Nova Drill Press

7/25/17, 6:21 PM #1

AZ
Guest

Nova Drill Press

AZ in Colorado Springs

Anyone have experience with the Nova Voyager DVR drill press? This is a direct drive, computer controlled, variable speed machine. Spindle distance to table is 23-1/8", 1-3/4 HP motor. Model number may be 58000.

This is being considered for the Air Force Academy wood hobby shop. I'm wondering if this can stand up to use by a large number of wood workers of widely varying skill levels and experience.

So if anyone has experience with this drill press, I'd appreciate hearing what you think.

Thanks

Re: Nova Drill Press

7/26/17, 2:28 PM #2

Ed Wozniak
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Re: Nova Drill Press

Ed Wozniak

I helped my dad set one up. It appears to be a fairly rugged machine. The mechanical parts of it are very heavy duty. How well the keypad and electronics will hold up is anyone's guess, but I would hope for the best. There is a slight learning curve that a person has to go through in order to use the drill press. I would expect that could be passed on easily enough from person to person. It is a very nice machine. I would buy one but I can't really justify the cost at this point in time.

Re: Nova Drill Press

7/26/17, 2:55 PM #3

John K Jordan
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6,792 posts

Registered: 1/7/05

Re: Nova Drill Press

John K Jordan

I haven't tried one. It looks clever, but I wonder about how it will hold up in the LONG run.

Lots of people use old iron from a bunch of decades ago. I have a hard time imagining a electronic device with a screen and membrane keypads not needing some things replaced after years of heavy use, especially in a shared mixed environment. I've seen such keypads on gas pumps with the top layer worn through and the label unreadable.

And what does "adaptive control to produce optimum conditions for my specific projects" mean?

JKJ

Re: Nova Drill Press

7/26/17, 3:24 PM #4

AZ
Guest

Re: Nova Drill Press

AZ in Colorado Springs

John, I don't know but presume that the adaptive control means sensing the load when drilling (with larger diameter bits) and adjusting power to maintain a constant speed. I believe some routers have such a feature. I can't imagine that it would make too big a difference on a drill press.

Re: Nova Drill Press

7/26/17, 5:37 PM #5

Gary Smyth
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Registered: 11/22/04

Several thoughts.

Gary Smyth

At $1500 you pretty much have the pick of the litter. At the academy there are cadets and faculty and who else? Who gets access? I like the specs on rigidity, motor, and the display for now, but what are the chances of many smart people buggering it up? Can it be used in a manual mode or is it all controlled through the display? Does a woodworking shop need the accuracy of the NOVA?

Is there a mil. spec. listed anywhere for drill presses? That might help.

What is the expected life cycle. Seems to me that the academy might have a budget that covers a shorter year life cycle for tools. Maybe there is relatively small risk in trusting the electronics if it can be replaced more quickly than a non-military organization.

Nova Drill Press

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