On Mar 18, 6:33*pm, Bruce L. Bergman
wrote:
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 --

Wise words.

TMT