Thread: Shopping for new drill press

I've never used one but all reports are that the Viking is a really nice bit of kit.

FWIW, NOVA is a New Zealand company (I have 2 of their chucks) and makes really nice gear, but from their own website.

Auckland, New Zealand – Administrative Head Office
Admin, and some of our Research and Development (R&D) functions.
Clearwater, Florida, USA
Sales, Marketing, R&D, Service Center and Distribution

Qingdao, China – Logistics, Supply and R&D offices
Our China location is 100% owned by New Zealand and handles sourcing, manufacturing and other logistical needs, as well as limited R&D work.

I don't have a problem with this at all but not all Taiwanese gear is of poor quality - if you were to spend ~$2k on a decent Taiwanese DP it would be as good a quality (although maybe not as innovative) as a Nova. Problem is finding one.

Originally Posted by AndrewPatrol

Hi, I’m sick of my Taiwanese DP wobble chuck so I want to get me a swish upmarket one. Preferably floor standing and without wobble of the chuck. I saw those Nova Viking DVR (are they any good? ) that carbatec has and they look nice so I was wondering if there’s any alternatives I should be looking at. Budget is about 2k.
thanks

I had the same frustration as you with budget drill presses. I bought the Nova Viking.

I only wish the floor mounted model had been an option when I bought one, but otherwise it is near perfect for the money.

The only thing I really don't like is the barmy chuck guard, but you can work around that.

The aiming lasers need to be reset for different heights. I just stopped tightening them down and wiggle them into position if I intend to use them as a guide.

When I bought this, there was nothing even close for the money; I don't there has been any change since then.

Thanks Mark, yeh that chuck guard might be the first thing that sees the bin, bit stupid guarding the chuck but the bit is still exposed. And those lasers don’t sound like they’ll be handy at all.
it’s a pity that manufacturers put these petty half thoughts into action instead of some real improvements.
Im thinking that there’s not much choice in this price bracket, all I hope for is a chuck that’s straight.
i placed the order for a floor mount Viking today. Now the wait.

I agree with BobL the Taiwanese machines generally speaking are more expensive than the equivalent Chinese machines and generally better. But if you have ever used a high end Vert drill they are a delight.


Pedestal drills are dead set pain. I have been looking for a good one for years and generally they are really awful. You probably already know that the Taiwanese machines are generally more expensive than the equivalent Chinese machine and value for money they are all pretty bad.
Recently i found a machine sold by machinery warehouse which is roughly $1975 for the 240V and $2200 i think for the 415V model both these machines are belt drive.
If the pull the spindle down to the full travel and try and move the spindle they are rock solid with no discernible movement at all. They have the usual travel of 120-125mm of movement. But they are the only so-called cheapest drills i have found.
The dilemma i think you have is if you opt for a geared head machine then the price really jumps. And then you are in the same price as the Mill Drills also with 120mm of plung and have the added advantage of doing lighting milling. After years of looking around i ended up buying a Mill Drill which i will pick up next week. I don’t know what it is and pedestal drills but if you want min run out on the spindle you have to pay an absolute bomb.
We wont get into geared head vs Belt drive vs variable speed etc but it gets really complex.

I don't know the spec on the Viking, but I have the Nova Voyager, and find it to be excellent. When I purchased it 3 years ago it was only $200 more than the Viking is now.

Mate, seriously, do yourself a favour and buy the NOVA, it's an absolute game changer. I used to hate using drill presses due to the absence of accuracy, I looked for reasons to use the NOVA drill press. I sold mine recently, I'm moving and selling all my gear, but I would rate this as significant as the Incra fence system for it's function and reliability and accuracy.

I concur, the Nova is a very clever bit of gear. If my DP was not such a capable and well made gear head unit I would have bought a Nova, I came close but decided to keep what I had and added a VFD instead.

Yes, it's not just the top quality build, deep throat, rigidity, 150mm quill travel and overall robustness. It's the electronic features that come with it - auto stop at pre-determined depth, SUPER easy speed changes up to warp speeds, built in DRO, auto start when you pull the handle down (switchable), auto speed selection for drill size, and several others.

Originally Posted by stevenjd

If the pull the spindle down to the full travel and try and move the spindle they are rock solid with no discernible movement at all. They have the usual travel of 120-125mm of movement.

My test for slop in the head casting and bore is to test with the down feed 5-6mm below fully retracted, and again at 5-6mm fully extended. Reasoning is that at full extension or retraction, the quill will be held against some form of hard stop with some force, and this will make slop difficult to observe and may cock the quill slightly as well. Just a little clearance between the quill and stop allows freedom for the slop to become apparent.