TomInNC Posted January 30, 2022 Report Share Posted January 30, 2022 I do not have a drill press or a spindle sander, nor have I used either. I am getting tired of my workarounds, and I think I will buy one or both of these tools this spring. I would be using the press primarily for drilling holes (shocker) and removing waste with Forstner bits. Do any of you use a drill press as a spindle sander? The manuals for the drill presses I have read mention using sanding drums, but I have also read some things on the interwebs suggesting that this might not be great for the drill press. I have room for both in my shop, so if using the press as a sander will damage it in the long run, I would rather get both machines. For those of you that have been in the market recently, any recommendations for a drill press? I know I want a floor standing model, but I don't have things narrowed down beyond that. I did see this model from Delta on the Home Depot site for about $1400. Reviews range from "best thing ever" to "cheap Chinese garbage." Any of you have experience with this model? For some reason this model appears to be selling for between 1800 and 1900 on other sites. If that is the actual price, this would need to be the last drill press I ever buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted January 30, 2022 Report Share Posted January 30, 2022 I can't comment on the quality of that particular DP, but the specs look nice. I wouldn't mind having it in my own shop. As for drum sanding, if you have the space and budget for the spindle sander too, I would advise against using the drill press as a work-around, unless you rarely need to sand inside curves. I have an oscillating belt/spindle combo machine, and the spindles rarely see any use, since the ends of the belt are usually small enough in radius, and the larger total grit surface is more efficient for the job. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodworking_Hobby Posted January 30, 2022 Report Share Posted January 30, 2022 I feel your pain and I recently went through this same thing in September last year. I had a very entry level drill press that was ok when you wanted a straight hole or had to do lots of repeatable small work, but not good when I needed to drill 3/4-inch or larger holes and the depth of travel was to short for what I really needed to do. I ended up going with the Grizzly M1039 20” floor drill press. So far I cannot complain and it has done everything I have asked. I have use it to hog out the wood for a larger area where I used my router to do the fine work and to clear area for a mortise when I did not what to use my router. Worked great for what I was doing. Not sure what you have but I did buy some Fisch wave bits and they have worked great for my needs. I did buy a power twist belt to replace the stock v-belt, just have not taken the time. I did purchase a mobile base for the press and due to the rectangle shape I installed a square plywood base on the mobile base and then installed the press onto that so it would be more stable. It does take up some floor space but well worth it for me so far!!!! I think for the sander I am going to build one of those rotating top cabinets that you see folks posting online. Currently my DeWalt planer is just on the stock DeWalt stand and I think I can do the rotating top with the planer on one side and the sander on the other side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted January 30, 2022 Report Share Posted January 30, 2022 +1 on a floor DP vs bench top. The bench top takes up just as much floor space, but consumes bench top space as well and limits what you can drill a hole in. At the upper end of that price range I would encourage you to take a look at the Nova Voyager. It does not leave much left to be desired, in fact it's over featured. Key for me was no belt changes, long quill travel, tilting table. Precise holes are "a thing" for me, so I particularly like and use the digital depth control. The competitor for me when I was shopping a few years ago was the Powermatic. A very nice machine, no belt changes and at that time came with a keyless chuck. I bought an aftermarket keyless chuck for my Voyager. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomInNC Posted August 16, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2022 I've been keeping my eye out for a used drill press in my area for a while now. There is someone selling a "like new" (aren't they all) Nova Voyager for $1600 on Facebook marketplace. I don't really see any need for the computer and other stuff on the Nova, but I also haven't seen many other presses on the market near me. Is this a decent price? If I went with a new unit, I was leaning towards the Jet 17 inch, but the current pricing on the new Jet is getting closed to the used Voyager. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomInNC Posted August 16, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2022 One more question. For those of you that have used Marketplace to buy larger tools, have you used the Dolly delivery service? If I do end up getting a larger press, I am going to need help loading/unloading (as well as a truck). When you enter the drill press specs on the Dolly site, they indicate they will deliver for 80 bucks or so (it's not a long drive). Seems a little too good to be true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted August 16, 2022 Report Share Posted August 16, 2022 On 8/16/2022 at 11:06 AM, TomInNC said: I've been keeping my eye out for a used drill press in my area for a while now. There is someone selling a "like new" (aren't they all) Nova Voyager for $1600 on Facebook marketplace. I don't really see any need for the computer and other stuff on the Nova, but I also haven't seen many other presses on the market near me. Is this a decent price? If I went with a new unit, I was leaning towards the Jet 17 inch, but the current pricing on the new Jet is getting closed to the used Voyager. They are currently $2k new. Personally I don’t know if the $400 would be worth the unknown with a used machine but that might be different for you. I waited a couple months for mine, but there had been someone who was waiting nearly 9mo when the batch came in that filled our orders. It’s an awesome drill press. 6” quill travel, variable speed without belts or reeves drive needing maintenance, and it’s quiet and smooth. There are some features that I’ve found to be handy. You don’t have to use them, and they don’t make it hard to use it as a “normal” drill press. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomInNC Posted August 16, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2022 On 8/16/2022 at 11:44 AM, JohnG said: They are currently $2k new. Personally I don’t know if the $400 would be worth the unknown with a used machine but that might be different for you. I waited a couple months for mine, but there had been someone who was waiting nearly 9mo when the batch came in that filled our orders. It’s an awesome drill press. 6” quill travel, variable speed without belts or reeves drive needing maintenance, and it’s quiet and smooth. There are some features that I’ve found to be handy. You don’t have to use them, and they don’t make it hard to use it as a “normal” drill press. Thanks. My primary concern is that the computer is just something else to break. That was the one reason I was leaning towards the Jet. Have you had any issues with the computer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted August 16, 2022 Report Share Posted August 16, 2022 In theory, that's a very nice drill press. I tried for years to buy one, but it was just vaporware. In hindsight, I'm glad I wasn't able to get it. This is not remotely the same Delta that for many decades made high quality woodworking machinery. If anything breaks, you have a company that for several years has had a very poor customer service record and parts availability issues. It's a crying shame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlyoak Posted August 16, 2022 Report Share Posted August 16, 2022 If you can wait until December there are a lot of discounts then. A year or 3 ago I bought a 20" Jet floor drill press. I then ordered a woodpecker drill table. Well worth it. Mine came home in a box in my truck. I asked the right neighbor. It takes 3 to mount the head on the post. If you don't have a relationship with your neighbor, make some wood bling for starters as gifts. Like cutting boards. That will give you a chance when you have 4 haded issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted August 16, 2022 Report Share Posted August 16, 2022 On 8/16/2022 at 11:49 AM, TomInNC said: Thanks. My primary concern is that the computer is just something else to break. That was the one reason I was leaning towards the Jet. Have you had any issues with the computer? I’ve only had mine for a couple months but @Mark J has had his longer. I don’t see it being a concern. It does have a usb port for updating/reloading the firmware if you ever have a software issue. I don’t think it’s much more than a speed controller and DRO with a few buttons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted August 16, 2022 Report Share Posted August 16, 2022 I have had no problems with the electronics on either my Voyager or my DVR lathe. I can't remember when I bought the drill press, but I got the DVR lathe upgrade for Christmas back in 2017, and I use the lathe much more. I have never had much trouble with Nova's customer support, 'bout the same as Jet & Laguna. And none of these are anywhere near as good as SawStop. My only issue with my Voyager was the poor quality of the OEM keyed chuck, but as I had already ordered a keyless chuck from Jacobs that really didn't aggravate me much. I can't advise you on whether or not the Voyager is the drill for you. There are some electronic features that are wasted on me, and others that I heavily rely on. I use the 6" quill travel all the time. The tilting table is important, too. And I am deathly allergic to changing belts. If I lost my shop, I'd replace the Voyager. But if you can deal with belt changes and you can get the quill travel and table tilt, etc., then you can spend less on a DP. By the way, the Viking is now available as a floor DP. I don't about its features or price, but another choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted August 16, 2022 Report Share Posted August 16, 2022 Doesn't the Nova DP have an auto depth stop feature that actually stops the drill when you reach the selected depth? That would be a game changer in many of my use cases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted August 17, 2022 Report Share Posted August 17, 2022 On 8/16/2022 at 7:57 PM, wtnhighlander said: Doesn't the Nova DP have an auto depth stop feature that actually stops the drill when you reach the selected depth? That would be a game changer in many of my use cases. It gives audible beeps as you approach the set depth and cuts power to the motor but does not stop the quill travel. It has a mechanical depth stop as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legenddc Posted August 17, 2022 Report Share Posted August 17, 2022 I have the Ridgid oscillating spindle sander on a flip top cart with a planer on the other side and don't have any complaints. I don't need to switch back and forth between the two often enough for it to be a hassle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomInNC Posted August 17, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2022 Thanks for the feedback. I will see if he drops the price on the Voyager. I have figured out how to do quite a bit over the years without a press, so there's no huge rush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronn W Posted August 18, 2022 Report Share Posted August 18, 2022 I have a Rikon 17" 30-326 drill press and really like it. No electronics but speed is adjustable by rotating a lever. It has a long spindle travel and stay aligned well throughout the distance. I think that the 320 model is now current model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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