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Thread: Do your neighbors complain about noise from your woodshop?

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    SF Bay Area, CA
    Posts
    15,332
    Only when I smash my thumb with the hammer and the expletives fly....
    Wood: a fickle medium....

    Did you know SMC is user supported? Please help.

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Lake Gaston, Henrico, NC
    Posts
    8,973
    Closest neighbor is over a half mile away, and that through thick woods. There are some waterfront houses a little closer, but they are mostly weekenders, and not much going on in a shop here during the weekends.

  3. I honestly never worried about it as I do my wood working at decent hours. The noise is no different then some one cutting and weed eating their yard.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Highland MI
    Posts
    4,510
    Blog Entries
    11
    Noise is not a problem when you have the shop in the basement. There are however times when I work in the garage, breaking down sheet goods with my tracksaw or routing a 1 3/16" x 1/2" groove in over 100 feet of Trex, with my shop vac running at the same time. Never a complaint. Nor when I run my ZT doing the lawn, or my gas edger or my gas trimmer or my gas chipper or my chain saw. Its power tools in the suburbs, baby! Less noise than a guy riding his Harley through the sub.
    NOW you tell me...

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Wisconsin
    Posts
    256
    Fortunately, there is so much new construction behind us, the noise from the job sites drowns out anything I am doing in the basement shop with the windows open. Once the neighborhood fills in and "matures" I will have to be more careful. I will have to see if the neighbors next door can hear anything, but I doubt it as we have large lots and well insulated homes. To Kevin's point, my GC suggested we wire a second door bell chime in my dedicated basement shop space and I told him I did not want to be disturbed.

    A reputation for craftsmanship is a responsibility
    to never take lightly.

  6. #21
    I have similar concerns, I'm in a one car garage right now and have done the best I can insulating the shop. The bleed really comes from the front carriage doors. I screwed a sheet of plywood on the inside of the doors which helps. Only remove it when I get some lumber delivered.
    My dewalt planer is loud, but I use my CNC a lot more and that produces a high frequency sound that can be challenging to muffle.
    Long story short. I'm looking to move in the next year. I know how to sound proof walls and ceiling, the doors are the tricky part. I'd love to hear some ideas on dealing with doors.

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Mandalay Shores, CA
    Posts
    2,690
    Blog Entries
    26
    I work out of my garage. The lots here are 35' wide so our neighbors are maybe 10' away. I don't run power tools before 8 AM or after 6 PM. The neighbors have never complained. I like and socialize with them often (it's a beach thing, you understand). I have helped each of them out is some way and would gladly do so again. I don't abuse their tolerance.
    Shawn

    "no trees were harmed in the creation of this message, however some electrons were temporarily inconvenienced."

    "I resent having to use my brain to do your thinking"

  8. #23
    If you think you might ever have a problem you could always head it off by making them something nice as a gift, explain it as a hobby you love and then their first experience with your woodworking will be a good one. If the noise ever bothers them, they'll think of their cutting board/trivet/rolling pin from you first before they complain about it. Who knows, you might even generate some business in the process.

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Pacific Northwest
    Posts
    272
    The deer haven't complained yet.

  10. #25
    LOL. I got deer running all over the place - In fact one stops by periodically to eat my new Scarlet Ohara holly about 50' away from my small shop.

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Winterville, NC (eastern NC)
    Posts
    2,360
    I made a conscious decision to refrain from running any loud machines after 9:00 PM. And I have asked the neighbors to let me know if my activities bother them. So far so good. After that hour it is hand tools only.

  12. #27
    I live in a subdivision in a rural town. We have 2 acre minimum zoning requiring 390 feet of frontage on a road which makes the houses well separated from each other. Since 3/4 of my 2.0 acres and almost everyone else's too is heavily wooded, noise is not a problem. The only neighbor house I can even see all year around is directly across the street 300+ feet away. Only 2 other houses can even been seen when the leaves are off the tree. When the wind is right, I get more noise from the rod and gun club a half mile away when their ranges are active and the area cops are learning to use their automatic weapons.
    Dave Anderson

    Chester, NH

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Duvall, WA
    Posts
    706
    I warned the neighbors when we moved in that I was going to be getting into woodworking. The only ones who seemed concerned is the couple who live behind us, with the 75-year old black walnut tree--orignally planted by her parents when they bought the homestead (the entire cul de sac was their original property)

    My wife practices her viola 1-2 hours a day and gives lessons to budding string players on weekday afternoons. And I still fiddle on occasion with my electric bass. No complaints so far, but its easy enough for her to put a mute on her viola if anyone has a problem.

    I do try to be considerate of my neighbors P&Q, regarding my shop and lawn maintenance related activities. But those potential noise sources pale I think in comparison to what goes on around our neighborhood on a regular basis. If you've heard or read about the whole "Coal Train" issue that's still under much heated discussion in the Pacific Northwest, the end of the related train tracks go right through my town about every 2 hours or so. I'm situated on a hill that's about 1-1/2 miles from the nearest tracks, but you can hear the whistle blowin' all night long. And, I've got the baggy eyes to prove it. On top of that, we're just below one of the alternate flight paths for planes going to and from the Bellingham International Airport. They don't come by very often (it's definitely not a travel hub like Chicago or Dallas), but it does add to the background.
    Last edited by Mike Ontko; 10-31-2014 at 4:03 PM.

  14. #29
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Northern Michigan
    Posts
    4,973
    My first shop got shut down because of noise. I had a shop employee that would get there early and open the doors and run the planer, an old delta at the time that was quite noisy. By the time a complaint was filed the neighbor that filed the complaint had sunk his teeth in and would not budge. I was fined for running a commercial operation in a residential area and forced to shut down and buy in an industrial park.

    It is one of my concerns at my new shop/home complex, so I am careful about noise. I now have SCM planer and jointer, both very quiet, and do noisy work with the doors closed if the neighbor is home.

    Larry

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Lansing, Michigan
    Posts
    69
    My shop is in the basement, so no neighbor complaints. I try to be a considerate dad/husband and not start working TOO early. However, once 10 am hits on a Saturday, my mantra is; "I'M UP, YOUR UP!" :-) and I let the woodchips fly!

    Kent

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