Both good drill presses. I have the Nova for a couple of years and have zero issues. I absolutely love it. It runs smooth at all speeds, extremely low run out, quiet and a joy to use. I did put a keyless Chuck on it.

 

Cannot comment about the Powermatic 2800b, however, like Reddie above, I'm in the pink with my Nova.

I bought mine when it was first released and it did have a few teething issues, but with it's firmware upgrade function, it was quickly given a new set of dentures and it chomps away in my workshop amongst all my smiles.

The only thing I do hate about it, and all my drill presses were guilty, the rewind handle was never the right size if you put a traditional shop made tabletop on it… however, that was eased by amputation of the tabletops top right corner.

I did write a #1 review followed by a #2 review.. Unfortunately I was too bloody lazy to do a followup followup and the volume issue is still an issue, but if that's my major pain-in-the-arse, hell I cant even hear some of my farts and have to rely on the smell to realise I dropped one.

I also put a keyless chuck on it which would have been a futile exercise before the spindle lock firmware upgrade…

Still waiting for the beer pull upgrade for the quill control handle.

 

Darn hard decision.

Wish the Nova table tilted a full 90 for clamping long boards on end, but one can jig that off the side.
Powermatic is a beast and it does tilt. I like electronics, but not sure I would use most of the Nova features. More efficient and no belts to vibrate or wear. Reeves drive is not as efficient as brushless DC.
In a quandary myself, Rikon or Laguna band saw. On my way to Woodcraft so I had better make up my mind.

I did not have the bucks, so I went for an old Delta until I can justify either of the two.

I figured a good chuck ( or couple) is expected for any drill. I got a medium capacity keyless but may get a smaller one that can go real small, and may get a bigger key one for slinging circle cutters or big Forstner bits.

I do a lot of tapping, so I know how to rig a counter-weight on a traditional drill. Not sure how to do that one the Nova.

 

... may get a smaller one that can go real small…
- tvrgeek

Pity these little buggers are no longer available.

.... I know how to rig a counter-weight on a traditional drill. Not sure how to do that one the Nova.
- tvrgeek

If you ever get inspired, I'd love to know…

 

As my Delta is an MT-2, I can get a chuck that goes almost to zero. If you check the machine shop suppliers like Rex, tiny drills with 1/4 inch shanks are available. Expensive, but available. Drilling a jet or similar should be done on in a miniature machine or a mill anyway.

 

I have the 2800 and like it a lot. I was between the 2 a few years ago and a good deal on the PM leaned me that way. I think both have little runout and good features. My thought on moving towards the PM was that spending an extra $400(difference with the deal I got) the features on the Nova are not absolutely necessary and wouldnt save me any time or money in the long run. but may cost me if parts go bad.

 

I can't quite wrap my head around a drill press needing a firmware update but I'm following along to read all the juicy details of your choice!

When my bench vice needs a firmware update, I'm outta here 8^)

 

PM is a lot like a Griz with ugly paint. That Nova is something. I woudn't have to think about it. Plus isn't the Nova less $$$$$ ?

 

PM is probably made in the same plant, but not like a Grizzly at all. Just look at the weight.
The other issue is even though the same plant makes the cheapest junk, they also make top end. They make what they are paid to make. It is not what the raw casting looks like, but the matching quality. Bearing quality, motor quality. Is it a $12 chuck or a $100 chuck? How much play is in the spindle at full stoke. Go check and you will see the difference. The PM has a Reeves drive, the Grizzlies are all v-belt change manually. Now if you go up to the $4500 gear head, sweet tool.
Palmgren 16 inch is a nice one. Old school belts but at least a digital display. Baileigh DP-15VSF is pretty sweet, but even more expensive. ( Probably the same as the PM actually) A lot don't have long enough spindle travel and small "metal" type tables.

 

Here are some differences I noticed…

Both have the same stroke depth (6 inch), but PM travels the entire stroke with one handle revolution. The Voyager takes two handle revolutions for the full stroke. This may make the PM more convenient, but it has ~half the leverage of the Voyager when drill pressure is needed.

PM has laser drill guides; Voyager does not.

PM has replaceable square insert at center of table; Voyager does not.

PM speed range is 250-3000 (unregulated vs load); Voyager speed range is 50-5500 (regulated vs load).

Both have digital speed readout; Voyager also has drill pressure readout.

Powermatic motor is 1HP, Voyager is 1.75 HP at 120V, 2HP at 240V (requires plug change on power cord).

Powermatic does not have a digital drill depth display; Voyager does. Both have mechanical depth indicators/stops. Voyager also can automatically stop the drill rotation when preset depth is reached.

Of course, the Voyager electronics provides many other useful features (too many to list here) that the PM does not have.

Quality Reeves variable speed drives can last a long time, and can be rebuilt for even longer. If you like vintage machinery more likely to be maintainable, with some effort, in 50+ years, get the PM.

I chose the Voyager, and am very happy with it.

 

Appreciate the Info...Great Comparison!!

 

I have the Delta drill press and it works great it has a 6" travel. My woodworking club shop bought a powermatic and had problems with the variable speed drive and the repair person from powermatic had to make more than one trip to fix it. I would buy the Nova if you afford it. Lots of features to use.

 

OK, so I have decided on the Nova Voyager, now to find one, apparently they are backordered everywhere and won't be available until April. It will be Christmas in April!

 

I hear ya. You take your time to make a good decision and now want instant gratification. Aren't we all a funny animal? At least my dogs who want instant gratification spend no time planning it. Which of us is really smarter?

 

Both good drill presses. I have the Nova for a couple of years and have zero issues. I absolutely love it. It runs smooth at all speeds, extremely low run out, quiet and a joy to use. I did put a keyless Chuck on it.

- Redoak49

Which keyless chuck did you use? I love the Nova, but do really want a keyless chuck.

 

Which keyless chuck did you use? I love the Nova, but do really want a keyless chuck.
- zzzzdoc

OUCH! keyless was a dirty word till they did a firmware upgrade to the spindle lock… before that it was bugger all useless trying to tighten up the chuck one handed.

Now that it is there… go the best you can afford if runout is one of your concerns… it is the quality of the chuck that adds to the runout stats… runout on the quill shaft is virtually non existant… (at least on mine and you cant have it).

 

I have that issue with my old Delta I put a keyless on. I have to flip open the top and grap the sheave. Less convenient than just using the key. Is there some trick with a keyless I don't know?

 

I bought a cheap one on Amazon. I was worried about the quality but it works very well with very low run out. I thought that if it worked then great. If it didn't work, I would get an expensive one.

This is the one I bought.

 

How do you do the firmware upgrade?

I had looked at the price of the Albrecht, and was stopped in my tracks by the price. Any intermediate alternatives to that with low runout?

 

And on a related question, what is considered acceptable runout on a drill press?

What is the easiest way of measuring it?

 

I put a piece of drill rod or something else very straight in the chuck and set up my dial indicator.

 

I put a piece of drill rod or something else very straight in the chuck and set up my dial indicator.

- Redoak49

Perfect!

And if you make a simple 6" long block of wood (bolt stuck through one end, hole of the proper diameter for the same dial indicator in the other end), you can perfectly level your table to the drill axis.

 

My total runout at the chuck,. looking at a good 3/8 inch bit is around 2 thou. I consider that good enough for all but the most precise machining and one would be doing that on a mill.

No advice on how to tighten a keyless chuck?

 

I haven't done the full science other than runout (RO) between alternative chucks (I have a few chucks between drinks). The NOVA hype claims relatively low spindle RO (which I haven't confirmed).

If RO is not an issue, "route" it. If it is, consider your DP before the chuck… you may need to chuck BOTH out.

Unfortunately keyless chucks depend on spindle tightness/loseness (or whatever the correct terminology). The NOVA had bugger all and the spindle free wheeled which provided no resistance to "reverse tightening" to secure the drill bit. The firmware upgrade compensated… compensated as it locks the quill but it still may need human interface (I ask my neighbour to help).

For firmware upgrade, the NOVA requires access to a PC/Laptop (don't know about I or U phones)... plug it in, set up the interface (RTFM) and upgrade… voilla spindle lock on demand… still has to be Menu selected!

Keyless chuck tightening in general is not an issue… all you need is/are two hands (and the occasional 3rd. if you're clumsy). It's the losening that I've had issues with… but can be fixed by (forry for the socus),

Damn, I haven't removed all my stickers (emphasised by one NOVA Voyager UTuber)!

PS. A lot of the NOVA's features are computer controlled, it can "easily" be upgraded by sorftware/firmware… however, you need to have some faith in technology… If you still sharpen your spear on the rock by the river bed, this may not be an option for you.

 

Ugh - I know this post is almost a year old but I decided to order a Voyager on 1/7/21 only to find out there is about a 50-60 business day to delivery!

I bought a NOS Albrecht keyless chuck on ebay for a great price. I chucked it into my PM 3520B lathe to measure runout and I kid you not there was none. My dial indicator has 0.001" increments. I even re-indexed the chuck and 1/2" shank I was measuring to and nothing. I did the same with my PSI keyless and got 0.0035" TIR and thought that was decent. Makes me feel good about the lathe too. Oh no, now if I do the same in the DP all the runout will be do to the machine.

I also purchased the Wixey DP laser recommended by many and my eyes are all over the new Woodpecker's DP-Pro drill press table but am trying to resist it until my DP is delivered or at least on it's way.

Question - on my current DP with keyed chuck I like to use it to tap holes in steel so as to keep the threads square to the piece (I do this unpowered by hand). A nice feature I see on the Voyager is auto thread tapping where it reverses automatically to clean the chips. I read from one user that this feature can't be done with a keyless chuck because the chuck will loosen if driven in reverse. Is this true?

Thanks
Mike

 

Question - on my current DP with keyed chuck I like to use it to tap holes in steel so as to keep the threads square to the piece (I do this unpowered by hand). A nice feature I see on the Voyager is auto thread tapping where it reverses automatically to clean the chips. I read from one user that this feature can t be done with a keyless chuck because the chuck will loosen if driven in reverse. Is this true?
- mbg

That even happens in wood (I make a lot of threads in wood rather than inserts - The Wood Whisperer Wood Threads - near the bottom of the blog).
You may notice I have two adjustable pliers next to my Voyager (see pictures in above comment). It appears you're prepared to sacrifice shekels for quality (by buying a Voyager) so I recommend buying a pair of good quality adjustable pliers as they will be required to undo… pick the teeth on the pliers carefully (or leather line) as they may mar the chuck.

You'll love your Voyager!