$1500 buys a used drill press that is better than any made today.
Don't rule out a used milling machine. They can sometimes be found uber cheap and then can be used for other things. We found an old Powermatic which is about 3/4 the size of a BP. Also have a delta dp that I love. There's nothing wrong with changing belts. It only takes a minute.
I have a 20 year old Delta drill press and a old Rockwell 16 inch that I got in a package deal with three other major tools all for $400. The Rockwell is an excellent machine. The Delta is good but not in the same league as the Rockwell. I would look for and buy an old Rockwell , Powermatic or General drill press, if you only want to spend money once. Start with your "upgrade", and enjoy it. I would agree that a laser is not a necessity,and I would not run sanding drums much on my presses. I have never felt short-changed without 6'' of quill travel either. Only you can decide what is right for your needs however,so with that I wish you luck, Mike.
Stopped by my local Rockler yesterday. They had one on display but couldnt power it on and they didnt know anything about any $1299 sale. Seems like a solid unit. Thought the depth gauge wasn't super nice and the chuck wasnt anything fancy, but the rest of it was nice enough from what I could tell.
If at first you don't succeed, redefine success!
The Woodcraft "flyer" is more like a catalog than a flyer. It does list the DP at $1299, but the sale ends today. The "free stuff" is a magnetic light.
The sale flyer states that the sale runs February 24 thru March 23. There are some exceptions -- Jet 3/3 thru 3/6, Rikon 3/10 thru 3/20, Sawstop 3/1 thru 4/30. The free gift for the Nova is a magnetic base light. The Nova drill press appears to fall under the 2/24 thru 3/23. It does say shipping may apply.
It is a shame they couldn't power it up (and know how to use it) when the electrons hit it makes this odd duck make sense. When it is loafing along at 60 rpm with almost no noise and stupid amounts of torque (yes we tried to stall it) and when it is flying at 5000k and there is simply no vibration it starts to make sense. The depth gauge does appear an afterthought BUT it kinda is considering it has a quite sophisticated electronic stop built into it with much higher accuracy than a manual stop. I would change the chuck but I will never have a DP with a keyed chuck ever again but that is cheap and easy from say Shars or one can go with a real Albrecht. A couple of things not highlighted in the thread are the base (huge compared to the Delta and PM) and the fact it is a split head design, the latter is something sorely missing from the majority of new woodworking DPs. While the electronic bells and whistles may appear to be the calling card of this DP for me it has more to do with the actual bones of the machine, it is heavy, has a huge amount of power and the vibration it lower than any DP I have ever used save a mill/drill. I am a big fan of the PM 1200 VS but honestly would have a hard time choosing if they were both gifts, even if the 1200 had a production table devoid of any arc of shame.
Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.
Deep thought for the day:
Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.
Swung by my local dealer and he made me a deal I couldn't refuse on the Powermatic 2800B. Someone ordered one and backed out of it, so I got a pretty decent deal. Will pick it up tomorrow.
Thanks for all the responses. As with most woodworking equipment of this caliber, they'll all do the job. Some are loved; some are hated. Gotta love the Internets1.
I think you made a good choice. Congrats.
Owwww, New toy! [Rubbing Hands]
The Woodcraft sale of the Nova DP starts tomorrow (Friday, Feb 24th) which is why you don't see it on their website now. The freeby with it is a $50 magnetic base work light.
I have a Delta 18-900L and have been very happy with it.