[Redoak49]

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

 

[splintergroup]

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.

 

[tvrgeek]

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?

 

[LittleBlackDuck]

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.

 

[mbg]

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

 

[LittleBlackDuck]

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!

 

[mbg]

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!

- LittleBlackDuck

Ha - thank you for the reply. So you have replaced the single key with two wrenches for reverse operations - progress.

Seriously, would it be easier to remove/replace the keyless chuck with the OEM keyed chuck for tapping?

 

[tvrgeek]

Junking my keyless chuck. Put on a "real" chuck as I spun too many bits. If you had a gear driven drill, you could probably get it snug enough or use the pin spanner it comes with. Well, just use a key. Maybe a $500 keyless chuck works, but a $100 one does not.

Only manufacturer who dares to publish specs is Palmgren. Should have bought it. I will say, if I had to just dial the speed, I would, but as it is, I drill at a moderate speed for almost everything. I tried some of the high speeds recommended for metals and they did not drill anywhere near as well as slower speeds. My Delta is about a 12 speed. In reality, 3 or 4 would be enough for woodworking.

It would be nice to be able to disable the spring to use my DP for tapping. Or I guess a neutralizing weight. One more project.

When we can venture out again, I will look at the Nova again.

 

[mbg]

Junking my keyless chuck. Put on a "real" chuck as I spun too many bits. If you had a gear driven drill, you could probably get it snug enough or use the pin spanner it comes with. Well, just use a key. Maybe a $500 keyless chuck works, but a $100 one does not.

Only manufacturer who dares to publish specs is Palmgren. Should have bought it. I will say, if I had to just dial the speed, I would, but as it is, I drill at a moderate speed for almost everything. I tried some of the high speeds recommended for metals and they did not drill anywhere near as well as slower speeds. My Delta is about a 12 speed. In reality, 3 or 4 would be enough for woodworking.

It would be nice to be able to disable the spring to use my DP for tapping. Or I guess a neutralizing weight. One more project.

When we can venture out again, I will look at the Nova again.

- tvrgeek

The Albrecht keyless is a $500+ chuck when bought new so maybe it will hold.

 

[mtnwalton]

The Albrecht keyless was the ultimate in the first job shop i worked at (machinist), price in 1975 was about $500. If the quality is as good as then, it would be a bargain now for $500. But it was more than i could afford in an apprenticeship while buying all my precision tools.

 

[Newbie17]

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

- mbg

Not to add to your frustrations, but I ordered the Nova Voyager in December 2020 with an expected delivery date of February 5th, 2021. Well that day passed, so I emailed them and the reply was more delays expected and will ship late April at earliest. I sent an email to Teknatool asking if the Voyager is being discontinued and am waiting for their response.

I looked online at Woodcraft and some other places today and if you order now the expected ship date is the end of June!

 

[rustynails]

...................................

 

[rustynails]

I would get this Powermatic press, as I have read a lot of negatives about the one (PM) you are looking at.
PM2820EVS DRILL PRESS

And the Nova has way to much electronics on it in my opion and I heard customer service is not the greatest either?

http://www.powermatic.com/us/en/p/pm2820evs-drill-press-1hp-1ph-120v/1792820#

 

[mbg]

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

- mbg

Not to add to your frustrations, but I ordered the Nova Voyager in December 2020 with an expected delivery date of February 5th, 2021. Well that day passed, so I emailed them and the reply was more delays expected and will ship late April at earliest. I sent an email to Teknatool asking if the Voyager is being discontinued and am waiting for their response.

I looked online at Woodcraft and some other places today and if you order now the expected ship date is the end of June!

- Newbie17

I contacted Teknatool and they told me "The cause for such a delay is an abundance of customers and during the pandemic securing overseas shipping containers, has proven to be a beast." So hopefully you will get yours soon. My due date to ship is still beginning of April.

 

[Newbie17]

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

- mbg

Not to add to your frustrations, but I ordered the Nova Voyager in December 2020 with an expected delivery date of February 5th, 2021. Well that day passed, so I emailed them and the reply was more delays expected and will ship late April at earliest. I sent an email to Teknatool asking if the Voyager is being discontinued and am waiting for their response.

I looked online at Woodcraft and some other places today and if you order now the expected ship date is the end of June!

- Newbie17

I contacted Teknatool and they told me "The cause for such a delay is an abundance of customers and during the pandemic securing overseas shipping containers, has proven to be a beast." So hopefully you will get yours soon. My due date to ship is still beginning of April.

- mbg

Where did you order through? It seems almost every store states the product ships directly from the manufacturer. I hope your shipping date is correct because if they ship in order by purchase date, I'll be receiving mine next month.

 

[mbg]

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

- mbg

Not to add to your frustrations, but I ordered the Nova Voyager in December 2020 with an expected delivery date of February 5th, 2021. Well that day passed, so I emailed them and the reply was more delays expected and will ship late April at earliest. I sent an email to Teknatool asking if the Voyager is being discontinued and am waiting for their response.

I looked online at Woodcraft and some other places today and if you order now the expected ship date is the end of June!

- Newbie17

I contacted Teknatool and they told me "The cause for such a delay is an abundance of customers and during the pandemic securing overseas shipping containers, has proven to be a beast." So hopefully you will get yours soon. My due date to ship is still beginning of April.

- mbg

Where did you order through? It seems almost every store states the product ships directly from the manufacturer. I hope your shipping date is correct because if they ship in order by purchase date, I'll be receiving mine next month.

- Newbie17

I purchased through Zoro (was able to use 20% coupon) and they too drop ship. Little strange but when I ordered mine their web page said 60 working days and today, 20 days later, if you bought it today it says 40 days. Who knows.

 

[tvrgeek]

The Albrecht keyless was the ultimate in the first job shop i worked at (machinist), price in 1975 was about $500. If the quality is as good as then, it would be a bargain now for $500. But it was more than i could afford in an apprenticeship while buying all my precision tools.

- mtnwalton

Maybe a $500 keyless will work. A $80 did not. So does a $35 keyed. I was not putting a $500 chuck on a used $300 drill.

I wonder about all the fancy features of the Nova. Can you walk up to it, turn it on, spin the knob for speed and drill? Ignore the depth stop, cutoffs, and whatever fancy gizmos it has. I use my phone to make phone calls, so that should be a hint. One reason I have not ordered one is the table only tilts 45 degrees. Can't drill for dowels in frame ends without making a jig. A woodworkers table should tilt 90 degrees at least in one direction.

I got my Delta tuned up about as far as it will go without a lathe to tune the sheaves. It does the job, but just not terribly happy with it.

Seems all the good tools are in short supply. Not just shipping delays and increased demand, but the entire supply chain was interrupted. I will be curious to see when I get my table saw.

 

[LittleBlackDuck]

Gents, I feel for you… However, once the wait is over you'll be happy as a piggin..!

Red with interest about the Albrecht keyless, and never allowing a vino cask to evaporate, I ordered one at a cost (in Australian) that many would shudder at just hearing…

I haven't tried the tapping feature, however I did try the "reverse on depth" feature on a 35mm forstner bit. It did undo on the reverse action. THis may be due to not easing up on the feed immediately when the reversing activated therby binding the bit at the bottom of the hole.
I also tried a 22mm twist bit in construction pine with the same results, thoug I did drill down 70mm… I had to use my 2 adjustable pliers to tighten the chuck up enough to "forward" drill and extricate the bit.

The Albrecht is better than my previous cheapo keyless one, but with limited use so far I cannot draw major conclusions. Haven't tried run-out tests etc… and what I did was very basic and unscientific… Just reporting before others are just as eager to purchase before due diligence.

I do recommend keyless chucks, however, I would not throw away the keyed chuck for the odd tapping operations… It's not that difficult to swap out the chucks if needed, however, for me its just a pain to lower the tabletop enough so I can re-seat the replacement chuck… my tabletop is too big to be able to swing to the side to provide clearance to the quill, without moving the entire DP from the wall.

 

[Newbie17]

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

- mbg

Not to add to your frustrations, but I ordered the Nova Voyager in December 2020 with an expected delivery date of February 5th, 2021. Well that day passed, so I emailed them and the reply was more delays expected and will ship late April at earliest. I sent an email to Teknatool asking if the Voyager is being discontinued and am waiting for their response.

I looked online at Woodcraft and some other places today and if you order now the expected ship date is the end of June!

- Newbie17

I contacted Teknatool and they told me "The cause for such a delay is an abundance of customers and during the pandemic securing overseas shipping containers, has proven to be a beast." So hopefully you will get yours soon. My due date to ship is still beginning of April.

- mbg

Where did you order through? It seems almost every store states the product ships directly from the manufacturer. I hope your shipping date is correct because if they ship in order by purchase date, I'll be receiving mine next month.

- Newbie17

I purchased through Zoro (was able to use 20% coupon) and they too drop ship. Little strange but when I ordered mine their web page said 60 working days and today, 20 days later, if you bought it today it says 40 days. Who knows.

- mbg

Can you tell me more about this coupon? I have plenty of time to cancel my order and order from another company. : )

 

[LittleBlackDuck]

Can you tell me more about this coupon? I have plenty of time to cancel my order and order from another company. : )
- Newbie17

I'm guessing a shortage is a shortage wherever you go as it's a manufacturer's issue… I've traveled far and wide and I'm still 4' 15.5" tall wherever I end up.