Power and hand together (11): The Power of the Press

[Derek Cohen]

The drill press, that is.

This is one of those machines I do not want to be without. It has many uses, and today it was used to shape the ends of the risers for the floating cabinets. Not much in the way of hand skills here today.

I purchased the Nova Voyager about 5 years ago courtesy of a Black Friday special and a kind-hearted wife. This replaced a close-to-entry-level 12-speed Taiwanese press I had for about 25 years. For those unfamiliar with the Voyager, here is one feature that I find so amazing about this machine.

In all the time I have used this drill press I have yet to burn a blade or wood. A few buttons to push, and you can set any type of drill bit, of any size, to turn at the ideal speed for different densities of wood (or metal).

I needed to cut quarter-circles at the end of the support for the cabinet. One could do this with a bandsaw/jigsaw and spindle sander. I do not own a spindle sander .... but, wait, the drill press can become a spindle sander!

Here is the Voyager ...




Select the drill bit. In this case, a hole saw ...




Set the size - 54mm ...




Choose hardwood ...




Confirm the speed, and it is ready to go ...




The workpiece is on the left, with a stop block on the right ...




Flip the workpiece for the second cut ...




And so on until all four supports are completed.




Easy peasy.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Larry Frank]

I ha e had my Nova Voyager for about the same length of time and really enjoy it. I had a Jet and always struggled with changing belts so I almost never did it. With the Voyager I change speeds with every change of bits. Also, the run out is almost nothing.

I have one complaint and that is the on off touch pad. I would prefer a standard paddle switch.

[Derek Cohen]

Larry, I do not like the push pads on both my Novas. They require more directed force and provide less feedback than simple buttons. I understand the desire to make the electronics dust-proof. Still …

Regards from Perth

Derek