

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

From the other side of LumberJocking:

My “shop” is mostly the great outdoors.
Most of my tools are me-powered.
That way I can enjoy the sounds of nature.
Besides, wood comes from nature and I want to meet it on its own terms.

Oh yeah, I do own several chainsaws, a band saw and a couple of drill presses.
When using these, milspec ear and eye protection are in order.

Heck when using a motorized log tenoning machine, I’ve gone to using a full face and head protector.
It was at the suggestion of my dentist after a minor accident. <grin>

Play hard but play safe.

-- Randy, Rustic Artisan, a family tradition. (No PM's - auto-deleted.) - "I am a seeker, not a follower."

i wear my shooting ear muffs their the kind with sound so when i shut off what ever im useing i can hear agine their kind of nice but pricey i got mine @ http://www.sportsmansguide.com/ just throwing that up incase you want a good deal on any pair or muffs thier like an online surplus store. one last thing the most profound thing i ever heard on safety the best piece of safety gear you can have is the one you’ll use.

-- I buy tools so i can make more money,so ican buy more tools so I can work more, to make more money, so I can buy more tool, so I can work more

I’ve got a set of ear muffs for shooting that I use intermittently when the planer is on. Intermittently means hardly ever…........excuse me,did you say something..lol.

-- Carl Rast, Pelion, SC

I wear ear muffs most of the time, especially in the winter. They help keep my ears warm in my cold shop!

-- Rowdy in Kechi, Kansas

You only need ear protection if you want to hear what everyone else that wears ear protection hears when they aren’t wearing ear protection.

-- Dan, Sterling Alaska, http://sullcon.homestead.com/ Before you criticise some one, walk a mile in their shoes...then you will be a mile away and you have their shoes!

I believe damage to hearing is a cummulative thing. I have always found the ear plugs that go into my ear to be uncomfortable and haven’t tried ear muff types. I got “ZEM hearing protection from the Woodcraft store. The protectors are comfortable to wear, can be hung around my neck when not in use and seems to cut down considerable on the noise.

However, wearing ear muff protection in a cold workshop a good idea.

Whatever device you get, the important thing is to protect your hearing.

Dalec

I use the soft plugs. After working around sirens all day I got in the habit. I usually use them whenever I have a tool on. It also helps to muffle the shouting from the LOML!!

-- My job is to give my kids things to discuss with their therapist....medic20447@gmail.com

i use muffs and plugs i like to hear things when i get older lol…......

-- cut it saw it scrap it

I use the foamys for any occasion where I will be around loud noises (keep them in the night stand in case the LOML has a loud night), When I turn on any of the high whine power tools, I use muffs as well.

-- Gary, South Central Wisconsin. So much to learn, so little time!

Well my hearing is shot anyway from all those years of running a lawnmower shop about 30 years ago. That’s why the LOML has to holler to get my attention. But to put it all into perspective, I should wear hearing protection more often than not. When around loud machines I do use ear muffs.

-- Jerry--A man can never have enough tools or clamps

Hearing damage IS cumulative. The folks who know they already have a loss should be doubly vigilant!

I’ve survived many years of mixing bands, machinery, and airplanes, and I’m doing well. Why? ‘Cause I always use protection! <g> Whenever I wasn’t mixing bands, I’d be plugged.

I keep my favorite muffs ($20 Peltors) in handy spots, and switch to foamies in very hot weather. I use them with all power tools, air nailers, show blowers, and lawn equipment. I wear foamies at the race track and airport.

Be aware that a lower level of sound for a longer period of time, like a dust collector, can be just as damaging as a short, extremely loud sound, like a gun shot.

-- - Please help keep Lumberjocks an enjoyable escape by refusing to participate in political discussions. Simply spit out the bait and ignore the thread...

What?!?

Hey… Lew took my punch line…

Seriously though, what Barry has to say is excellent advice.

I am not afraid to “double plug”. that is to use foam and ear muffs with some equipment, it’s a habit I brought home from the firing range.

A side benefit is that plugs or muffs can keep debris from entering your ear, and while sawdust isn’t a big problem, it’s a good habit if you’re welding or grinding metal,,, hot sparks hurt…

I already have some loss from the cumulative effects of equipment and high impulse sound, I don’t want to lose anymore. The hearing loss I have could have been prevented with the use of a only few dollars worth of protective gear, but can’t be restored with any amount of money.

Be safe.

Q

-- I don't make sawdust...I produce vast quantities of "Micro Mulch."

ZEM, simply the best.

-- Just 'cause a cat has kittens in the oven, it don't make 'em biscuits.

Years ago, I was fortunate to get assigned to shoot (that’s photograph) the Spring Nationals at Thunder Valley (drag racing). For you that don’t know, Thunder Valley is in Bristol TN. It’s right beside the NASCAR track. Anyway, before I left for the shoot, I picked up a pair of ear muffs. Very good idea on my part. I was on the starting line, less that 30’ from these monsters blasting off. I’m not sure how many events I worked at the track, but I’m sure there were many. I still use those muffs in the shop. I use the foam things too, but they don’t help near as much as the muffs. I’m a little (well a lot) deaf in one ear (too much rock n roll in the 70s), so I need to keep what I can. Protect your ears just as you would protect your eyes.
- JJ

-- JJ...... I guess you could say I'm a 54 year old "juniorjock". — Make things with wood.

I use ear muffs for anything that is loud or anything that is not that loud but I will be using for an extended period of time.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

I have a jar of the foamies for visitors, but I use good ear muffs. (Also have muffs for visitors that want them) Once you lose the hearing it doesn’t come back. I worked over 35 years on jet aircraft flightlines, and only suffered a little high-pitched loss from that (used foamies AND earmuffs for engine run-ups, etc, ) but I also lost 60% hearing in one ear thanks to a 120mm mortar back in 1969. Just the loss in one ear makes it hard to understand what people are saying to you, and it gets worse as you age.

Use whichever is most comfortable, but use something for any noise loud enough that you can’t comfortably converse with someone next to you.

JMTCW

Go

-- Go http://ncwoodworker.net/pp/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=730

Depends on what I am doing: foamies if I am not too dirty and ear muffs when I am (it isn’t good to stick a dirty foamy in your ear.) I always use some type of hearing protection though when ever doing anything that is loud – a carry over from my Navy days.

-- Brian, Lebanon PA, If you aren’t having fun doing it, find something else to do.

I use full ear muffs. I have about 5 pairs spread around the shop. I use them for everything, except talking on the phone. I might take them off when i go to the bathroom also. But, they are comfortable and I usually forget about them.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

I wear ear muffs when I’m running my planer.

-- I don't make mistakes, only design changes....www.dgmwoodworks.com

When I am at work (woodshop teacher) I have foamies in most of the time that my dust collection system is on. My shop is small but has a better then average dust collection system that is very loud. I always have foamies or full ear muffs when using the router or when more then one sander is running. Half-a-dozen palm sanders being used by 7th graders will give you a head-ache today and a hearing problem in the future.

I always wear ear muffs. Most tools will run at the level where ear muffs should be worn.

-- Oldworld, Fair Oaks, Ca

According to OSHA, permanent hearing damage begins to accelerate at 85dBA. I think the key word that we have to emphasize here is “permanent” – it doesn’t get much more final than that! There are a great many tools and accessories in shops today that exceed that threshold level, especially those powered by universal type electric motors.

Peltor makes a good hearing protector, the Ultimate 10, that has a noise reduction rating of 30 decibels. the cost is around $22 at www.midwayusa.com . Midway also has electronic type ear protectors that permit normal speech to be heard, but then electronically cut off noise levels exceeding 85 dBA. Foam type protectors are not nearly as effective. Good hearing protection is easily with everyone’s pocketbook.

One of the unique features of my “Workshop in the Woods” in the Upper Peninsula, is that I have a 100 yard rifle range right out the door. Therefore, I always have a good supply of hearing protectors in the shop, as friends and neighbors often stop by to sight in their rifles.

-- "Heaven is North of the Bridge"

For me personally a good set of earmuffs are better than plugs but make sure that you get a really comfy set that works with visors or glasses otherwise you tend to avoid using them. After I stopped working in furniture factories I spent some time in some really quite places recharging my batteries and was amazed at the ringing noise I could hear in my ears so I guess some damage has been done. pony up the cash for the best it,s worth it.

8iowa have you ever gotten pissed with a project and used it as target practice? just curious

-- if the hand is not working it is not a pure hand

huh what did you say 32yrs heavy const. commercial and industrial hardly ever wore ear protection bunch of sissys but then again can,t hear myself fart so maybe you should

Cheryl, I use Peltor 30 decibels ear protection ALLLLLLLLL the time and always have. I make everone in my shop ware them even the old guys. I make the old guys mad when I tell them that not only can I hear a pen drop on to a cookie sheet, but I can hear it if you make it roll! Oh by the way I was born in 1943.

-- Garysharp "When sharpening woodworking tools, good enough,...isn't" “Your life’s complete only when your knowledge passes on”.

I hate to say it but I had a set of ZEM and they were usless. I was around a Hydraulic presses and had to get ear muffs.

-- Sell it here> http://woodworkerslist.com

I was an OSHA coordinator and delt with this, its been a while, 10 years. But the 85bds that OSHA is referring to is on a time weighted average (85 db may be ok from a distance with short exposure). Its 110 db where you will get hearing damage for a short periods of exposure. But I always recomended just ware them all the time if you were going to run any shop equipment

-- Sell it here> http://woodworkerslist.com

With all these posts, I think you get the message, If you want your hearing in the future, wear plug or muffs
or both.
since the work I do is based on relieving trauma, we have found that the trauma of loud noises causes your hearing to be “shut down” and not actually LOST. When you work around people say…..cutting steel stud material, after a while you don’t really notice how nasty that sound is…your body has shut down those sound receptors, so you don’t hear those sounds in that range…..Doctors will tell you, you have lost hearing in those ranges…..but by getting rid of the trauma from that brings the hearing back….. I’ve done this work with eyesight also…..they both improve…...............................yoda

Yes, wear hearing protection but also remember that you don’t get that “I am deadly” sound from your equipment that you would without them. Cover your ears, cover your nose and watch out where your fingers are, we like hearing from you!

-- Never board, always knotty, lots of growth rings