Tool Review: Nova Voyager DVR 58000 Drill Press
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- Опубліковано 10 чер 2017
- Check out my review of the Nova Voyager DVR 58000 floorstanding drill press. It's a really great drill press with a lot of new innovative features. This video coves the unboxing, setup, and basic operations of the drill press as well as my initial impressions.
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Nova Voyager Drill Press: www.novatoolsusa.com/NEW-NOVA-... - Навчання та стиль
I like your presentation style Robert. Calm, informative and no obnoxious music. Well done Sir! I've been looking at most of the YT reviews of the Voyager drill press and all presenters seem to be impressed. Cheers from Down Under :)
Nice drill press and a very honest review. The spindle run out is acceptable and paired with a Albrecht chuck it is a adorable machine. Thanks for posting Robert; much appreciated!
Very good review. Thank you for taking the time to make this video.
This was one of the most thorough, comprehensive videos that I have seen on UA-cam. Thank you for your articulate, and complete coverage of this product. Great Job!
Thanks Robert! Excellent information!
Love the video, well made. I hope to be getting my own soon.
You know what your talking about, a great presentation!
I had the guys from my local Woodcraft store deliver and assemble my Voyager. Instead of humping the head up onto the column, they simply laid the column down on its side, attached the head and then stood it back up. Seems easier.
Thank you very much for the very informative video! Do you have to bold it down to the ground? Also what milling machine would you reccomend in the $1000-$1500 range?
Very nice machine, thanks for the review.
Oh... I forgot to say, excellent video. Thanks!
Good video. Would love to a review 5 years later on this machine since the price has now doubled ( $1,900.00 ) over the years.
Sure, I need to revisit this. Overall, I still very much like it and wouldn't purchase anything else. It's one of those tools that if I won the lottery, it wouldn't get replaced, I have my 'end game' drill press.
@@RobertCowanDIY Do you ever stall it out? No belt reduction makes me wonder if it's got the torque for bigger jobs like 1" coutersinks.
Ow, I need one of those ;)
Great review, thanks!
Nice review. Thanks!
Thanks so much buddy. I just discovered, you. You’ve got a new subscriber.
Very good review, you covered the main questions . How about a drilling vid, say a heavy plate or angle iron?
perfect and complete
thanks.
Thank you for a thorough review. Can you tell me the manufacturer of your dial test indicator? The stand in particular looks very user friendly.
Thank you for peeling off all those stickers!
I've been waiting to do this video so I could get rid of all the stickers!
Proper review, thanks!
...and removes the stickers...two thumbs up 👌🏻
Hi Robert,can you do a video on tapping and reversing?I havent been able to figuere it out,Cheers from Toronto Canada!
Most of the first mass produced drill presses didn’t use rack and pinion table lifts/elevators. They used collars, threaded rods, and bevel gears. Goes all the way back to the days of camel back drill press.
Fantastic video. I see why you need the disclaimer, your salesmanship is excellent. I'm a beginner woodworker / aspiring metalworker and this is the one tool I reeeally splurged on (about 3X the cost of the next most expensive tool in my garage shop), and finally after 4 months of waiting its comin, and this alleviated the very miniscule buyer's remorse I have.
Video was super thorough, the only think I can think of that you missed would be that it can be hooked up to 220V which ramps it up to a full 2HP. Have you done this with yours? Would it be worth it? Mine is gonna be sitting right in front of the breaker box which has 220v in conduit that's on the outside of the drywall- not sure what that's worth because I'm basically clueless when it comes to electrical.
Hey. Excellent sweet video. I found 2 problems with this drill press. Problem 1: the work table only tilts -45/+45 left/right. It should also tilt forward/backwards. This would allow you to very quickly square the drill bit to the workpiece, which is locked in the drill press vice. Useful when drilling/tapping 2inch thick steel. Problem 2: runout. Should be zero.
I think having forward/backward as well as side to side would just make it tricky to square up. Why would you need it to move both ways, could you just not rotate the table 45 degrees (swivel it around?). Also, the spindle effectively has zero runout, it's the arbor and chuck that have runout. I will be replacing these with something that suits my purposes better.
good review, like to see a follow up once you put some time on it.
for sure. so far so good. but time will tell.
Now that you have had the drill press for over 4 years, are you still happy with it? I am amazed by its capabilities. I am also amazed that the manufacturer hasn't updated the display screen and user interface software to something a little more up to date.
I wish I had done more research and found this Nova before buying the powermatic last year. Having the digital depth stop and control of the spindle is ideal for most of the work I do on a drill press.
I was really looking hard at the powermatic, but it was 'just a drill press', so I never really pulled the trigger. I like all the cool features and full control of the spindle that the voyager offers. Also, seeing both side by side, it was surprising to see how much more heavy duty the Nova was.
the base looks the same and the powermatic's table is not as robust and it a real PITA to turn 90 degrees and back again. The rack and pinon is a bummer on that nova considering the head they put on it but maybe next years version will have an option to digitize that... or maybe another project for the bearded one :-)
Ha that's a pretty big project! But maybe, maybe...
That was a great review. I really appreciate the view of the internals as well. So it's been a little over 5 years since this video, what are your impressions now?
I still love it and my impressions are about the same. Most of the more 'gimmicky' features are in fact gimmicky. BUT, being able to switch the RPM quickly, the build quality, lack of noise, RPM range, etc, are all top-notch. I would not buy another drill press, period.
Should have tested the bearing side play with the chuck and test bar in place. Looks like a great machine! Nasty color screen.
i like it. reminds me of the first model of game boy
Did you try the tapping assist function? I have the same drill press and could not figure out how to use that function properly. If you have another video showing how to use that function, it would be great.
I've tried it, but never got it to function properly. I'm discussing it with their tech support to see if I can get it working correctly.
Hey Robert, thanks for the review. Can you please tell me and send links to all of the parts needed for your dial indicator setup. It looks pretty solid and adjustable and I'm about to buy the voyager and would like a good indicator for general shop use. Thank you!
Just look on amazon for dial indicators with magnetic bases. I didn't use anything unique, it's just a standard dial indicator.
Excellent Voyager review. Can you also mill aluminum with the Voyager as you can with the Nova Vulcan, the machines look similar ? A video showing the Nova drill press Milling aluminum would be great.
This machine has virtually no runout (aside from the stock chuck which you can upgrade), and for $1700 I wouldn't risk compromising that by applying side loads. Most people I've talked to said they wouldn't even use it for sanding for that reason. Also it seems a lot of the more extreme metal workers think the Vulcan wouldn't be great for milling either. But how badass would it be to tell people you have "a Nova Vulcan drill press".
Well dammit, was about to pull the trigger on a Rikon 30-217, then THIS shows up in my recommends! Also, any updates on the longevity of those blister buttons?
There are things I don't like about it, and things I DO like about it. I rarely use many of the 'advanced' features, but I like the ability to adjust the speed without belts. I can go from using a buffing wheel at 3500 RPM to deburring holes at 200 RPM in seconds. As for the buttons, they're a BIT of a pain to use (you gotta really press them), but once you get into the habit, they work all the time every time. I've had no issues with them, and I see them holding up. How often do you use these same buttons on a microwave? I feel confident they'll last.
Excellent video! Very professional and thorough - easily in the 95th percentile of tool and woodworking videos. The only thing missing is the method of performing firmware update. Do you have to drag a laptop into the shop, or just a flashcard. Thanks!
If I remember, you need a computer. I just use a long USB extension cable to my shop computer to update it. But you really only need to update it once, maybe twice. I've only updated the firmware once since I've had it. And I've had it for a few years now.
@@RobertCowanDIY Thanks! So I assume you are still pleased with the performance of the Voyager?
i'm concerned about runout on my nova. i ordered the vulcan metalworking version, very similar to the voyager woodworking version but with heavier bearings and a double taper 3mt / er32 spindle. when assembling for the first time, i noticed a lot of visible runout, i figured i must have mated the arbor taper poorly, and removed and re-connected the arbor, then measured the runout at the highest exposed part of the arbor just below the spindle, and still i observed +/- .006. then i measured inside the spindle from the lower edge of the lower taper, the er32 one, and that was fine, +/- .0005. so then i measured higher and deeper in the spindle where the 3mt taper starts, and again i found the +/- .006. so, i got the same results as cowan at the lower edge of his taper, but i still think the spindle is the problem once you measure deeper down. the spec is for +/- .007 of for a tool sticking out 4" from the chuck, so this much runout right at the arbor and spindle must be badly out of spec. it's as though the concentric features of the spindle were cut as separate operations and are not in fact concentric. i.e. i think a better chuck or arbor may NOT help. i'll have to get on the phone to nova support on monday.
it took a little convincing to persuade nova that i had a bad spindle and not just a bad arbor. however once i explained (and documented with clear photos) that after removing and reinstalling the arbor 180 degrees rotated, and finding the high spots in the runout on the same marked positions relative to the spindle, they went ahead and sent a new spindle, and the new one is in spec. big relief!
Thanks for the great video Robert.
Could you tell us what the exact size of the main column is using a vernier?
Yes! I had to break out my extended reach calipers, but I measured 3.625" diameter. Does that help?
Robert Cowan
Thanks for your reply!
Very helpful.
Sure thing!
Just needs a Jacobs chuck and a sacrificial bed top.
Kind of wish they added good LED lighting around the
spindle. Next model?
Did you ever do a follow up review for the Nova drill press? ;)
I didn't. In short, it's the best drill press if you don't want to go with a 220 or 3 phase one. The extra features are a bit gimmicky and I rarely use them, but not having to change belts, the power of the motor, and the speed range make this one of my favorite tools.
Interesting about comparing this a higher-end press/mill - hadn't considered that. I'm also bummed about the run-out but is it really important? Also, no laser? Or, could it be that an "aim here" crosshair is no longer in vogue? Thanks for the vid - good job.
I think a lot of people are over-thinking the run-out. The quill/spindle has no measurable run-out, it's just the arbor and chuck. Replacing it with a nicer one solves this issue, but since it's a drill chuck, you'll never get rid of it 100%. Drill chucks are just inherently not perfectly concentric. You'd need to spend $500 to get a chuck with almost no run-out, and I don't expect Nova to include one of those on a $1500 tool. Lasers are nice and it would have been nice to include one, but I tend to use pilot holes for critical hole placement and it's easier for me to just use a smaller bit to start the hole than a laser. The ones I've used before don't tend to have a thin enough line it's usually really fat anyway.
Hi, Where is the machine made ?
Hi: Did you ever create a followup video? I know you mentioned you were going to run the firmware upgrades. Would love to hear your opinion 6 months later and after upgrades.
I didn't. I've upgraded the firmware, but unfortunately it operates still about the same. I still have yet to get the tapping feature working. Otherwise I really like it, but some of the features are a bit over-promised. As a drill press, it's fantastic though.
If the Vulcan was available at the time do you think you would you have chosen that on instead?
have narrowed it down to the Nova or the Jet 17" DP. Two slightly different price points yes i know. I'd be curious to know how you feel today about the Nova almost two years later. Do you think it's worth it for someone springing for their first DP? Did you ever replace the chuck with something with less run out? Great review btw, some of the best coverage I've seen on a tool on YT ever and i watch alot of WW videos. thanks!
In short, forget about all the fancy features. Assume it's just a normal drill press. By that measure alone, it's wonderful. I just got done building a rather complex robot and used this for all the frame drilling and it's just a joy to use, honestly. It's solid, has power for days, and is nice and quiet. THEN, add in the fact I can countersink holes at 100 RPM, and then go up to 2K for drilling small holes and then 5K for sanding, all without changing belts... it's huge. It's become one of my favorite tools in my shop. If you have the extra money, buy it. Some of the extra features are a bit gimmicky and I don't really use them (still haven't used it for tapping even though I do a LOT of tapping), but that's fine. Those are extras. As just a drill press, you'd have a hard time finding a better one for less money.
I was able to get in front of the Voyager today at Rockler and the other drill press I am considering (Jet Jdp17). I was REALLY impressed by the Nova, and it's exactly as you said, when you consider this thing as a variable speed DP alone it's amazing. I found it easy to move around and understand the menus without feeling the need to reference the manual at all. To be honest it was like stepping through a portal as I was going from the Jet to the Nova... I am still undecided as this is my first DP, but I may spring for the Nova even though it's complete overkill for my needs, the DP itself was just so much easier and more intuitive to use than the Jet and the Powermatic, it would be a pleasure to use when I need it. Would i be using all it's features? Heck no! I don't think most WW would use all the features, unless you're a maker and you work with varying materials often. But I think any WW who considers variable speed and the ability to quickly and accurately set depth on a DP important features, then this DP is a must to look at. I appreciate your help!
@@jc51373 I bought a Jet JBP-17 which is the benchtop version, got it assembled and never even plugged it in lol. parts were rusted, there was a crappy plastic cover buried in Styrofoam in a way that it was pretty much impossible to lift out without breaking (which it did). After the disappointing unboxing and looking at specs and feature more carefully I decided to return it.
Then I did a shit-ton of research and actually settled on buying a full price Nova Voyager BEFORE finding out about the employee pricing program where I worked. Best news ever. Needless to say I'm very stoked that after a major delay due to COVID (which you'll have buying most large tools from any company right now), it is finally on its way.
Excellent video. Though I wonder what the longevity of this beast is. Most drill press's that are out there,,,,some quite a few decades can be repaired in shop. This thing looks like if it had a problem,,,,out comes a tech to repair it. . Most of us use wood working as a means to a end and if this goes down your waiting on the factory , which could be no end. Funny ...I wouldn't mind owning one.
Thanks
From what I've gathered in a retail environment, this is the main thing that holds people back from buying it, which is made worse by the fact that they only warranty the electronics for 2 years as opposed to the 5 years they give you on everything else.
However, Nova has had this technology in their higher-end wood lathes for some time now with great success. They have an excellent reputation, and their staff has been probably been the most helpful I've ever talked to.
Can you verify that the spindle is actually an MT2 taper? Also can you use a drawbar or punch through the spindle to hold or tap out an MT2 tool holder? You might be able to get an MT2 collet holder if you find a need for less run out than the Jacobs chuck.
Yes, I'm 100% sure it's an MT2. The tailstock on my lathe is MT2, and I was able to swap chucks back and forth. You're totally right, I could get an MT2 collet holder if I need I need something with less runout. I may just end up getting a keyless chuck and some collet holders just in case.
Since that indicators graduations are in .0005 increments, wouldn't that mean that you only have about .0035" of run-out on the cluck ? Really cool drill press I'm impressed with how smooth the DC direct drive motor is and how well balanced everything seems. Would be an fun project to build an automated table raise & lower system with an Nema 23 and an front mounted control box... :)
You're right about the graduations, but if you look at them again, you'll see that the needle is sweeping through 15 segments. (15 * 0.0005 = 0.0075in)
Yep, you're right. Still not bad, but not anything notable. But that's pretty standard for a chuck that comes with a drill press...
Awesome review, I thinkI'm going to get one! Just one thing, I think you might have your table reversed front to back? The keyhole slots look like they're for a fence (which you'd want behind the chuck) and the angled slots are usually for clamps (which you'd want in front).
Given that the drill can speed so faster ( 5500 rpm?) - do you think it would be possible to rig up a poor-boy's vertical lathe of some sort? It would require some sort of chuck on each end but I don't know a lot about lathes. I would get a lathe but my space is limited and I would not use it much
You know, that COULD actually work. You would definitely need to have some sort of live center at the table, but it could probably do OK.
Nice video - how did you adjust the quill retraction spring?
The same way you adjust the others. There are a couple of jam nuts, you just loosen or tighten them.
@@RobertCowanDIY Thanks for getting back. My model is the Viking and from the schematics looks like the retraction spring design is different.
@@youmbgtube Ah you're right. From the pictures it does look a bit different.
Have you had a chance to upgrade the firmware on the DP? what do you think of it?
I haven't had a chance to update the firmware yet! Been busy with building other things. I will soon though, it looks very promising!
Great video, thanks! I don't have a drill press yet and I'd really like to get one (not that I have an abundance of room for one). I see that Nova is billing it as the "first" smart drill press; do you know if there are more smart drill presses? Or, to say it a different way: were there other "fancy" drill presses that you were considering?
(also, thanks for the "I'm not affiliated with Nova" disclaimer - it's a shame that so many product reviews are suspicious because it's not clear if there's a monetary influence on what the reviewer is saying)
Actually, hold that thought. I put in an order for a Voyager DVR, and now I don't want to know if there's any alternatives.
I looked around and the only thing close is some of the older deltas and powermatics that had a continuously variable belt system, where you could just dial in the speed without changing belts. BUT, it didn't have any motor feedback, so there wasn't an option to monitor load, self-reverse, etc. I looked for nearly a year and there's nothing else out there like it.
Thanks for the reply! I wish I had seen it two weeks ago though. :) I thought UA-cam might actually notify me with my other UA-cam notifications, but they only sent it via email...
Anyway, my drill press came in last Thursday or Friday. I managed to get it put together by myself, even the head. Basically what I did was assemble it lying down and then tilted it up. I figured it would be fine to tilt it after assembly (like, if you needed to move it or something) so why not assemble it lying down? Anywho, when I fired it up, there is a very noticeable "rattle" coming from it. :( I'm working with tech support now; I hope they can fix this without too much hassle!
just curious, the did they resolve this?
@@DjSqueekz Yes! They sent me a new head, free of charge. The new one is great and even has very low runout.
Very Helpful. you just sold one of these over a Jet
Awesome! You'll like it. I use mine almost every time I'm out in the shop. I actually got a scotchbrite 'drum' for it in place of buying a benchtop grinder. The higher RPM works well for this.
Very informative review. We're looking into purchasing the Nova Voyager. I would like to know if you're still happy with your Nova 3 years later?
I am. See some of my other comments here, but in short... I don't really use as many of the fancy features as I thought. I don't use it for tapping, I don't use the speed wizard thing. BUT, I do use presets (for different speeds), I love the ability to go from 50 RPM to 5000 RPM with a couple buttons, and the drill just works the way I want.
@@RobertCowanDIY thanks for the quick response. We've seen tons of box opening reviews and really wanted an opinion from somebody on how they like the drill press after having it for awhile. I'm looking for accuracy in a drill press. One that can drill a straight hole without fail over and over again. Our old drill press just doesn't do that.
@@sewcrazylady Oh, THAT it can do for sure. I should maybe do a followup video, but I mainly use it for aluminum and steel. I use it quite a bit and it's been good to me.
@@RobertCowanDIY Pleeeease do a follow up. I also want to know about accuracy. It would be nice to see a runout measurement and how square this drills left to right and front to back.
@@piggybladder agreed. would be nice to see you drilling some metal too
What's really surprising is that basic electronic motor control and position sensing still _aren't_ the norm in every pillar drill. Some types of tools continued to evolve across the market while others seem to have stopped in time 50 years ago.
Big question, does it have a light ?
It doesn't actually. This was a minor issue with me, and I was bummed that it didn't have a light. BUT, I have gobs of light in my shop and don't actually have any task lamps on any machine, so I'm fine without it.
Has this drill press held up and would you do it again now that it’s been a while?
It's held up just fine. I still have the same gripes in the video, the extra features are a bit gimmicky, but could be useful for some. However, the ability to dial in a speed, not change belts, etc is a game changer. It's quite, feels like a premium product, and is the best drill press I've used. I would 100% buy it again, no question.
I am thinking about purchasing this drill press. If you see my comment I would appreciate your long-term review. Is this machine still serving you well? My concern is the long-term stability of the software and electronics. Thanks in advance.
I have a powermatic PM2800B drill press that is 4 years old. I've had 2 switch assemblies burn up in that time. Most often I use it to bore 15/16"x1"deep forstner holes in white oak @~650 rpm and a shallow forstner recess 1/4" deep 3-1/4 diameter @ 300rpm. Could this be the reason for my burning up the switches? Asking because I'm intrigued if the NOVA machine could do the large recesses easily and reliably or would it stall / overload? I like the smaller footprint and volume it would take up and the ability to set programs. I just need to know if this thing can out perform my powermatic for the 3-1/4" bore in white oak?
I'm surprised the powermatic had an issue, that shouldn't be all THAT hard on the machine. I would think the nova would be able to handle this with ease. I've done a lot of steel and aluminum, which is much harder to drill than wood, and rarely got the load much over 20%. With a standard AC motor, you have much less control over the power of the motor, but with a DC motor like this, you can measure the load, apply more power, etc. If you are burning out a powermatic, I think the nova would be the next logical step. Brushless motors can potentially have a LOT more power than their AC counterparts.
Hey Robert, thank you very much for the reply. I haven't had issue since I replaced the switch assembly this time (yet). I don;t know if the current raised from bogging it down caused the issue over the longer term or not. But my struggle is boring a 1/4"-3/8" deep 3-1/4 bore with a big forstner bit into dry white oak. More often the sharpened bit boggs and or snags and momentarily the spindle stops and the forward belt is obviously slipping. The motor keeps turning and i believe the rear belt is running and the slipping occurs between the mid to front pulley.
Having the direct drive of the Nova is VERY appealing in this case if the nova wont shut off from doing the same boring. I ensure a sharp forstner and i take small (almost) scraping force plunges into the wood. I dont drive it in or force it excessively, but with a bit that size force is needed (i'd assume).
So perhaps my story about bogging isnt so much dragging the motor down but to the point the belt slips. Or if the loading before slipping causes extra current somewhere which brunt the switch assembly.
Seriously considering the voyager - I'd hope I could get $900 for my PM2800B powermatic as its only 2 years old.
thoughts on all this?
I think you're on the right path. Slipping belts will lost tremendous amounts of power and you can't really prevent it (unless you use serpentine belts, v-belts will generally slip). So a direct-drive solution would deliver more power directly to the tool. I've not been able to bog it down, but I don't use it all THAT much. But, transferring power through belts will reduce the amount of power the spindle sees, so even in theory, the Nova will always deliver more torque to the actual cutting tool.
Afternoon Robert ! Thanks for your feedback and input. I did end up buying the Nova. Had it next to my (now sold) Powermatic PM2800B. As to my specific question about the 3.5" forstner into oak and bogging... there is ZERO comparison. The nova destroys the PM. What used to cause my belt to slip on the PM barely got above 25% max load on the Nova. So for my needs the NOVA is awesome.
There are a few drawbacks with the Nova for me when compared to the PM.
I like the PM table, smooth chrome handles and crank, dual opposing lights, chrome stop quick release nuts, and keyless chuck. I already installed new chrome handles and bought a keyless for the NOVA.
The things on the NOVA I'm not really cool with is the smaller bulky table, no lights, all of the handles and cranks are cheap plastic junk, the odd shape crank arm that hugs the table, the cheap junk single quick release nut on the depth stop, and the giant pedestal base.
But for me its function over form and it works AWESOME. I got $1000 for my 4yr old PM so that greatly helps me offset the cost as I bought the NOVA for $1349 w/ free shipping. I'm dying to find a better push button quick release stop nut. The NOVA is a very odd size of M14x.1.5 thread. I can find any that size. Most are 1/2" and the PMs don't transfer. But your review sold me on the unit - Thanks much !
awesome! I agree with everything, there are some features and fit and finish things with the nova I don't like. But if you need to drill holes, I wouldn't want to use anything else. I used it with some titanium the other day and I wouldn't trust other drill presses with stuff like that. I love how it drills, but some of the other stuff isn't my favorite. Glad it worked out for you.
You would do well to upgrade the chuck with a nice precise keyless one, especially considering the runout of the spindle/quill is quite low. It's a bit frustrating that higher-end models don't really come with them. I think that's the single biggest improvement you can make to any drill press---it makes them such a pleasure to use.
The blue boxes on the circuit board are likely mains-rated film capacitors, not relays.
yeah, a chuck upgrade is probably going to happen. I'm not 100% sure about a keyless chuck since that might not work with the self-reversing routine for tapping. it might loosen the chuck. I'll play with the tapping feature and see if that would be an issue.
You're totally right, I put the disclaimer on the video about not knowing that I was talking about after I realized they're not relays, but filter caps. I just didn't want to reshoot everything because I already put it back together :-)
One of the most ridiculous features is the beeping indicator. Most guys who have been working with tools have some hearing loss. Couple that with the fact that there is noise when you are drilling wood or metal and there might even be people talking and music playing in the background and the beeping noise becomes nonexistent. It should be louder. Honorary mention is the drill bit speed for spade bits and spade bits with spurs and you’ve just wasted a spot that could have gone to something like pilot bit or wire brush or something else.
It sounds like you just don't want to like it. The beeping is audible even through hearing protection. Also, even if it isn't, no other drill presses have ANY feedback at all, so what would you propose instead?
@@RobertCowanDIY I’ve been in the construction trade for over 40 years and after time spent in huge concrete tunnels all the way down to my head and upper body inside cabinets with drills and impact wrenches I can assure you that my hearing has gone south and then some. Along with almost constant tinnitus and being over the age of 65 I’ve found that hearing protection back in the ‘70’s would have gone a long way but we didn’t “do that” back then. What I propose is a much louder beep with a volume setting for young guys like you who have benefited from lessons learned by guys like me. Volume control in, say three increments so as you get older Robert and your hearing diminishes (as it will) you will continue to benefit from my wisdom. I do want to like it, I just don’t find it useful in its present configuration.
Sweet machine! Luckely it looks like I can't buy one in Europe ;D
Sorry to spoil your Christmas, but I had a nosey for myself and came across this site www.teknatool.com/nova_dealers/united-kingdom/ . Now my problem is convincing my wife to take the router back and buy me one of these instead.
I wanted to see a 3” hole saw used. Low speed power is what I wonder about.
Hum, in what material would you like to see? I've been planning a revisit on this vide.
@@RobertCowanDIY thanks for the reply since it’s been a while since you made the video. I looked at that same unit because of the variable speed. The direct drive to the spindle makes low RPM , high torque applications questionable for me. I have considered repowering on of my existing drill presses with an AC or DC motor and drive but maintaining the reduction to enable things like drills in steel and even stainless steel (have had those problems) and the hole saw thing. 1/4” aluminum for a 3” hole saw or similar would be cool as would be a 5/8” hole in some hot rolled structural steel. 1/2” in 304 stainless steel (1/8” thick?) would all challenge the performance envelope of a higher end home shop type drill press yet would not be outside of what I have done (at least attempted) on the made in Taiwan Delta drill press I purchased in the 1980s.
BTW, I have been putting together a Tormach 440 this past week and your videos have been very enjoyable as well as having been responsible for my watching your channel! Thank you.
If I'm not mistaken you can run these on 240v for 2 hp.
Hum, I'm not sure about that. The power cord is hard-wired and it's only for 110V.
@@RobertCowanDIY www.teknatool.com/product/nova-voyager-dvr-drill-press/
Requires changing the plug. Not sure if .25 hp is worth the trouble but good to know.
i see it does stoneage units but does it do metric units?
It does both. Pretty crazy that stoneage units were able to build the SR71 and send men to the moon.
@@RobertCowanDIY
you don't believe they couldn't have done it with the metric system, do you?
I wonder how presicion this drill is ? Their decimal inch in precision mode is +/- 0.005 inch. Is this real >
3 phase motor drive looks impressive but without shaft reduction torque could be lacking.
Above ~200 RPM it's fine. Below that it can cog a bit with big bits in hardened steel.
What's the smallest drill bit it can hold?
I think it's 1/16". Somewhere around there. I did notice that my really tiny bits won't work, so I have to use another chuck. Something to consider.
Anything less than about 1/8" is pretty iffy.
I have a small chuck that I chuck in for using small bits that works really well.
I keep it loaded with a common size bit and attached to the drill side housing with a magnet. Recommended...
www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=75987&cat=1,180,42334&ap=1
It seems like a silly thing, but glad the stickers are easy to remove. I hate it when they are thin paper with super strong glue and you have to make a meal of removing them.
Did they solve the issues you had with tapping and power hold?
Here's what I replied on facebook: Brendin Emslie The spindle hold is great, I use it all the time. If you're REALLY doing something silly (drilling 1/2" hole in hardened steel) you might have some slippage with a keyless chuck, but it works for 99% of holes. The tapping feature is 'ok'. It kinda works, but only in certain applications. If you want to use it for tapping, just get a tapping arm instead.
@@RobertCowanDIY Awesome. I do have a procunier tapper I can use. Thanks
@@RobertCowanDIY I did pick one up and set it up last night. It came with the latest firmware. One thing I noticed is that it is very hard for me to zero it out. It always fluctuates between 0.000 and 0.002. Sometimes I can't get it to fluctuate and it zeros to 0.002. It does this with the quill at the top and with the quill locked a few inches down. I am wondering if you see this fluctuation on yours?
One thing I noticed is that all the videos online show the older firmware that only displays hundredth of an inch precision vs thousandths.
@@RobertCowanDIY ua-cam.com/video/eEx_qBiX9q4/v-deo.html
I need to get one this is right for me i am a welder michael emery thank you sir cowan
You're welcome. I still very much like it.
Cv?
Does it offer Oscillating capabilities? If not, it's a shame. Would be easy to add that function sine it is a DVR
It doesn't, but that should be possible with software.
What would someone use the high end of that speed range for on a drill press? I know cnc mills have high rpm spindles but the tooling is designed to evacuate the chips efficiently at those speeds. I typically find that even on our powermatic at school I never have a reason to take it out of its lowest speed when drilling through anything. Especially with large bits or hole saws you actually cut much faster and wear the tool much less.
honestly, I don't know. That's REALLY fast. Maybe sanding or something? There is a setting where you can max it out to 3K, which seems more reasonable though. But I'm sure if you were using it for other purposes it might make sense. I've seen people do lathe work on drill presses, so there's that. But it's mostly because it can, and it's just a software feature really.
I just bought this. Does it come with updated firmware?
@Robert Cowan
Any issues with this machine in the 3 years that you have owned it???
Have there been more firmware updates or just the one? Is the warranty decent?
I'm currently looking for a 2nd drill press for my shop and would like something with these modern features.
I think that these newer types of "computerized" drills are fantastic for speed, repeatability, increased accuracy, and production-type drilling, as well as safety features, etc.
HOWEVER, I have a few reservations:
Will these proprietary circuit boards and particular DC motors or their mounting scheme still be available in 5 years, 10 years, or 20 years down the line if there were a failure or defect???
Will the manufacturer even be in business in 5 or 10 years, or will they go bankrupt and/or be bought out by a conglomerate who scraps the design and discontinues production in favor of "current tech'', rendering this drill press obsolete and worthless???
With an "old school" or "dumb" drill press, most parts are fairly standardized and I'm fairly confident that parts would be readily available and replaceable for years to come...or at least machinable.
For example, I've had a Rockwell drill press for over 25 years that I've been able to keep up & running due to its relatively basic and standardized mechanical design.
As a somewhat relatable, but opposite example, my sister is somewhat of a gourmet chef and purchased a very high-end elite brand kitchen wall oven...I'm talking $5k+...during her kitchen remodel a little over 5 years ago.
The oven was just over 4 years old when the main electronic-control circuit board in it failed, rendering it completely useless...it wouldn't even turn on at ANY temperature.
The manufacturer no longer had a backstock of replacement parts available, and had recently updated this model. It looked basically the same, but had ''new & improved" features and therefore all-new internals.
My brother-in-law "got lucky" and located a replacement circuit board on eBay at the cost of $1899 USD plus $80 shipping from Europe, haha. :gulp:
In addition, they would need to pay a service center $$$ to perform the installation of the new control board.
Ultimately, they decided against it because of the likelyhood of another failure and the probability that another replacement would be impossible to locate at any cost in the future.
Obviously they would've had well over $7k invested if they had gone with the replacement part and professional installation. :-O
They opted to sell it on eBay at quite a loss, but at least they recouped some of their investment. :-/
Needless to.say, it got replaced by another high-end oven, but a well-regarded used one with no electronics other than having a "dumb" digital temperature & timer display (neither controlled the oven's operation).
My parents had a similar experience with a Samsung clothes washing machine that was less than 2 years old. The replacement parts with installation were more than half the price of the machine itself.
The parts were available, but were not easy to locate or obtain...had to order directly from Korea! :-/
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE technology, but often times for products that are somewhat basic in design and inherently mechanical in nature, a K.I.S.S. approach will often serve you better in the long term.
Of course, if someone can afford to replace these types of products every 3-5 years or so, and are okay with the "disposable society" aspect, it's their decision to make.
I REALLY want thto take advantage of these useful features, but I am obviously a bit hesitant, LOL!
Sorry for the long-winded post!
Just sayin'.
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Jajaja como subiste el cabezal a la columna
Tuve ayuda de un amigo
It's probably a DC-DC converter because that allows you to choose your switching frequency and inductor size. Considering it has to step it up to 360v, it seems likely it's "just a" super beefy DC-DC boost converter, with a beefy rectifier bridge right at the AC input
you're probably right.
I like how you own 10's of thousands of dollars worth of machining equipment, but need to manually close your garage door :P
Haha, so true. When we bought the house, the opener didn't work. I never bothered to fix it since we only open it when loading new tools ;-) One of these days I'll get around to replacing it.
Give the Ryobi garage door opener a look. The battery backup that uses Ryobi tool batteries is pretty neat.
Sometimes complexity can screw you over. Whilst it applies to the tools, having a manual garage door ain't so bad. Maintenance is every 3 years.
he would rather spend it on tools than a garage door opener, I can dig that.
Ok, odd question. How tall are you? I've seen other reviews where the person is towering over this drill press and it looks much smaller than other presses. IN your video, it looks like a perfectly good height.
I'm 5'8". If I were 5'10" or so, it would be perfect. The screen is slightly too high for me.
Pete, I too thought that the press looked small in videos. I can assure you that it is full size and very substantial. I was pleasantly surprised when I put mine together. For the record, I'm 6'1" and I find it the perfect height.
Great review Robert ! :-) I was one of the first in Canada to get this drill and am very happy with it.
I too am looking to upgrade the chuck. I was looking at maybe this one:
www.amazon.com/HHIP-3701-2500-Integrated-Keyless-Drill/dp/B00N413YUU
Robert, I'm wondering which chuck you went with, and how is it working out for you?
Does a keyless chuck work OK with the Voyager? I'm wondering about the hassle with the electronic brake system.
Cheers, Scott
Sorry for the late reply. I actually don't use my keyless chuck much. It's a bit of a pain to use. I wish there was a dedicated button that would lock the spindle. I also had some issues with not being able to tighten it enough, even with the braking system. If it were me, I wouldn't get a keyless. That being said, I use it a lot for various things, and I use it quickly (I'm constantly changing drill bits, doing some metal, wood, etc.). If I were just doing the same hole over and over and changing the bit wasn't an issue, I would go keyless.
Kinda looks like a beefed up Bosch electronic drill press.
18:22 those are not precision chucks, those are normal chucks. If you want less runout, you should get a precision chuck.
All that technology is a little bit scary if something goes wrong , sounds expensive to repair
Definitely a machine for someone in need of lots of reproducible results. Also not needing to change belts for speed or torque is nice. The belts can act like a love joy coupling so I'm curious about it's self protection ability.
.002" run out is okay. .008 is NOT good for a new drill press. I'd ask for a new chuck. Other features like the quill travel and split casting are GREAT! As for all the electronics... well, I'd rather they spent the money on a dove tailed column, power table lift and an x y mill table. Of course nobody else is doing this but that probably a good reason they should. Impressive gizmos but I don't need them.
Honestly, for the price (just google it, $1500 bux) I would rather buy a mill/drill machine from grizzly or similar, you would get a much more substantial machine with a much better table as well as a more versatile machine. For the price that thing should have come with at least an Albrecht chuck.
I disagree. I bought mine on sale ($1300), so it's a bit less than $1500. For that money, you can't get all that much. You can get a G0704 or similar, but those weigh around 50% less, have a less speed range (with plastic gears), half the power in the motor (being generous), and only 2" worth of quill travel. I thought about getting just a basic manual mill, but I would be giving up quite a bit. I've owned mill/drills and they're nice, but they're not all that great as drill presses. Plus, having the control over the motor is great. Sure, a VFD could so something similar, but it still wouldn't be as advanced as what the voyager has. It is a lot of money for a drill press, but the quality is certainly worth the asking price.
I guess usefulness is in the eye of the beholder. Yes you get 2inches of quil travel, but you can easily get a spindle that is 2-3 times more accurate, add to it that the chuck that comes with that drill press is a $10 chuck commonly found on ebay, not even a $20-30 keyless clone at that. The party trick seems to be the DC motor, which comes in handy with a mill, however not really useful on a drill press as most people drilling any holes larger than 1/2" are only going to spin in the 500-1000RPM range with large feed pressure, that can be compensated with gearing, add to it that the DC motor controller will eventually fail, rendering this thing useless. Good luck repairing that. just my .02c, As for mill/drill machines using plastic gears, not all of them do, some are belt drive.
Very true. Yes, the chuck is cheap, but it's an accessory. My tormach also came with a crappy allen key for adjusting the motor. I don't blame them for not including a bondhus allen key. It's an accessory I didn't get to pick out. I'd rather pick out my own :-) You're making REALLY broad assumptions here. The mini mills have motor controllers, most use DC motors with really cheap controllers. So those could fail. Everything can fail. Having owned 3 mill/drills, a few CNC machines, and a couple drill presses, for ME, having a real drill press and a CNC machine is a nice combo. I would not have been happy getting a drill/mill or manual mill instead of the drill press. Sure, the motor is maybe overkill, but it still has a purpose at lower speeds. A simple AC motor with belts/gears can't determine the amount of load and apply more power as needed. There are nice little benefits to the system. You are right though, having the RPM range isn't necessarily all that useful for a drill press, but it's just a 'benefit' to the design that's not really useful.
My issue is not with the drill press itself, it is with the price bracket vs the quality of the machine. If you truly want a work hore, your not looking for a DC drive variable speed via pot and LCD screen drill press. Your looking for a unit that has 4-6 bearings in the quil, is stiff as heck. On the surface this machine seems like a tarted ~500 drill press from HF with a smaller table and a fancy DC drive motor. I could be wrong. I hope I am as there are no real quality drill presses I have seen besides ELLIS, and at nearly 4k that thing better be a nice machine.
Ah, I get what you're saying and you're incorrect. I looked at the HF presses and several others. This is quite a bit different. I wish you could just see it in person and touch it, maybe I didn't present it well enough. This is in a completely different league than the HF and chinese clones. It's VERY different. It's certainly not an industrial machine like an Ellis, but it's not meant to be (or priced that way) either. But it's a huge step up from the chinese ones you're thinking of. At my Rockler store, it was sitting next to the Delta, metalworking Jet (forgot the model) and the Powermatic. It is easily beyond the build quality of any of those. Looking at the biggest drill from HF, it has a 18x16" table. The Voyager is 16" x 16". It's not that much smaller. It's also at least 50 pounds heavier. From pictures and video it looks less substantial than it really is. It's relatively small (for the swing), but it's really stout for its size.
Now if you are smart you could motorise the table as I have done just flick a switch the table will go up or down then you would have a perfect drill press yes the manufacture company could have motorised their drill press.
nope not for me i stick with old crap yea it loud but with a vfd it will still work even if the vfd dies
Man those stickers were ugly, glad to see them go!
No kidding! I've been waiting for a good month to take them off (wanted to do the video first).
You're more patient than I. Haha
DO NOT BUY NOVA! I just bought a Viking drillpress and the left, front LED light has never worked. I've contacted Nova 4 times and Woodcraft (where I bought it) and no one will take care of me. If they won't even support a brand new machine, I can guarantee that Nova isn't ever gonna help you with any of their products. Once they fail, they will become useless!
A 1500 dollar drill press with a chinese chuck that has .008" runout? Unacceptable.
It's an accessory that is easily replaced based on preference. Some people might want a keyless chuck, some might want a collet holder, etc. It's probably a $25 accessory. If they included a $200 keyless chuck and charged me an extra $200, I would be upset. I'm glad they included something, but I don't expect them to include exactly what I want. I bought it for the motor, table, head, etc, not for the chuck. I would have been totally fine if it came with nothing.
For the record, I did remove the shank and tried replacing it, and also used another MT2 shank that I had. They were all about the same. That being said, I don't have a 'nice' MT2 shank, or a good chuck. I'll just be replacing it with a keyless that has lower runout.
Robert Cowan I wonder what would happen if you measured further inside the taper. it could have angular runout, even though no radial runout shows at the front of the taper.
I could give it a shot.
Seems like a dream machine, but it’s not. It comes with a chuck with visible runout that vibrates the entire machine. Why not give us a better one from the start. Also, you turn it on and it takes 10 seconds of warnings and such to allow you to get working. And, I can’t even imagine having to try to fix this when the electronics go on it. I’d recommend an old reliable model or a milling machine.
OK, a few things. ALL CHUCKS HAVE RUNOUT. It's not vibrating the entire machine. I did get a better chuck that has been on there for years. The warnings are only for the first boot after power loss. And the whole "try having to fix electronics" is just an outdated thought. Most tools are moving to brushless motors now and this is very very common.
With a automatic garage door opener a thief may be able to find your code using today's technology open the garage door and steal your equipment or tools when your not home. Manually opening the door prevents this. I had the same situation and very rarely opened the garage door and locked it from the inside. Unless you also park a car in the garage with your equipment I recommend not having a garage door opener or just unplug it as I did.
Nice press but do you really want electronics that can go bad and stop all work.
Exactly. I want a steam-powered drill press, there's nothing that can break!