Replies

1. 
   Quickstep | Oct 17, 2008 12:00am | #1

   As I understand it, boat mufflers are basically a tube with a series of baffles like what's shown in the attached drawing. I'd be curious to know if anyone thinks this could help. It would be easy enough to make with some PVC pipe and some sheet material like AZEK or something like that.

   
2. 
   Windwoodtrader | Oct 17, 2008 05:04am | #2

   I actually built a housing for the shop vac and put it on casters so it sort of looks like a hand truck. I lined the inside with acoustical foam and put a 2-1/2" hole into the top into which I plugged and secured a small auto muffler- About 16" long. My roar-like-a-lion shop vac now purrs like a kitten.

   Windwood Trader
   In the Helderberg Mountains of NY
1. 
   jf4 | Oct 17, 2008 05:10am | #3

   Windwoodtrader, that's a neat idea.

2. 
   RalphBarker | Oct 18, 2008 06:34pm | #4

   By chance, did you use a "glass-pack" muffler, popular back in the '50s? What about racing stripes (or, painted flames) and chrome casters? ;-)Seriously, excellent idea.

1. 
   Windwoodtrader | Oct 18, 2008 06:51pm | #5

   Ralph-
   Non of that exotic stuff, just lowering blocks and chopped and channeled with fuzzy dice attached.(:-)

   Windy Wood

   In the Helderberg Mountains of NY

1. 
   WillGeorge | Oct 19, 2008 06:56pm | #9

   You forgot the spark plug in the tail pipe to ignite the hot gasses on occasion!

   As in a HOT Chick was walking by....

   Non of that exotic stuff, just lowering blocks and chopped and channeled with fuzzy dice attached

   Mine was a 1949/1950 Merc. Split windshields.. What year I forget... Black Lacquer paint.. Many coats.. Chopped so the girls had to crawl inside through a window I rolled down! God life was good then!

   Edited 10/19/2008 12:10 pm by WillGeorge

1. 
   jimbell | Oct 20, 2008 05:30am | #10

   I found that the standard "muffler" for my shop vac was, essentially, useless, as you'd expect from a bent piece of plastic.

   I built a box out of 1/2" ply (nicely cut and sealed joints), put it on casters (up off the floor), put in a vent for the muffler (it usually just falls out), and a tight hole for the hose. The tight-fitting door swings open at the back to roll out the full canister. This has cut the noise down so much that I had to listen to make sure I did not leave it running. So I dedicated it to my router table and put in an automatic switch.

   Jim BELL

3. 
   highfigh | Oct 18, 2008 09:27pm | #6

   If you have the kind with a larger port, Home Depot used to sell one with the Rigid brand. I don't know if they still do but I had to put one on me since, apparently, I just HAD to buy the loudest one available at the time. It just pushes into the exhaust port and doesn't really do anything bad to the air flow. Small, too.

   Do you not wear ear plugs or other hearing protection or do you just want to make it more quiet, regardless?

   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
1. 
   jf4 | Oct 19, 2008 04:52am | #7

   Highfigh, I have an old Craftsman shop vac. It is very powerful and works great, but it's loud. I wear ear plugs, but it would still be nice to quiet the thing down so others don't have to listen to it. I think my vac would probably take the rigid muffler. I'll have to look into that. Thanks.

4. 
   BioHaz1906 | Oct 19, 2008 05:33am | #8

   Look for the FWW article on silencing your shop vac.  I built the same box and it worked GREAT!

   Bio

5. 
   stillfigurinitout | Oct 21, 2008 05:18am | #11

   One more click and I would have found your post.  I just posted a muffler plan from plansnow.com (free) in Workshop, but I'll post it again and delete the other.  Hope this helps.

1. 
   QCInspector | Oct 22, 2008 01:02pm | #12

   Any chance you could save the document in an older version of word (doc) or as a pdf file? Those of us that are not using the latest and greatest of Bill's program can't open it.
   Thanks.

1. 
   WillGeorge | Oct 23, 2008 02:02am | #13

   Hope it works. Looked OK here.

    

   
1. 
   QCInspector | Oct 23, 2008 12:30pm | #15

   That I can open. Thanks.

1. 
   nazard | Oct 23, 2008 09:10pm | #16

   When one of you actually get a muffler up and running (I mean quietly purring....), please post details.

   -Jerry

2. 
   jf4 | Oct 23, 2008 07:29am | #14

   Stillfigurinitout, that's just the type of plan I've been looking for. Thanks very much.

6. 
   nazard | Oct 24, 2008 02:43am | #17

   OK.  I had some free time this evening so I constructed a muffler.  I used a 4" section of PVC 24" long with a center core of 2".  4" to 2" reducers on each end.  The muffler did not reduce the volume of my Rigid shop vac by any appreciable amount: it seems that most of the noise emanates from the grated area over the motor housing.

   All is not lost.  The shop-vac muffler parts could be adapted into a nifty explosive device should I ever decide to split logs like they do over at Popular Woodworking....<Gr>

   -Jerry

1. 
   bricofleur | Oct 24, 2008 06:43pm | #18

   Hi,

   You can find a muffler at Sears for $12.99. They make a real difference. Therefore, I always protect my ears with ear muffs, even with the muffler installed. Another aspect is when I use the vac with a tool, I need my ear muffs anyway.

   Best,

   Serge- Learn from yesterday, work today, and enjoy success tomorrow -

   http://www.atelierdubricoleur.spaces.live.com