quieter pneumatic belt sander?

[danielbuck]

I have an Astro 3036 3/8" x 13" belt sander that gets a fair amount of use, but it seems like it's louder than what it should be. (the sound of the tools exhaust, not the sanding/grinding) Maybe I'm getting used to quieter air tools.

Most of my quieter air tools are from AirCat, and I notice that AirCat has one (6525-ABS) but I can't find any decibel ratings on it. In fact I can't really find decibel ratings for most of these small belt sanders. I don't know what the db rating on my Astro is either, though I guess I could measure it for comparison if I find some stats on other brands.

The Aircat isn't cheap, but if it's quiet, I'm fine with that.

Any suggestions?

 

[Firstram]

Did the muffler fall out or was it always this loud?

 

[danielbuck]

it's always been like this. I just didn't have alot of quieter tools back then, and now I do.

Speaking of the muffler, maybe I should open it up and see if I can stuff something else in there. I'd be ok if it were down a bit of power.

 

[rlitman]

...Speaking of the muffler, maybe I should open it up and see if I can stuff something else in there. I'd be ok if it were down a bit of power.

Handheld pneumatic tool mufflers generally ****. If you have a muffler port, you could run a hose and direct the exhaust further from your head. That would be the best way to reduce the sound. This works best on a tool that has an air whip connected, because you can strap the two hoses together.

I have a pneumatic wet grinder that was designed with a discharge hose that's co-axial with the inlet hose. Basically, think of a soft rubberized fabric hose like a fire hose that gets worm gear clamped to the back of the tool handle, and which extends out a few feet to keep the exhaust away from the cutting. Mine was painfully loud until I fluffed up a stainless pot scrubber and stuck it in there. Now it's super quiet.

 

[Firstram]

Rilt beat me to it! A rubber hose really helps.

 

[danielbuck]

no, there's not a muffler port (I'm assuming you mean a pipe fitting to insert a muffler?), but I'll open it up, maybe there's something inside there.

 

[mikehaugen]

I have a jet 3/4 x 20-1/2", I can't remember the model# off the top of my head but it doesn't seem excessively loud. But then again, it has a muffler on it.