Quietest Planer in the market?

[Augusto Orosco]

What would be the quietest power planer in the market? I currently have a DW735 and I love it, but as everyone knows is rather loud (about 105db). I always wear ear protection but what I hope for is to be able to use the planer at nights without disturbing the family. My shop is in the basement and have done some sound insulation already to the point that I can use my bandsaw and my dust collector with no issues (the router is borderline). When I use the DW735 the noise on the second floor bedrooms is not horrible, but the family room gets a fair amount of noise (and vibration!) which is a bad think if my wife is watching TV or working on the computer.

One option is to upgrade to a byrd cutterhead and disconnect the fan on the DW735. But perhaps an even quieter option would be to get something like a Grizzly 15" with helical? I have a subpanel in the shop, so 220v is not a problem, but space is. So, the planer must have wheels and take as little space as possible.

My dilemma is if it's worth to spend extra money for something that it's quieter, but not quiet enough to accomplish what I wish. I would love to hear the experiences of others on this matter!

[Mel Fulks]

If it's her comfort ,then maybe appropriate modern soundproofing would solve. If it's also your radio or I tunes for you
then new planer might be the answer. Having worked in commercial shops I know that quiet machines doesn't mean quiet,
it just means you can hear 3 or 4 radios set on different stations. Big improvement? Either way ear protection is needed.

[Augusto Orosco]

Thanks, Mel. I have done everything that I can reasonably do with soundproofing already and don't want to go down further down that path. It's all about her and my kids comfort. I always use hear and eye protection and a respirator when I work with power tools and don't plan on stop doing that regardless of how noise efficient the planer could be.

[Mark Carlson]

My 13 delta planner was unbelievably loud, and I replaced it with a jointer planer with a helical head. The difference is night and day. Get rid of the Dewalt and replace with a larger planer with an induction motor and a helical head.

~mark

[Augusto Orosco]

That's good info. So, to put things in perspective for me, if you don't mind: While cutting wood, how far from the planer would you go to be able to carry a conversation at a normal volume?

[Rod Sheridan]

Hammer A3-31 with the SIlent Power head.

You'll have a very quiet planer and jointer..............Rod.

[Josh Rudolph]

I had/have the Dewalt 733 lunchbox planer in my old basement shop. It was very loud so I empathize.
When I got my new shop I had set aside some money to buy bigger machines, one of those machine was a 20" planer from Grizzly.
That upgrade alone was quieter. After a few years of use, I upgrade to the indexed spiral cutterhead and it made an even bigger difference, but still the machine while in operation is one of my loudest (router is the other).

As you are aware, you are still using a machine that is hogging off material from a wide piece of wood, there is only so much that can be done and noise is inherent to that specific operation.

Light cuts and sharp blades can help, but I really feel like you don't have too many options.

You can always self power a #5 hand plane. ;)

[Mark Carlson]

I could have a conversation directly in front of the machine. The dust collector is louder than the jointer/planer.


That's good info. So, to put things in perspective for me, if you don't mind: While cutting wood, how far from the planer would you go to be able to carry a conversation at a normal volume?

[Augusto Orosco]

Hammer A3-31 with the SIlent Power head.

You'll have a very quiet planer and jointer..............Rod.

That's a beautiful machine, but a little too rich for my blood (and I suspect too large for my tiny shop).


I had/have the Dewalt 733 lunchbox planer in my old basement shop. It was very loud so I empathize.
When I got my new shop I had set aside some money to buy bigger machines, one of those machine was a 20" planer from Grizzly.
That upgrade alone was quieter. After a few years of use, I upgrade to the indexed spiral cutterhead and it made an even bigger difference, but still the machine while in operation is one of my loudest (router is the other).

As you are aware, you are still using a machine that is hogging off material from a wide piece of wood, there is only so much that can be done and noise is inherent to that specific operation.

Light cuts and sharp blades can help, but I really feel like you don't have too many options.

You can always self power a #5 hand plane. ;)

Yes, that's what I am afraid of, and wanted opinions to see if perhaps what I want is realistically not feasible. And I self power hand-planes most of the time... but thicknessing by hand gets old very quickly :) Josh, would you say your Grizzly louder than your router?

[Augusto Orosco]

I could have a conversation directly in front of the machine. The dust collector is louder than the jointer/planer.

That would be ideal! What model do you have, if you don't mind me asking?

[Mark Carlson]

I have the Hammer A3-31 with a byrd head, not the silent power head.

[Augusto Orosco]

I have the Hammer A3-31 with a byrd head, not the silent power head.

Thanks! I see you and Rod are on a similar boat, then. Expensive machine... but perhaps worth considering anyway.

[Judson Green]

Makita touts their lunch box planer as being the quitest - I've not experienced one. Used to have a big, old commercial Powermatic 20" and it sounded like one of those wood chipers the arborist use - so really loud.

[Jesse Busenitz]

If I were in your shoe and wanted something smaller and quiet I'd probably jump for a 15" Grizz with helical head.... I have a Grzz 20" with a helical head and love it.... just had a buddy come over who had a dewalt lunchbox, and I was showing him my Grizz and he was floored on how quiet it was oh and all I had to run through was this piece with a huge knot in it.... still smooth as silk. I have my DC in a attached room and it's still louder than the planer...

[Cary Falk]

That would be ideal! What model do you have, if you don't mind me asking?
I have the Grizzly G0453Z with the spiral head and have the same experience as Mark as far as carrying on a conservation.

[Peter Quinn]

Quietest planer? Or quietest cheap planer? budget? The casedie 24" spiral heads are really very quiet, I've walked away and forgot it was on, with sharp knives you could have a conversation while taking off 3/16" of maple.....runs around $18K new. Probably the Felder or Hammer lineup is your next best bet. A Byrd head or similar on a four poster will quiet things down versus straight knives, then it's as quiet as the machine allows....all those gears and chains banging around still make some noise. I threw a Byrd head on an old 15" delta in the home shop, I can plane wood after the children are asleep and they stay that way...had to locate the DC as far away from the bedrooms as possible, it's louder than the planer at this point. Pretty much anything is going to be quieter than the Dewalt. Been there.....holy screaming cheetah batman

[thomas hsieh]

none of the lunchbox planers are quiet. So I would steer away from them.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I think kids like the racket we make usually. It's like white noise in an office or something, makes them feel comfortable. At least thats my theory. I can speak for the Felder, it is extremely quiet. The cyclone is by far the loudest tool in my shop.

[Josh Rudolph]

Yes, that's what I am afraid of, and wanted opinions to see if perhaps what I want is realistically not feasible. And I self power hand-planes most of the time... but thicknessing by hand gets old very quickly :) Josh, would you say your Grizzly louder than your router?

When just turned on, I am not sure which is louder. Under load though, the bigger the board through the planer, the louder it gets to where I think it might surpass the router.

[Erik Loza]

...The cyclone is by far the loudest tool in my shop.

This ^^^

Only think close is the table saw with a big (14"+) ripping blade.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Justin Ludwig]

I could have a conversation directly in front of the machine. The dust collector is louder than the jointer/planer.

Same here. DC is 25 feet away and louder than my planer chipping away at white oak. Grizzly 15" with spiral head.

[Marty Tippin]

I have the Grizzly G0453Z with the spiral head and have the same experience as Mark as far as carrying on a conservation.

Me three... Dust collector is way louder than my G0453PZ. I started out with a DW735 and had to wear hearing protection. I don't even know where my earplugs are these days...

[Augusto Orosco]

Thanks a lot to all of you. Seems that the Grizzly 15" with spiral head would be a very good alternative. I have to look at the dimensions to make sure it would be practical in my shop.

[Earl Rumans]

Any decent machine with a Spiral cutter head will be relatively quiet. I have a Baileigh JP-1250 jointer/planer with the spiral cutter head and I don't even need hearing protection when I use it. I live in a golf community so noise was a big factor in my machine choice. I really wanted the Hammer A-31 but just couldn't afford it.

[Alan Schaffter]

Lie Nielsen or Veritas. :D

[Augusto Orosco]

Lie Nielsen or Veritas. :D

Yeah, I use those a lot for minor thicknessing... but with a lot of boards, the shop becomes very loud once I start cursing :D

[Robert Parent]

A planer is not a quiet machine... Forget all the lunchbox machines..... Your only hope would be heavy machines, with an induction, cap-start motor. I sold the benchtops and picked up an older RBI, much improved but still not the quietest machine in the shop. Also with the bigger machines you can cut more material so it does not have to run as long.

Robert

[Larry Edgerton]

Quietest planer? Or quietest cheap planer? budget? The casedie 24" spiral heads are really very quiet, I've walked away and forgot it was on, with sharp knives you could have a conversation while taking off 3/16" of maple.....

Ditto my SCM with a Tersa head, but again....


Keep your eye out for an Inca jointer/planer . They are an awesome small machine and came with a Tersa head. Small but no compromise on quality, and quiet by comparison to your current siren.

Larry

[Kenneth Walton]

Get something heavy with an induction motor, and a spiral head.

As a side note, I'm concerned about noise too. Got a jjp-12hh and an oneida portable 3hp dust gorilla with silencer. 83dB at 10 feet running mahogany. Combined with some soundproofing, I work late and the baby doesn't wake up.