# Community Workshop needs a lower decibal planer?!?!



## ModernWoodWorkz (Apr 29, 2017)

Hi, I am part of a community workshop that just happens to have residents attached to the building.

Right now we have the Dewalt 735 which of course is resulting in noise complaints.

We would like to find a replacement that is not so loud.

I know the price is a big factor.

I've asked what the budget is and he said $1000 is ok but I feel like $1000-2000 may be doable.

I'd like to get some opinions on what type of planer we should be looking for.

Space will have room for an industrial unit that is of reasonable size.

I wanted to get everyone's opinion on hellical vs straight knives for decibal level as well.

This machine will have high volume use with both experienced and not so experienced people so maintenance and parts may also be an issue.

Let me know what everyone is thinking.

I have done my research as well but I wanted to get personal opinions from this forum to pass along to the other shop supervisors.


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## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

I have a 735 with helical and there is a big difference in the noise level. Not that I'm recommending upgrading the 735 for your purpose.


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## ModernWoodWorkz (Apr 29, 2017)

I know it's hard to describe but how much quieter would you say it is regarding a talking level or ear protection?



> I have a 735 with helical and there is a big difference in the noise level. Not that I m recommending upgrading the 735 for your purpose.
> 
> - TheFridge


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Any cast iron planer with an induction motor
will be quieter. Part of the noise is from the
cutterhead moving air, which is why 12" and
larger table saws are so loud. The portable
planers use universal brush-type motors that
add a high-frequency whine. The motors 
also spin faster as a way to help the planers
power through tougher cuts.

I'd look for something with at least a 3hp motor.
The 4-post designs sold by Grizzly and others
are a proven design.

An insert cutterhead will add considerable expense
but also virtually eliminate the maintenance
hassles of removing, sharpening and replacing
nicked planer knives, an operation that can
take a couple of hours *if * you have a sharpener
in-house.


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## rad457 (Jun 15, 2013)

Check out the Scorpion 12" planer/Jointer, very quiet! about $3600 here in Canada so maybe $2000 US.


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

Looks Like shipping and inflation is going to up that to 3000 US.

http://www.cwimachinery.com/product/scorpion-12-helical-jointerplaner/

First time I have heard of this brand.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

A 15" stationary (I suggest you look at Grizzly) with helical heads is going to be a lot less noisy. You wuld be giving up the universal screamer motor of the 735 as well as the air noise of knives versus the carbide inserts. That's a lot more than you might think (the inserts). Before I replaced my straight knives with the Byrd, my planer was the only tool I had requiring me to wear my shooting ear muffs while it was running. After the change I get by with just ear plugs. I should add, I had a big DC drawing air through my planer, that makes it a lot more loud.


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## Gilley23 (May 9, 2017)

Also, look into sound deadening panels to put in the area. They're expensive to buy, but cheap to make in your own. I'd add these no matter what. Lots of them.


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## BigYin (Oct 14, 2011)

Gilley23 gets my vote

my old workshop had sound deadening panels for my benefit only. Took the reverb out of the power tools. upper walls hung with 1/8 ply door skins with 6 inch rockwool covered with hessian (Burlap ?) ceiling hung with 18 inch wide sections of same double sided, not silent but more comfortable to work in. cost me about £150

why not have someone else feed wood through planer and saw with you outside to see how bad the problem is ?


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## Carloz (Oct 12, 2016)

I would not listen much to the "induction motor is so quiet" suggestions and make a costly mistake. Your DW735 is as noisy as any other cast iron or not planer. It has an additional sound source from the chip ejecting turbine though. Motor noise is the least of concerns. 
The most noise comes from the knives hitting the wood. It is the same no matter what kind of motor you have. The helical cutter head on the other hand can make a big difference and is much cheaper than buying a new planer. See here. and here


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## jonah (May 15, 2009)

In my experience, induction motor planers are a bit quieter than universal ones, but not enough to where the neighbors will be in favor of it. You'd need a helical head for that.

If it were me, I'd upgrade to a helical head planer, whether thats upgrading the 735 or buying new, and also put in some sound deadening panels. 4-5 panels on the walls or ceiling will go a long way.


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## bigJohninvegas (May 25, 2014)

Being attached to a residential area, I agree with sound deadening the shop. I work out of a 3 car garage at home and make it a point not to use my planer or routers after 8pm or before 8-9 am. And I keep the doors shut when I do use them. I have not used a machine with helical cutters yet. I have a ridgid 13" planer, and access to a 17" and a huge 24" planer. I think my ridgid is in the same class as your dewalt. All three seem to be equally loud. Shallower cuts seem to be better for noise, but still way loud. 
My garage/shop is fully insulated, including the doors. Neighbors say the don't hear enough to worry about, but I still avoid the really loud tools in the later hours.


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## gargey (Apr 11, 2016)

#8 jointer plane is pretty quiet, near silent if you use helical.


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## PPK (Mar 8, 2016)

> #8 jointer plane is pretty quiet, near silent if you use helical.
> 
> - gargey


^Funny. I agree wholeheartedly. My arms get tired just thinking about it though…

I also agree with the guys above that say the cast iron models with the induction motors are quieter. Grizzly G0453
is in your budget. Not a helical, but I've used the identical model in the General brand, and it's pretty quiet. 
Grizzly G0453Z has the spiral cutter. I'd get that if you can pay for it. I've yet to come across someone that regrets a spiral cutterhead.


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

I also second the vote for a floor planer with a Bryd head.
I also think the 735 fan motor is where most of the noise is coming from.Second is dull knives and the small cutting circle with a low hook angle.


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## DrDirt (Feb 26, 2008)

Even with the new planer, you may need to look at how to deaden sound/modify that wall with Acoustic insulation panels, or some other abatement to "silence the critics" 
Not just looking for incrementally quieter tools.

I had the 735 and got a Powermatic 15HH.

It is a lot quieter. but the people in the house still know when I am thicknessing down a pile of drawer fronts.


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## DS (Oct 10, 2011)

Quiet and Silent are not words I've ever associated with a planer.

I too have to be aware of the neighbors' schedule when operating my planer. 
(All doors closed, not at meal times, or too early/late in the day, no weekend get together in the backyard, etc.)

It would be interesting to see some empirical noise measurements between a typical straight knife versus a helical knife. I don't suppose anyone here can do that/has done that?


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

"The loud sound is what garnered my attention. I decided to start there. The next day I grabbed the sound-level meter and took two readings at the 12″ Bridgewood jointer in the PW shop. While running idle, the reading reached 86dBAs on the meter. The next reading was while cutting a piece of 4/4 mahogany. That number was 94dBAs. The difference between running idle and at full work with a helical cutterhead equipped machine was only 8dBA.

After work I loaded the meter and the mahogany board into the truck and headed straight to my shop. There I have a 12″ Delta jointer. I repeated the same tests. This time the three-knife head moved the sound level meter to 89dBAs. That's only a difference of three decibels over the helical head, big deal. But when I jointed that piece of mahogany, that's when the difference appeared , big time. While cutting the 4/4 material, the decibels jumped to 112dBAs. That's a significant increase. A helical cutterhead is quieter."

source: http://www.popularwoodworking.com/article/are-helical-cutterheads-the-answer-part-1


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

Useful info, Loren. I'd still like to see the idle run test with a planer using a universal motor versus one with an induction motor. I have little doubt that difference would be significant as well.


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## DS (Oct 10, 2011)

Loren, I did not expect such an immediate result to my query. That was great info!

Still, all those numbers are pretty loud.

FYI, r.e. "The difference…was only 8dBAs", dBA is a non-linear scale. Every 3dBA represents a doubling of the sound level intensity. Somewhere around 100dBA is like a rock concert and about where hearing loss is seriously problematic. (My ears are ringing just typing that)


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

The universal motors on portable planers also
put out a high-pitched whine. I can't say
if it's louder, but it carries and it's annoying.


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## jonah (May 15, 2009)

Higher pitch sounds, while undoubtedly more annoying, don't penetrate solid walls as well as lower frequencies.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

Interesting


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

When I had a open-air shop in a residential 
neighborhood I would not run routers before
9 am or after dark. I had a jointer/planer
combo at the time and also a portable 12" 
planer. I thought the portable planer sounded
a lot like the routers. In any case, perhaps
my neighbors were tolerant but I never had
any complaints.

If it comes to it, it may be necessary to check
local noise ordinances. I was within my rights
to run a chainsaw or any other loud thing 
between I think 7am and perhaps 8pm. The
neighborhood was zoned for agricultural/mixed
use.

At the end of the day, while I think it's a great 
idea to mollify neighbors as much as you can,
the law may be on your side if you keep 
machine use between certain hours.


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## mitch_56 (Feb 7, 2017)

Some thoughts-whiny neighbors will be whiny. If you find a magical, silent planer, they'll complain about the table saw. So at some point, think about what Loren just posted-find out the law, and if you have any rights to make a certain level of noise during certain hours.

OTOH, maybe your community center can only exist if the neighbors allow it, so they can just shut you down? In that case, when your community center is at their mercy, you'll want to look into the soundproofing options. Here's a simplified example with a shop vac: http://www.startwoodworking.com/post/how-silence-your-shop-vac

You could potentially subdivide your workshop into a sound-reduced room and everything else, then move the noisy machines into the sound-reduced area.


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## jonah (May 15, 2009)

Acoustic treatment in the workshop makes sense no matter what you decide to do with the planer.


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## ssnvet (Jan 10, 2012)

All planers are loud. I doubt you'll find one quiet enough to appease the neighbors


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## runswithscissors (Nov 8, 2012)

I had a DW 735 for a while. Out of curiosity, I disconnected the chip ejection fan, because I found the noise very annoying. Made almost no difference in the sound quality or level. So no, it's not the fan's fault.


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