Voyager Drill press runout

[Cliff Polubinsky]

Took delivery of a Nova Voyager today and managed to get it assembled. One thing I can say is that these people need a good technical writer. I used to write industrial training scripts and it's evident that no one at the company has tried to set up a press following their instructions.

Now that I've got that off my chest, I have a question about how much runout to expect. I'm currently getting close to. 003. Maybe a touch under. I reseated the spindle and chuck and got the same reading.

Before I try chasing this farther, is this normal for the stock chuck? If not, suggestions on dialing it in better? Is this acceptable or should I be looking for a better chuck?

Thanks
Cliff

[Robert Hayward]

What method of measuring are you using? Quill at rest or extended? Drill rod in the chuck? How far is the drill rod extended past the jaws of the chuck, if using drill rod?

[Cliff Polubinsky]

Quill is at rest. Drill bit in chuck and measuring just below the chuck.

Cliff

[derek labian]

If I were you I would do drill some test holes and see if your really seeing an issue in your holes before you decide the runout is a problem. I had/have similar problems on my press, but it doesn't translate into real issues with anything i've actually drilled.

[Jim Becker]

Try removing and reseating the taper, assuming it's designed that way.

[Bill Dufour]

Remove chuck and indicate the quill taper before you do anything more. I adjusted my old WALKER TURNeR TO .002 several inches below the chuck jaws and realized that was good enough. I got it below 0.003 in 15 minutes and another 15 minute to get to 0.002. I could have kept going but why?
I jammed a big bit a week later and it was out over 0.005 so I bent it back with. a pipe clamp. It is very easy to bend the spindle with a pipe clamp and DI. The trick is is it only bent in one plane and how much springback to allow for. I think I started at around 0.004.
I seem to remember the bend was 90% in one plane and maybe 10% at right angles to that
Bill D

[Larry Frank]

I put a keyless chuck on my Voyager and measured 0.002" run out. I have never had any issues doing woodworking type work. My previous drill press was the Jet and it had run out around 0.010" and considerable quill slop. It was unacceptable for woodworking.

[Brian Tymchak]

I 've not been able to get any better than .007 runout on my Voyager with stock chuck. I reseated the arbor and cleaned the spindle at least a half dozen times. It is much better than it was on first installation. I didn't even measure runout as I could see the wobble. On the subsequent cleaning I found a small piece of clear packing tape up in the spindle.

[Robert Hayward]

Just checked mine using the method you described and I am seeing .00225 or maybe .0022. I have had mine for several years and had not checked it since I set it up when new. Cannot recall what is was back then. I also have an aftermarket chuck on mine. A 1/32 - 5/8 keyed Rohm chuck. I recall having to remove the arbor and attached chuck two or three times and reseating it to get an acceptable amount of runout.

[Bill Dufour]

If you are happy with runout it is a good idea to mark the arbor/spindle orientation. Just a sharpie dot on each. This will allow fast refits if it comes loose.
Bill D