Nova Voyager DVR Drill Press

I was getting tearout with my old, underpowered drill press using Forster bits. This drill press has the power to cut so smooth and without tearing the wood.

I have only had the drill press for a couple of weeks but I have used it several times and even some difficult hardwood. I have not even began to tap into its real potential but the computer is teaching me a little bit at a time. This is the smoothest drill press I have ever owned and very quite.

I would definitely buy it again.

I must be honest and admit I have only had this DP for a few days and have not drilled very many holes yet. What I want to do here is address some setup issues.

First, the shaft/gear that raises and lowers the fable had come out of the table support arm. Didn't know what it was at first as it is not mentioned anywhere in the instruction book but finally figured it out. It was easy to put back in but the fix is also easy: it's called "tape."

Second, it comes with the collar and the worm already assembled on the column. There is nothing about this in the instructions. You have to remove the collar to put the table support arm on the column, but when you remove the collar the worm falls off so be ready for that. From that point you can follow the instructions.

Third, and last, there is an item in the package which in the instructions is called a chuck drift. There is nothing else in the instructions about it that I could find. Finally found out online, after some searching, that it is actually the chuck removal tool. You put the small end in a slot in the spindle with the angled side down, tap it with a hammer and the chuck falls out (recommend you have a piece of wood on the table to protect the chuck when it falls).

Once I got it set up, it performs very, very well. I love the fact that you don't have to move belts around to change speeds. That, to me, is the biggest plus for this drill. All the holes so far have been straight and even, with no runout that I can see. It is very quiet, the action is smooth and all the parts fit together very well.

Disclaimer: This review points out short-comings of this product. But know that I am very happy with device and would buy it again. I really enjoy using the drill press

Display: Quality is sub-par. Sure, it's unfair to compare against smart phones/tablets but moving up to a better display would greatly increase the user experience.

Keypad: Ditto, the membrane keypad is the biggest drawback to user interface. Nearly NO tactile feedback, often do not know if keypress took. And the “sound” feedback… see below.

Sound: Many have criticized this shortcoming. I cannot hear it at all given the ambient noise level in my shop (air filtration on ceiling nearby). Gives me a “What were you thinking” moment towards the designers. This could be mitigated/replaced by a LED that blinks with each chirp.

After updating the firmware, the display would badly corrupt 5-10 minutes after power-on. I downgraded to prior version which resolved corrupt display. Later I upgraded again. The display still occasionally corrupts requiring a power cycle but not often enough to justify down-grading again.

Did I say I would buy again? ;)

Tne Drillpress is everything that they said it would be.
It was packaged properly for shipping and everything came through OK. Went together well it didn't take too long to figure out the controls.
My only complaint is that it does not have a built-in light. You would think a $1500 drill press would have it's own light. There's a lot that you can do with LEDs now days.

I've owned this about two weeks, and have drilled ~300 1-2" diameter 2" deep holes with Forstner bits, plus hundreds of smaller holes, in hardwood. So I've broken it in for a few hours already. There is zero vibration, and the motor is incredibly powerful not bogging down in any of that, and it's solidly built. Love that there's no pulleys to slip, and that the speed is infinitely variable. There are a few nits that could make this a 5-star drill press, however; since two of the three points are potentially software upgradeable, I am optimistic that a future enhancement will address this.
- The beeping upon nearing a pre-set depth is hard to hear; ideally the volume could be adjusted
- The optional auto-reverse upon reaching a pre-set depth is a great feature, but the reverse only goes for a second or so, which doesn't give enough time to back out of a 2" hole; ideally this too could be configured
- The chuck doesn't hold very small bits (~1/16" or below), though I have a smaller drill press I can use for these

The limited factor on the drill is it will NOT hold any drill bit 1/8” or smaller.

I received one of the very first Production Nova Voyager Drill Presses in the country. I have owned and been using it for several months now and have had sufficient time with it to decide what I like about it and what needs improvement.

My Nova Voyager replaced a very capable and equally powerful floor standing drill press from a well known large tool manufacturer. I hated changing belts and decided to give the Nova Voyager a try.

Let's start with the good:

* The motor is powerful and very quiet, compared to my previous drill press.
* Not having to change belts is a dream come true.
* So far, the software has done a respectable job of selecting appropriate recommended speeds for drilling, for both wood and metal.
* It is easy to manually set your own rotation speed, if you prefer not to use the recommended speed setting.
* The fit and finish of the drill press are reasonable good, with no sharp edges anywhere.
* The DP was packaged really well and arrived in excellent condition.
* There is a port on the DP to allow firmware updates (I have not performed one of these yet).
* Quill travel is an honest 6 inches and is easy to set both mechanically and digitally.

The Neutral:

* The chuck is okay; it is no better or worse than the chuck in my previous DP, although that DP was considerably cheaper. I anticipate upgrading the chuck someday, not out of necessity but out of preference.
* Assembling the DP can be done by a single person but would be very challenging, due to size and weight. My son helped me install the direct drive motor on the shaft. Overall, assembly is not difficult.

The not so good:

* The LCD screen is just too small (1.25 inches high and 2.75 inches wide). My old eyes just are not what they used to be and a larger screen is almost mandatory. This is my single biggest dislike of this drill.
* If you install a third party table (Rockler's excellent DP table and fence, or Woodpeckers table and fence, etc) then the crank that raises and lowers the table height will hit your table. I cut the back right corner out of my table, to accommodate turning the hand crank. I could have built a sliding mechanism but cutting the corner was just quicker and easier and got me up and running sooner.
* The user manual is "okay," but could be MUCH better. I did get one of the earliest production units and they may have already improved the manual. It is not in any kind of booklet form, just printed sheets of paper (printed in 2 colors) stapled together. Explanations are basic and illustrations are okay (not good or great) though sometimes too small.
* The mechanism for rotating the table could have been made easier with a levered handle. As it is, you need to get a wrench and allen key to loosen a hex nut and allen bolt (under the table) in order to rotate the table. Fortunately, this is not something I need to do often and is not a major factor.
* The stickers on the side of the DP keep falling off. I laminated mine and taped them back onto the DP.
* The warranty on the motor (the single most expensive part of this DP) is only 2 years (5 years on the other parts).

Taking into account the cost of this DP (price of unit, extra shipping charge for weight, taxes) would I buy this DP again? ..... Maybe!

For me, it comes down to longevity. If this DP gives me many years of trouble free service, then I will consider it worth the price that I paid (I did not get it on sale).

While I really dislike the tiny (non-touch) screen, I really do love using this DP. It is so much quieter than my previous DP, it has plenty of power and not having to deal with the belts has been an absolute joy.

If Nova Corp addresses the issues that I mentioned above (especially the screen size) then I would consider this DP a much better value.

If Rockler will permit it, I will update this review at the 2 year mark (when the warranty on the motor runs out) to add further comments with respect to the longevity.

I hope these comments were helpful to prospective buyers.

I have owned this DP for about a week. The variable speed motor and the other computer controlled features are 5-star. However, there are two MAJOR problems which called for a 3-star rating. First, the chuck, it will only hold drill,bits larger than three mm. Now I routinely use small screws than need pilot holes smaller than that. Bummer.

Second, the depth control software uses a beep that tells you how close you are to the set depth. Problem, you can't hear the beep. The sound of the motor, and the noise of drilling completely drowns out that wimpy beep.