The Official 356Talk Forum

Question to those who do their own car projects at home... What are your noise solutions, if any, for your neighbors, with operating all the typical tools in a bodyman's arsenal. The angle grinder, cut- off wheel, air compressors, the staccato body hammer Whack Whack Whack...

I live in a neighborhood with lots of houses all very close... Some elderly neighbors and some younger with families. One neighbor's home is 20’ from my garage.

Of course, I could just say too bad for them, and any noise that I make 10am - 10pm they're just going to have to deal with it... but, it's not so great to be forced to listen to the cacophony of someone else's steel repair project. Maybe there is a better way? Earplugs and buying dinners? haha... At very least I plan on talking to them about the noise I'd be making.

So, if there are any "tried and true" noise dampening solutions out there I'd love to hear them. My garage is a two car- attached garage with a single pane window. I'm the kind of guy to measure with a DB meter before and after sound dampening. I've looked online but wanted to get some feedback from those in the registry.

Thanks!

Travis,

I think the solution is to wear ear plugs.

My neighbors all have barking dogs so to hell with them all.
Regardless, I try to be civilized and keepmy noisest activities limited to about 10am to 4pm on weekends and from 4-6pm max on weekedays.
Any noise I make is in spurts, so I figure my radio is more of an annoyance then my occasional grinding.

You can always close the garage door for the noisey periods or leave it open a little if you need air.

Yeah good point Dan- If noise is kept to reasonable times and it's not like I'll be grinding and cutting for hours at a time. Hope not anyway!

Martin I agree closing the garage door does help a little. It's better than nothing.

I work in a heavy industrial setting as a millwright and am going to get info on what we have around the plant for sound control.

hi Travis here are a few strategic points I use when I'm makin noise. I plan what cuts I'm going to make and I turn on radio at regular times and only cut under cover of radio noise. you might turn on two radios at different places to add to the cover noise. if I have to use compressor I try to build a little closet with tarps blankets or rugs. garage door down. the chop saw really needs to be used sparingly. late mornings on weekends, but that's the sabbath so maybe not. if a big job with chop saw I take saw and extension cord and material and go some where , where the noise won't bother anyone. air tools like 1/4 die grinders make so much noise and with compressor chuffing away its hopeless. again find some place down by railroad tracts to plug in to make the most noise. hammer work, if it is kept to the same early evening time frame, with the radio, can even be comforting if heard from short distance. yelling screaming cursing, banging on trash barrels, breaking beer bottles, all those dent your image.

Just do what a friend of mine used to do to make sure the Jesus people never came back, answer the door in the nude, works every time!