I'm in the early planning stages of my first garage machine. Would like to start with one of John K's designs (morph or 7th). Unfortunately, I'm an urban kind of guy which means I need to take my neighbors (many of whom I like) into consideration. I've got a garage in the basement of my apartment building, but the space is too big for general sound proofing. Any thoughts on design issues I should consider to minimize noise production?
Specifically:
Just how noisy are these little machines?
What is the source of the most noise, the router motor or the actual cutting?
Are some router motors quieter than others (Dremmel, Porter-Cable, RotoZip, other)?
Does cutting slow keep it quiet?
Can the router motor be put in a sound insulating box?
Would it be conceivable to put the whole machine into a sound insulating box?
Should I just give up the CNC idea and spend my time on something quiet like learning to play the bagpipes?