quiet muffler mods for chainsaw baby?

[david newbie]

I will admit I'm a bit of a baby when it comes to chainsaw noise, but I love using em. I've lost a lot of hearing, having tinnitus 24/7 which gets worse after using a chainsaw . I've never been interested in making a saw louder, even if it gives me more power. ( I currently use Foamies, covered by silicon wax plugs, covered by ear muffs rated at 31 nnr?). I have an Echo 3510 which I'm always impressed with and it's not so loud. I was considering just trying a small mod. ( for chainsaw babies). Considering putting 3 or 4 small holes underneath the current outlet and maybe one or 2 in the deflector. What so you think? Especially interested in responses from others who have attempted quiet muffler mods. Thanks for your advice. Mostly deaf in Oregon. BTW, please take note of the UP arrow on the muffler. Helps me to remember which way is up.

 

[J D]

Considering putting 3 or 4 small holes underneath the current outlet and maybe one or 2 in the deflector. What so you think?

This is a muffler mod... it will give you more power & make the saw louder.
If you wish to reduce noise you need more baffling which will reduce noise but restrict the exhaust causing more heat & a loss of power.
Depending on the design of the muffler you may find you can put another baffle or a layer of mesh or wire wool on the inside to achieve your noise reduction. This would likely require checking/replacing regularly & cause the saw to run hotter to some degree (potentially shortening it's life span). Be sure nothing that goes in the muffler can come loose & find its way back to the piston. You will need to re-tune the saw after any mods too.

 

[ballisticdoughnut]

Double the size of the existing outlet and call it a day.

 

[jimhoff]

what's the biggest electric right now? I have always thought of the sound of a gas saw as festive

 

[ericm979]

Tinnitus sucks!

If you are concerned about noise I'd leave it stock. The engineers set the muffler up for maximum power at a given noise level. The internal tubes and the two different exits are there to reduce noise at certain frequencies. They're not just random.

Battery saws are pretty good these days in the size categories they're made in.

 

[HansFranz]

Maybe use the muffler from one of those big thousand-horsepower Caterpillar diesel gensets?

Seems like it should have plenty of flow-through with very little back pressure, and ought to be plenty quiet.

J/K ... I suspect there ain't a lot of free lunch here. If you want more flow-through without adding a ton of weight, you're gonna have to live with moar noise.

 

[mildyooper]

I am with you on noise reduction and it’s a subject I’ve been concerned about for many years. I also wear multiple levels of hearing protection, and sometimes have tinnitus. A couple thoughts: it’s doubtful you’re doin additional damage in light of multiple levels of hearing protection.

I have an electric chainsaw and love the quiet. I use it in small doses because the batteries don’t last long. But they last long enough for a small job. Chainsaw carvers almost exclusively used electric saws now. They go through lots of batteries. The loads on their saws are very minimal. They work in a fixed location. Hans is correct when he says there is no free lunch.

 

[Abbeville TSI]

interested in this as well

 

[OM617YOTA]

Electric saws can be loud enough to cause hearing damage too, even if it is a high pitched whine instead of two stroke engine yell. I still wear some kind of hearing protection when using my 80v Kobalt for more than zipping a branch or two, even if just Bluetooth earbuds.

 

[Dennisthemenace]

Double the size of the existing outlet and call it a day.

What he said

 

[singinwoodwackr]

Isn't that an oxymoron?