Sound proofing cabinet for shopvac

[TopCat 32]

Hi recently bought a record power DX1000, i find it a good machine on keeping dust down when sanding on the lathe, but the problem is it is quite noisy, i was thinking of building a soundproof cabinet , i have had a look on you tube and seen a few, it seems i will need to build a box with interior walls to exhaust the air out of the cabinet , ( in my mind i thought just putting a 100mm vent at the bottom would do this,)but looking on you tube they all seem to use interior walls lined with soundproofing material.
i know drilling a 100mm hole at the bottom would defeat the object of the exorcise, but by how much? is it worth going the whole hog and building a walled exhaust system into the box ?
must admit the 1 i have been looking at on you tube 22dB shop vac silencer by joe frickin friday looks the business.
Has anyone built 1? , or know of a better 1? what is the best material to line it with? would my idea of a 100mm hole work at a reduced level of noise suppression ?
any advise greatley recived

Tim

 

[Beau]

As I understand it there are 3 ways to cut down sound. Containment (not an option with holes in the box), diffraction which is achieved with egg box type acoustic panels and absorption.

If you are needing holes in the box I would line the box with a sound absorbing material like the acoustic rockwool. Had to build a massive sound deadening box for a 100kwh planer some years ago. It was just OSB on the outside with acoustic Rockwool inside (think it was RS70) It was brilliant at this stage but sadly due to fire risk we had to line it with high density plasterboard on resilient strip which lowered it's effectives a lot. When it was just the Rockwool it was absorbing the sound but the plasterboard lining reflected the sound waves which then escape where we had openings. See if I can dig out some pictures

 

[sunnybob]

a 100 mm hole will do nothing.
All noise is air moving quickly. To stop or reduce the noise you need to slow the air down.

Make your box out of 22 mm mdf because its more sound deadening than any comparable material
make it with a QD panel for when you need to clean it out.
make the exhaust port HUGE. But make the exhaust channel wide and high and as long as possible and cover all surfaces with old blanket or egg trays. My box houses a sip with a 100 mm port and the exhaust is 22" x 6" rectangle. i made it cheaply, but it still reduces the sound levels so that when the bandsaw is cutting you cant hear the extraction, and even with no other machine running it sounds like next doors hoovering with the doors and windows closed.
With care it is possible to make it silent.

 

[Lazurus]

If you are going to all that trouble to build a sound proof box, why not construct a weather proof box and locate outside the workshop and just feed the inlet to a port or gate in the wall, I have done similar with a 125 liter barrel outside the shop as a separator. Quick and simple solution to the noise.

 

[AES]

Personally I (think!) that though I understand about the need for big enough outlets (and inlets) I haven't so far gone to the trouble of making a "sound-deadening" box for my otherwise excellent Kaercher shop Vac (which sounds roughly akin to standing right on the end of the runway while Concorde's taking off)!

Reason is that I have the feeling that inside such a box, the shop vac MUST be running much hotter than normal, so shortening it's life no? I did actually ask Kaercher about this but got no satisfactory answer.

(Strangely enough, I also have a cheapo "Laldi" ash vac, but comparatively it's very quiet when compared to the Kaercher, so as I use it solely for extraction from a small band saw I've not looked into this any further - I just live with the noise of the Kaercher).

The idea of putting the Kaercher outside is unfortunately not an option for me, boxed or otherwise, so, as the OP says, as there are several sound-deadening box designs on the net, my own Q to the experts here is as follows:

"If I do make such a box, will I be automatically shortening the life of my Kaercher - NOT a cheapo vac?"

Any guidance appreciated, TIA

 

[Jasper42]

I added a box outside the with a few vent holes in it and a door. Hole through the wall for the hose and power cable. Keeps the noise down inside and not too bad outside. Hook the wife about 6 months to notice the little extension...

 

[TopCat 32]

If you are going to all that trouble to build a sound proof box, why not construct a weather proof box and locate outside the workshop and just feed the inlet to a port or gate in the wall, I have done similar with a 125 liter barrel outside the shop as a separator. Quick and simple solution to the noise.

yes thought of that, but location of workshop, i dont have the space, thanks for the thought thou

 

[sunnybob]

I'm losing count of the number of times the "overheating" question is asked. Its a sad reflection of the sellers lack of technical expertise that they cant answer a question that simple.
Heres the real story;
The motor is cooled from the air sucked into the extractor. The box enclosure has NO impact on the motor temperature, PROVIDING there is a large enough opening for the (slightly) heated air to escape.

I live in Cyprus. The current air temp in my garage / workshop is just below 40c and around 50% humidity, and thats with both end doors wide open (my workwear is a set of swimming trunks, if that isnt too much information :shock: ).

My sip extractor has been working inside an insulated box in these temps for 4 years now. I have been using it this week connected to a bobbin sander, and it has run for hours at a time, through a reducer to a 5 metre long 62 mm hose, with no sign of overheating. The air coming out of the cabinet is barely moving, and is only just warmer than room temp. 8)

 

[TopCat 32]

I'm losing count of the number of times the "overheating" question is asked. Its a sad reflection of the sellers lack of technical expertise that they cant answer a question that simple.
Heres the real story;
The motor is cooled from the air sucked into the extractor. The box enclosure has NO impact on the motor temperature, PROVIDING there is a large enough opening for the (slightly) heated air to escape.

I live in Cyprus. The current air temp in my garage / workshop is just below 40c and around 50% humidity, and thats with both end doors wide open (my workwear is a set of swimming trunks, if that isnt too much information :shock: ).

My sip extractor has been working inside an insulated box in these temps for 4 years now. I have been using it this week connected to a bobbin sander, and it has run for hours at a time, through a reducer to a 5 metre long 62 mm hose, with no sign of overheating. The air coming out of the cabinet is barely moving, and is only just warmer than room temp. 8)

thanks Bob, that's good to know, that was 1 of my concerns, laid to rest a soundproofing box it is, point taken about 22mm MDF board makes sense

Thanks again

 

[TopCat 32]

As I understand it there are 3 ways to cut down sound. Containment (not an option with holes in the box), diffraction which is achieved with egg box type acoustic panels and absorption.

If you are needing holes in the box I would line the box with a sound absorbing material like the acoustic rockwool. Had to build a massive sound deadening box for a 100kwh planer some years ago. It was just OSB on the outside with acoustic Rockwool inside (think it was RS70) It was brilliant at this stage but sadly due to fire risk we had to line it with high density plasterboard on resilient strip which lowered it's effectives a lot. When it was just the Rockwool it was absorbing the sound but the plasterboard lining reflected the sound waves which then escape where we had openings. See if I can dig out some pictures

a few photos would be good to see if you can dig any out , thanks

 

[AES]

Thanks very much for that sunnybob. It's put my mind at rest too (apart from the bit about your working attire - I really did NOT want to know that, thanks all the same)!

P.S. I have also thanked you "properly" above

 

[AES]

QUOTE: a few photos would be good to see if you can dig any out , thanks UNQUOTE:

I 2nd that - But NOT of you in your swimming trunks sunnybob!

 

[sunnybob]

Its a strange mental image isnt it? I'm even barefoot. But any excess clothing in these temps is just silly. Around late November I have to go back to shirt and jeans and sandals again.

I cant claim credit for being the first to make a sound deadening box by a long way, i watched a few utubes first. But my backgound in mechanics and commercial catering kitchen extraction systems helped a lot in understanding how the system works. I admit I was sceptical about the decibel reduction, and did not put as much into making the box as I could have. Its been so successful that I have left it for coming up to 4 years. But lately I have been considering an "improved" model to give me speedier access when I have to get in to clean the air filter. At the moment I have to unscrew panels, wriggle the canister out of the too tight space, and remove wadded up bed duvet material because of my original rush job.
I dont use bags, i find they are just an un needed extra cost. But I have to get in and brush the air cleaner out regularly.
Somewhere on the old forum I had i think 2 seperate threads on this, but that must have been at least one year ago, maybe longer.

I'll see if i can find them. But be warned, my slapdash building technique on the cabinet may well get you asking for views of swimming trunks.

 

[sunnybob]

Nope, cant find any search engine for old posts on my subscriptions pages, and I'm not scrolling through 1700 odd posts.

So here is a picture of the box itself.
The air outlet is at the bottom, with a black lightweight foam flap to discourage wildlife from nesting there.

This is with the front panel off showing the sip.

 

[Beau]

As I understand it there are 3 ways to cut down sound. Containment (not an option with holes in the box), diffraction which is achieved with egg box type acoustic panels and absorption.

If you are needing holes in the box I would line the box with a sound absorbing material like the acoustic rockwool. Had to build a massive sound deadening box for a 100kwh planer some years ago. It was just OSB on the outside with acoustic Rockwool inside (think it was RS70) It was brilliant at this stage but sadly due to fire risk we had to line it with high density plasterboard on resilient strip which lowered it's effectives a lot. When it was just the Rockwool it was absorbing the sound but the plasterboard lining reflected the sound waves which then escape where we had openings. See if I can dig out some pictures

a few photos would be good to see if you can dig any out , thanks

Ok so not got many as it turns out but did find one of the end that I had not finished boxing in. You can see the Rockwool in between the frames. Also a second one just for a laugh at the scale of the job. The Rockwool was brilliant and think someone mentioned using HDF which would be better than the OSB used here