Are you a noisey neighbour?

[transatlantic]

Just wondering if people here have had complaints from neighbours and how they have dealt with them?

I plan to have a single garage workshop soon (moving into a new house) and one thing I hadn't thought about is if the neighbours could be difficult with the excess noise I'll be making. I'd like to have a little shop time most days after work (after 7pm), and definately the most part of the weekends. But putting myself in my neighbours shoes, I guess that's not fair? especially if they're the type that likes to spend time in their garden over the weekend.

I'll be doing my best to pick up quiet tools. I'm hoping to get the Axminster TS-250M-2 table saw and the Axminster HBS350N band saw, which both have an induction motor, so should be pretty quiet??

My lathe is pretty quiet.

But all the other tools I own like Router, Mitre Saw, Circular Saw, Jigsaw, Sanders etc etc are all pretty damn noisey.

I think I'll have to just be doing turning and hand tool work in the evenings, with the odd power tool here and there.

With all the attention on dust collection in the last few years, I wonder if the next big thing will be reduced noise?

 

[RogerP]

I am in a similar situation with neighbours on both sides and a garage sized workshop.

I've never liked noise myself so have always bought the quietest tools available. The only tool I have that's really noisy is the router and I only use that as a last resort. All else is induction motored and just about bearable.

I try to do the noisy stuff in the middle of the day and never after 6pm or Sundays.

None of my neighbours have ever complained.

 

[RobinBHM]

If its garage with brick walls the noise may be reasonably well contained, especially if the door is an insulated segmented roller type rather than a thin tin one.

Keeping self imposed time restrictions is considerate and avoiding noisy work on warm sunny weekend days when neighbours might be sitting outside.

I have a neighbour, next door but one that seems addicted to garden power tools. He hasnt got a big garden so I can never understand what he finds to chainsaw, shred, strim all the time.

 

[RogerP]

....... addicted to garden power tools. He hasnt got a big garden so I can never understand what he finds to chainsaw, shred, strim all the time.

I got one of those a few doors up. One day he got himself a very large tree stump and decided to take up chainsaw carving! Fortunately, after an hour or so, his wife took his toys away.

 

[sunnybob]

I have the 350N. it runs quietly, but makes just as much noise when its cutting wood as any other tool.

I dont have next door neighbours exactly, but as we live outdoors for half the year noise can be a real problem. Luckily I am now retired, and dont run power tools in the garage after 6pm and have a self imposed volountary sunday noise abatement day as I always moaned about people who ran garden mowers and blowers for hours on end all sunday long.

If your neighbour makes noise, then its all square. If not, offer to do odd jobs for him when he needs power tools (DO NOT LOAN THEM OUT! You do the job!) Then he cant very well complain.

But it sounds like you need noise cancelling insulation, which is a different matter to heat insulation.

 

[Benchwayze]

My noisiest machines are routers and my Sedgwick planer. I close up the garage door when I use the planer, and I never use it at the weekend. Where possible my other tools are used right at the back of the garage, underneath my bathroom. So far no complaints, after 40 years in my house.

It helps that I am always prepared to do odd jobs for neighbours, like taking slivers off the bottoms of interior doors, sharpening planes, loaning out sash cramps, and band-sawing long planks into laths. Grease the wheels of neighbourliness. :wink:

 

[DennisCA]

Don't live close enough to other people for that to matter fortunately.

 

[dzj]

It helps that I am always prepared to do odd jobs for neighbours, like taking slivers off the bottoms of interior doors, sharpening planes, loaning out sash cramps, and band-sawing long planks into laths. Grease the wheels of neighbourliness. :wink:

Good advice. If they like you, a bit of noise here and there won't matter.

 

[Mark A]

I'm fortunate to not have any neighbours close by - the nearest is a farmer about 1/4 mile away - meaning I can make as much noise as I like, whenever I like.

As I type this I'm transferring kerosene from one oil tank to another using a drill pump. Couldn't do this if little Charlotte next door has to go to nursery in the morning...

 

[DiscoStu]

Weekends I don't do anything until after 9. Week days I try to be quiet after 7.30pm because of children going to sleep. I think the fact that you're thinking about it means you'll be considerate.


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[doubleb]

We have the most noisy neighbours ever, chickens, a cockerel that crows from 04.30, trampoline and swing set, a skateboard ramp, swimming pool with log burner heater and pump going all day, barbeque hut, bubbling hot-tub, he has a workshop, ride-on mower, petrol hedge trimmer. I never feel guilty about using my machines.
Here in the UK it is recommended by environmental health officers that noisy DIY should only take place between 8am and 6pm on weekdays, Saturdays between 8am and 1pm and never on a Sunday.
We live and let live and nothing bothers us, we brought up our kids and I’m sure they made as much noise as them. You only notice other peoples noise, never your own.

 

[woodpig]

Certain power tools should be banned from use completely, and petrol garden tools in particular! :lol:

Seriously though, some wood working tools aren't too noisy but it often depends as much on pitch as volume. One of the worst seems to be planers?

 

[MattRoberts]

I was worried about this, and as such I limit my use of the really busy machines to before 9pm (earlier on Sundays). I also stuck acoustic foam to my garage door as can just about be seen here :

 

[Benchwayze]

Does it have any effect Matt? I am thinking along those lines AIH!

 

[MattRoberts]

Difficult to tell without a decibel meter, but I believe it takes the edge off

 

[Benchwayze]

Thanks Matt.

The Missus used to tell me she could hear the planer about a quarter mile down the road, if I was using it when she was out shopping! I think I will just do a 'simple audio comparison test'; i.e. have a listen!

Thanks again

John

 

[Benchwayze]

Certain power tools should be banned from use completely, and petrol garden tools in particular! :lol:

Seriously though, some wood working tools aren't too noisy but it often depends as much on pitch as volume. One of the worst seems to be planers?

One of my pet hates is listening to someone else hand dovetailing; using a mallet! Tap-tap. tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap tap-tap . Grrrr!
:twisted: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Bodgers]

Certain power tools should be banned from use completely, and petrol garden tools in particular! :lol:

Seriously though, some wood working tools aren't too noisy but it often depends as much on pitch as volume. One of the worst seems to be planers?

I actually sold my Honda mower last year and bought a german manual push mower - can't believe I didn't do it sooner: hangs on the wall, doesn't make much noise so I can use it later in the evening and leaves a much better cut on the grass.


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[Benchwayze]

My lawn isn't yet good enough (too bumpy) for a hand cylinder mower; though I always did like to sit in the garden in the fifties (circa) hearing the sound of manual mowers and the enjoying the scent of newly-mown grass.. Oh listen to me getting all nostalgic again! :-({|=

 

[Paul200]

I think most of the hard work has already been done - you are obviously concerned about the possibility of upsetting your neighbours - job done