Re: Advice on dial indicator for checking run of a drill press/input on Novs Voyager Drill Press
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Dave another way, quite handy for specific tasks. Three point carbide anvils.  Designing and building for 50 years
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On Jul 10, 2023, at 8:32 AM, David Kumm <davekumm@...> wrote:
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In addition to the great advice received, I'd buy a point set with the indicator.? They are not very expensive and come with 10-12 different tips.? Most indicators use the same threads so the tips seem interchangeable.
If only drilling in wood this is irrelevant but if drilling in metal. I've come to depend on my pin gauges to tell me how my old Moore Jig Bore is drilling.? I like to build stuff using pins and I know that usually my holes are oversized .0015-.002.? Drilling
a hole and measuring it with a pin gives you information on how the runout affects the bore.? Sometimes the angular contact bearings used on drill presses will show runout when not under load but will tighten up loaded as that is how the bearings are designed.?
I'm not familiar with the Nova but if you work much with metal, pin gauges tell you a lot and you don't need an expensive precision set for most work.
Dave
I have three dial indicators - two Wen and a Teclock. The Wen¡¯s were very inexpensive; the price of the Teclock is lost in time. All three are serviceable and give repeatable results. For setting up machines they seem to be adequate,
One of my mag bases is the old style with separate arms. The other is a brand name with an articulated arm like the one in David Best¡¯s r]suggestion. Both work, but the articulated one is much easier to use. I use these very sporadically, and there is a definite
learning curve to the old style and I have to re-climb that learning curve every time I use it. The old style has a fine adjuster that my articulated arm does not. I rarely feel a need to use that fine adjuster.
Some bases attach to a ug on the back of the indicator, and others attach to the shaft of the indicator. I favor gripping the shaft, particularly when trying to get parallel to a saw table. Make sure your base and indicator are compatible.
I have the Nova Voyager. I like the computer speed control. I usually use the speeds suggested by the machine, but some folks disagree with those suggestions. It has a relatively generous work table. Other than the fancy DVR it is a pretty basic light drill
press.
It has no work light, and I went through several iterations before I found a light that works. No laser designator, but I¡¯m not sure those are that helpful.
I tried once to update the computer, but was not successful. One day perhaps ?I¡¯ll try again. One has to install a program on a laptop and take the laptop to the drill press to do the update. That is a real nuisance, and the update instructions are not easy
to follow.
Not too long ago I was having issues with run-out. The quill seemed to be true, so I replaced the original chuck with an Albrecht (maybe I am spelling that correctly) keyless chuck with integral Morse taper. I should have spent the time and effort to remove
and re-set the original chuck to try to get it aligned better before I spent the money on a new chuck. The Nova depth indicator occluded the upper ring on the keyless chuck just enough that I could not tighten the chuck. Fortunately a friend was able to mill
a little off the bottom of the depth indicator and now the chuck works the way it should.
By the way, the new chuck cost $500 through a US supplier. I found out too late that an outfit in the UK would sell it and send it to me for half of that.
To make a long story short, it is a decent consumer-grade drill press. I love the DVR and will never go back to changing belts, but would certainly look for that feature in sturdier drill presses if I had to replace my Nova.
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John Hinman
Boise ID
K700S and A941
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