Popular Post Belle City WW Posted July 1, 2018 Popular Post Report Share Posted July 1, 2018 I have been using a bench top drill press for the past decade and I wanted to upgrade to a floor model drill press and the Nova Voyager DVR caught my eye and I was not sure I wanted to dump that kind of money into a drill press, but when I looked one over and saw how stout they are built and researched all that they are capable of doing, I decided to invest in one for the shop. The old drill press: The New One: I have never heard a smoother running drill press. So far I am very impressed with this. John 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Bob Posted July 1, 2018 Report Share Posted July 1, 2018 OK i am now green with envy! I have been thinking very hard about buying one. How about a review? Good and bad sort of thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belle City WW Posted July 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2018 4 minutes ago, Just Bob said: OK i am now green with envy! I have been thinking very hard about buying one. How about a review? Good and bad sort of thing. First I have to figure out exactly how to use it I will get acquainted with it, use it on a few projects, and then submit a review. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted July 1, 2018 Report Share Posted July 1, 2018 I am curious about that drill press too. Please post a review after you have given it a good workout . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted July 1, 2018 Report Share Posted July 1, 2018 Do they do the speed control with a 3 phase motor, with built in VFD? I haven't looked into it, but that would definately be a smooth running setup. I would also expect that's how they build their lathes, but don't know about that either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belle City WW Posted July 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2018 1 minute ago, wdwerker said: I am curious about that drill press too. Please post a review after you have given it a good workout . Will do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belle City WW Posted July 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2018 1 minute ago, Tom King said: Do they do the speed control with a 3 phase motor, with built in VFD? I haven't looked into it, but that would definately be a smooth running setup. I would also expect that's how they build their lathes, but don't know about that either. I am not quite sure. The specs should be online somewhere. Sorry I don't know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted July 1, 2018 Report Share Posted July 1, 2018 Even though I own two Powermatic 1150's, I want one too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat60 Posted July 1, 2018 Report Share Posted July 1, 2018 I must admit before I saw this video I was thinking that it was just another newer model drill press but this thing is way more than that. Very nice and congrats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted July 1, 2018 Report Share Posted July 1, 2018 Just when I thought I had made my last major purchase. Congrats dude. Dang, after seeing the price and how often I use mine, I may change a few more belts. I do wish I had seen this prior to buying mine. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted July 1, 2018 Report Share Posted July 1, 2018 I can give some feedback on those "blister buttons" for the on off switches. I have them on my Nova lathe and I don't like them. Very difficult to actuate. But you do get a big red stop botton. The rest of this drill press looks great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted July 1, 2018 Report Share Posted July 1, 2018 Some folks out there have posted who were part of the early release group. Mostly very positive reviews. Folks who came along after also post mostly positive reviews. The only thing I can recall anyone being at all negative on was that there is so many features. Fortunately the basics seem to be up front and easy to use. Nova has been making DVR machines (lathes) since 2001 and seem to have the technology down cold. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat60 Posted July 1, 2018 Report Share Posted July 1, 2018 If it adds more power so it doesn't stall I take it you want to make sure the darn stock is clamped down real good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuxleyWood Posted July 2, 2018 Report Share Posted July 2, 2018 On 6/30/2018 at 8:52 PM, Tom King said: Do they do the speed control with a 3 phase motor, with built in VFD? I haven't looked into it, but that would definately be a smooth running setup. I would also expect that's how they build their lathes, but don't know about that either. No, is it a digitally controlled variable reluctance motor. Switched reluctance motors are old tech but digitally controlling them is fairly new (in the big picture) but Nova/Teknatool has used them for years in their DVR lathes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pondhockey Posted July 2, 2018 Report Share Posted July 2, 2018 14 hours ago, mat60 said: If it adds more power so it doesn't stall I take it you want to make sure the darn stock is clamped down real good. And backed up to prevent breakout and holes drilled in the table, I would think. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted September 28, 2018 Report Share Posted September 28, 2018 I have been thinking about buying a drill press and would like to run a couple of things past you folks. I have had my eye on the Nova Voyager. I am not in any hurry, but Nova is offering a $200 rebate through the end of this month (a few days away). So I finally got around to doing some research. Based on what I find annoying with my present drill press I have decided that the must haves are variable speed and 6 inch quill travel. The Nova Voyager and Powermatic PM2800B meet my "requirements". Powermatic and Nova are very close on list price and while there is a rebate on the Nova the Powermatic will certainly be on sale between now and Christmas. In general I like the Nova better (despite the awful blister buttons). But there are two differences that give me pause. Both have 5/8th inch chucks, but the Nova's will not hold a bit smaller than 1/8th inch. I believe the Powermatic will go down to 1/32. Second the table on the Powermatic tilts to 90 degrees while the Nova tilts to 45 degrees. How much would you care about these differences? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick S Posted September 28, 2018 Report Share Posted September 28, 2018 First, I have no experience with either other than seeing and giving them a fairly thorough go over on the showroom floor. I came away thinking I'd go with the PM in a heartbeat. I liked the features of the Nova, but I agree on the differences. You will rarely need the 90 degree tilt or 1/32 capacity, but when you do.... Both are strong brands. What are the warranties, service accessibility, etc for both? I'm planning on replacing my Delta 17-900 with the PM at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted September 28, 2018 Report Share Posted September 28, 2018 Just curious but have you ever needed the table to go past 45* and needed to drill on a dp, a hole smaller than 1/8”? I vote for the Nova! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted September 28, 2018 Report Share Posted September 28, 2018 2 hours ago, K Cooper said: have you ever needed the table to go past 45* and needed to drill on a dp, a hole smaller than 1/8”? I guess that's the question. Are these features that people use? I drill 1/8" holes pretty frequently, but smaller would be rare. On the other hand why would you make a chuck that doesn't go smaller--is there some advantage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted September 28, 2018 Report Share Posted September 28, 2018 I thought the Voyager has a MT2 taper, so you could get another chuck that can hold smaller bits when/if needed. I’d imagine that in order for the chuck to hold smaller bits, the contact area of the chuck jaws decreases, which is not ideal for large bits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted September 28, 2018 Report Share Posted September 28, 2018 A different MT2 taper chuck is readily available. I'm a keyless chuck guy myself. I would ask an owner about the 3-16mm spec. I do not recall anyone mentioning this and there are a few owners here. If you don't want to change the chuck, there are chucks that go in chucks. I use bits smaller than 1/8" frequently and so got a chuck that better suits my needs. I have never needed to open to 5/8". I only mention this as you may find a chuck that goes to 3/32" but not larger than 1/2" and I wanted to weigh in on that limitation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted September 29, 2018 Report Share Posted September 29, 2018 Thanks folks, good points. As it happens I have a second 1/2" chuck for the lathe that will chuck a 1/16" bit. And true to Coop's point it's a pretty tiny bit sticking out of that chuck. I took a ride today to look at the PM2800b in the flesh. It is a very fine machine and the pictures don't do it justice. You put a hand on it and it just says solid design, solid build. I don't see that I would go wrong either way, so I guess I have a day to decide whether to go for that Nova rebate now or wait for a Powermatic sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Mark J Posted September 30, 2018 Popular Post Report Share Posted September 30, 2018 Well, thanks for your help. I am the soon to be proud owner of a Nova Voyager. I went to Woodcraft this morning. They were out of stock, but I did an in store order to get the rebate. The drill should be in this week. The Nova and Powermatic are both great machines and I would be happy with either. In the end it came down to trivial issues, and a desire on my part to be done with the matter and stop thinking about drill presses. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted October 1, 2018 Report Share Posted October 1, 2018 Congrats Mark on the new toy. You’re right, either one is a winner. Let us know after a couple of uses, how you like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted October 1, 2018 Report Share Posted October 1, 2018 Congrats! I look forward to hearing your thoughts after you get it looks like an awesome machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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