I have no choice but to use my attached, wood-frame, one-car garage as a workshop. In order to maintain domestic bliss, how can I reduce the noise of woodworking power tools? Can I build a second, stud wall between the house and the garage? Any suggestions would be appreciated!
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The first step to domestic bliss is internal and it takes a very supportive and loving mate.
If this is your chosen occupation much understanding and compromise is needed by your mate.
If this is a hobby then the understanding and compromise is on your shoulders.
When I was young and did the same in the beginnings of my craft I got a lot of support. The kids were young so I didn't fire up certain tools till they woke up. I simply reorganized my habits.
Now as to noise, others here might help you better. Noise is an interesting beast. You could insulate and if you can afford the loss of floor space build an additional wall.
Then there's the ceiling...
And even if you succed with some of the noise, there's the pennetrating dust! dust dust dust!
After 30 plus years I'm up to a 2 car garage. The kids are gone and the DW likes it when I'm busy. Ah... total fredom to work. But then there is still the dust issue!
Good Luck
The basic technique for real sound reduction is double-walling. That's how sound studios are built. Your walls, doors, windows, and ceiling all consist of two layers with an air gap in between. The air gap may only be bridged in spots by rubber materials which don't transmit sound very well. Bridging the gap with anything solid -- for instance a door jamb or several long drywall screws -- completely negates all the work you've invested.
You don't have to build two complete stud walls. Instead you can use one stud wall, and hang sheetrock from it on compliant stand-offs. The traditional stand-off is called resiliant channel; google for more info. There are also newer stand-offs with somewhat better performance, for instance http://acousticalsolutions.com/products/isolation/index.asp. Another site with interesting info is http://www.soundproofing.org/.
While you're working on your workshop, remember that you may need to support non-workshop functions. For instance, your water heater or washing machine may be in the shop, and may need water pipes or flues attached. Depending on your fuel, they may need combustion air, which implies a hole in your soundproofing. Acoustically isolating them may take effort. Or, for another instance, you may want to park a car in your shop, which may make soundproofing the garage door challenging.
Great links...thanks!!
You just cost me 2 of those rolls!! heheheee
Just what I was looking for!
-Erik
sound board the walls and cieling...
or add a second independent wall away from the oringinal house wall...
insulate and build it to hold up a ton of shop stuff...
5/8 rock it too...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
you fergot...hand tools only
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
huh?
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
I just frame a wall like you are talking about. I'm going to insulate it with two layers of R-11. One laying horizonal and one in the bays. It also gave me a wall to bring in AC/heating from the house and put in a 100 amp panel. Here's a pic of the wall. I went with 5/8" drywall for sound deadening. The wall is framed 16" O.C. so I can cover the wall with shelves. I figure if I put shelves all over the wall with stuff on the shelves it will help to deaden the sound. I'm also going to staple some foam on the studs before I put the drywall on. I got the foam that goes onder the bottom plate when framing. It is pretty cheap.
Can you mask the noise with a dust collector and a dust scavenger? When both of them are running they generate a huge glut of white noise that obscures the annoying sound of most power tools.