On Thu, 13 Mar 2008 22:02:58 -0700 (PDT), Searcher7
wrote:

Is it plausible to have a full sized drill press in an apartment?

If you can fit it in through the doorway, and it isn't expressly
forbidden by the rental agreement language, quite plausible.

The table top just isn't cutting it, and I was wondering if there was
a relatively quiet floor model(under 200lbs) that I should keep my
eyes open for.(I've dedicated one room to my tools which include a
Mini lathe and a mini mill).

They are only as quiet as the work you're doing, mostly. A fly
cutter or a bimetallic hole saw is going to make noise no matter what
you chuck them up in.

Not to say there's no addition - There's a little bit of noise in
the motor, cheap motors will have more loose things that buzz.
There's a little noise in sloppy bearings and quill splines. Or in
out of balance sheaves and not-straight quill shafts. Generally the
better the machine, the less noise you're going to get. Go to the
machinery seller and test-run the unit you are considering.

You may be better off in noise-proofing the shop area. If you
aren't in a ground floor unit with a slab floor, consider moving to
one - the biggest noise is going to go through conduction through the
floor joists and the floor diaphragm as a whole.

Cutting off sound conduction through the floor is going to involve
some very major building mods that a landlord will NOT approve of - I
don't think you're going to get permission to float 4" of lightweight
concrete over the sub-floor to add mass, and then lay a new floor...

You can soundproof the walls and ceiling by hanging absorptive
panels of egg-crate foam, sound board or acoustic tiles, but again the
bugaboo is in attaching them to the landlord's walls and ceilings.

Make friends with all the neighbors, find out what times making
noise is OK and forbidden for each of them, and make sure they have
your phone number. Far better for them to call you up and ask you to
stop for a while because they are entertaining company or are getting
a headache, than for them to call the landlord and complain to him.

-- Bruce --