QUIET Exhaust Fan for my Laser

[Tim Earling]

Hello,
I am looking for an exhaust fan this is quiet but still has a lot of CFM's. I work from home in a densely populated area and wanted to keep as quiet as possible to not disturb my neighbors.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

[Russell Ludwick]

I can't speak for any fan/blower other than my own, but I find the noise level on it to be very acceptable for a residential area as long as you aren't running it past 10pm or so. This blower is rated at 62 Db's and it is quite enough where I can be standing next to it and talking on the phone or to other people.

Heres my model

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/DC660P.html

[Paul Grothouse]

Try a silencer:

http://www.airhand.com/products/silencers/

[Tom Sieczkarek]

I put myblower in a (36"x 36") rubbermaid garage storage cabinet on the outside of my house.It protects the blower from the elements. I also insulated the inside of the box. It runs quiet and had no complaints from the neighbors. (yet):)

[Jim Coffee]

I've placed a furnace squirrel cage fan into a cabinet beneath my laser. Very quiet. Works great.


Hello,
I am looking for an exhaust fan this is quiet but still has a lot of CFM's. I work from home in a densely populated area and wanted to keep as quiet as possible to not disturb my neighbors.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

[Jim Dawson]

I bought a 1.5 horse JET dust collector and its rated @ 1150 cfm. All the piping runs from the laser through the dust collector and then vents outside. It's not loud at all.... I had about $500.00 in the whole setup.

[Lee DeRaud]

Bottom line for the kind of CFM we need is that the noise of the motor/fan is secondary to the noise from the air itself: if your blower is inside, your neighbors won't be able to hear it over the sound of the air whooshing through the outlet. That's mostly a nondirectional "white noise" effect unless you've greatly overkilled your CFM requirement.

[James Terry]

I run my simple setup all night long without worry. I have the Penn State 1.5hp blower which you can often find second hand on Craigslist (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=bVl&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=site%3Acraigslist.org+%22penn+state%22+dust&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=).

Here are some videos regarding sound level. The camera is real sensitive so it makes it sound very loud but it isn't. Note that on the outside video that you can hear birds chirping above the noise. You just don't notice the sound when walking by or when indoors.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPxz8WHSGu0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBAKFx9QDcg

[Terry Swift]

I bought the H.F. model most recommended here and put it in my attic, as my laser in on my 2nd floor. I then vent the exhaust thru one of the roof turbine fans and although somewhat noisy (whatever that means, as I'm partially deaf anyway); but not overly bad. Wouldn't recommend phone conversations (at least for me) in the area. I think my laser makes more noise than the fan in the attic.

[carlos alencar]

anybody knows where to find texts about the toxic gas made in the cut of MDF and acrilic ?! how toxic it is ? and a way to FILTRATE it? not to put away the smell, but to really filtrate it ?

thanks,

Carlos

[Terry Swift]

Carlos,

Are you meaning PVC, instead of MDF and acrylic? Many posts here on the Creek about PVC and other hazardous materials you shouldn't laser. MDF and many acrylics are all what we do when lasering. Many manufacturers post MSDS's for their products; but they can be hard to read. Bottom line is anything that says PVC or vinyl in it - you should stay away from.

[Larry Bratton]

anybody knows where to find texts about the toxic gas made in the cut of MDF and acrilic ?! how toxic it is ? and a way to FILTRATE it? not to put away the smell, but to really filtrate it ?

thanks,

Carlos

You can find a MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for MDF here. http://www.gp.com/build/pageviewer.aspx?repository=bp&elementid=4510
For acrylic here http://www.plexiglas.com/msds/54.pdf

You need a standard exhaust system for your machine. Read this forum on the subject.

[Dan Hintz]

Carlos,

Search here for a thread by me on a DIY filter for <$200. Posted about a year ago...

[Tim Earling]

To all above, thanks for all the great advice.

[Lee DeRaud]

I think my laser makes more noise than the fan...What he said. (I have yet to encounter a setup for which that is not true.)

[Tim Earling]

I ended up buying a used Craftsman 3/4 HP Blower / Dust Collector. It's a 650 CFM blower and is very quiet.

[Tim Earling]

I ended up buying a used Craftsman 3/4 HP Blower / Dust Collector. It's a 650 CFM blower and is very quiet.