So How LOUD is your Planer/Thicknesser Exactly?

[sitefive]

P/T is probably one of the biggest purchases you will have if you are just starting out,
From what I understand all of the units does the same job (the super cheap ones and expensive ones) however the main differences is in the Noise levels you get and how sturdy they are , obviously the large solid cast iron ones will give the best results, but let's talk about the sound levels as it's a HUGE factor.
The cheap brush motor ones obviously are the loudest ones, but I haven't seen tests exactly how loud they are compared to the cheapest induction models which starts from 500pounds and how loud these "cheap" induction ones are compared to the large units which cost starting at 1000+.

So lets make a comparison table once for all,
-Your Smartphone is an Ideal Sound level meter, Just search for ''sound meter'' app and you can record the sound levels in Dbs you get.
-Place your phone 1m away from your P/T and record the max DBs you get when:
*Just running without cutting
*When its planing material

State your exact make/model of your P/T as well.
So now when someone is in doubt and worried that the cheap unit might be noisy before purchasing it You can easily compare by running other powertool you have and see how much noise it makes!
Or just as well If you are thinking about Upgrading you could easily see What exactly you can expect!

GO GO GO!

 

[DTR]

I'll be watching this with interest. I've thought about getting a P/T in the past, but the noise and dust are putting me off.

 

[RogerP]

You've made an assumption that all P/T owners have Smartphones.

I don't.

 

[John15]

I don't have a mobile phone let alone a noise app, but my 10" axi machine with it's induction motor is very loud indeed, but of course with ear protectors it's very quiet!
John

 

[blackrodd]

There's a vast difference between the planer just running, and the planer running whilst planing different timber species, and also how sharp the planer blades are.
The machine will still make a reasonable job of planing, say oak, when the blades are not so sharp as they could be.
Same as a circular saw cutting softwood as apposed to hard oak or Iroko.
Most of us have witnessed the saw blade wandering at certain feed speeds.and making that tell tale "din"
And some of the newer planer thicknesser models have the silencing "slots" on the table ends making a difference.
Regards Rodders

 

[Sporky McGuffin]

I'll give it a go next time I'm running mine.

Subjectively, though, it's jolly loud without ear defenders, but not very loud with them.

 

[Student]

It's not only the noise of the p/t but of the extractor which is usually essential when running the p/t. In my case, my Axy RDC100H extractor makes almost as much noise as my Axy p/t.

FWIW, I have just checked the manual for my Axy benchtop p/t (no longer suuplied by them but virtually identical to Titan etc.).

Both planer and thicknesser are shown as having the same dB

No load Lp91.8dB(A) Lw104.8dB(A)
With load Lp92.9dB(A) Lw105.9(A)

Hearing protection a must!

P.S. I have no idea what Lp and Lw mean or the (A) suffix.

 

[Wildman]

no idea because I am deaf, hee hee

 

[Sporky McGuffin]

P.S. I have no idea what Lp and Lw mean or the (A) suffix.

Dunno about the Lp and Lw, but the A indicates that the noise was measured as dB SPL, A-weighted. Which, in non-technical terms, means that it's sound pressure level and adjusted to approximate the human hearing system.

 

[blackrodd]

Certain Extractors can amplify the planing noise, and the "hood" design has am impact too!
Regards Rodders

 

[heimlaga]

Unfortunately my 15 years old mobile phone has no soundmeter in it.

My Stenberg KEV 600 makes quite a bit of sound in the lower part of she frequency register. Those 1500 kilos of cast iron seems to deaden a lot of the high frequency noice but one can feel a certain kind of resonance in the concrete floor when the cutterhead is spinning at full speed. That dull sound can be heard throughout the house even though there are 3 rather well insulated stick framed walls between the workshop and the rooms we live in.

 

[sitefive]

I get it that it's cool to rock a 10year old button phones, but you are just making your life harder!
Could not believe that so many people here don't have one. I'm against myself those Large shovels you call ''phones'' which costs nearly a grand to buy and has functions that are just that-stupid.
why would you not want all the information in world in one small device?
+flashlight/radio/navigation+ millions of different apps for whatever very specific task you need.
My phone was 60pounds 2years ago & I pay 5pounds/month for more texts/minutes + Internet I can possibly use and its still almost the same size as some of the oldschool button phones.
Seriously why not have one?

 

[JakeS]

I'll give it a go next time I'm running mine.

Subjectively, though, it's jolly loud without ear defenders, but not very loud with them.

Seconded - I'm not about to go and try now 'cause it's half eleven at night and I want to sleep!

In my case (2nd-hand Metabo HC260something) it makes very little noise when it's just running with no extraction and no cutting - probably similar to my tablesaw (Axi TS-200 - also induction motor) under similar conditions. I keep the ear-defenders on while using it (a pair of these if it makes any difference) which makes it all fairly quiet, but it's definitely the case that the extractor is louder than the unloaded P/T, and the loaded P/T is just about audible over the extractor.

Without the ear defenders on, the unloaded P/T and the extractor just sound like someone vacuuming in the next room if I leave the garage and close the door that leads to the house. Which I presume is how I've managed to get away with spending my Sunday afternoons planing stuff without complaints from the neighbours!

 

[RogerP]

........
Seriously why not have one?

.
Because I simply don't need a mobile phone. When I'm out I don't want to be making phone calls or receiving them and at home I have a landline and the car has navigation built in.

 

[Peter Sefton]

Never measured the dB on my Hammer but I do know the Silent Power version is a hell of a lot quieter.

Cheers Peter

 

[John15]

Just checked the noise spec on my AW106PT2 and it's 91db at 1 metre. Unfortunately it doesn't say if it's while planning or not but either way that's extremely loud.

John

 

[JakeS]

........
Seriously why not have one?

.
Because I simply don't need a mobile phone. When I'm out I don't want to be making phone calls or receiving them and at home I have a landline and the car has navigation built in.

I got my first mobile phone so I'd be able to call people for help if I ever fell off my motorcycle, and I haven't looked back since. Or fallen off my motorcycle, but it still may happen!

 

[DiscoStu]

I work in IT and therefore use technology all the time, but I find it quite refreshing to hear people haven't got phones. Sure they have their use for emergencies but it must be nice to not be connected and available all of the time.

We went on holiday to Hereford this year and rented a log cabin in the middle of nowhere, there was no wifi, no 3 or 4g, there wasn't even a phone signal. In the evenings we watched the odd film but we also played a lot of family games and did things together as a family - it was really refreshing.

I've got a scheppach HMS 2000 P/T and it's very loud, not much point in measuring it really as you need ear defenders to use it. I'd be interested to know if the induction models are significantly quieter though.

 

[Lons]

Didn't know my Iphone6 had a sound meter app available, interesting. I have a Robland 310 and will give it a go (if I remember) next time in use.

 

[RogerP]

I work in IT and therefore use technology all the time, but I find it quite refreshing to hear people haven't got phones. Sure they have their use for emergencies but it must be nice to not be connected and available all of the time. ................

Indeed it is. I was an IT manager for many years before retirement and I'm also a radio amateur so I'm no technophobe but, as said in my previous post, I don't have a mobile phone. Nothing against the things I just don't need one now.

My induction motored PT260 when in use is just about bearable without hearing protection for short runs. The brush motored thing I had previously would wake the dead.