DVR Drill Press beta test!

[handi]

Just received a pre-production model of Teknatool's new DVR drill press.





Direct drive, no belts to slip or quill to run out. The inverter tracks the rpm and applies power as needed just like the DVR lathe.

You can zero the depth anywhere, like the top of your stock, and set the hole depth, and it will stop spinning when it reaches depth.

It can spin as low as 50 rpm, I have not yet tried to find max yet.

It is a game changer. The first true advance in drill presses since they were invented.

Ralph

[Dave Diaman]

That is a pretty nice drill press. Mine is about on its last leg. Any idea when it will hit the market? I have a Nova DVR lathe and love it.

I'm surprised they let you post pictures of it. I beta test tools for Black and Decker and a few other makers and I am always sworn to secrecy about them until they hit the market.

[handi]

Dave,

The production models are on the water, so they should be available very soon.

I was surprised too, but I specifically asked. I assumed they would not want photos or video, but asked if I could post about having it for testing. They got back to me encouraging the photos/video.

But they had a non-working mock up of this unit at IWF last year, and a pre-pre-production model at AWFS, so it is not like they have been secretive.

Ralph

[EvilTwin]

Interesting. What are the specs on the motor? If its going to spin at 50 RPM, how much current is it dumping to that motor to keep up torque? On a typical Reeves drive press, you have quite a bit of torque due to the mechanical advantage of the pulleys. But those presses rarely go over 1hp. The DVR lathes look to be 1.75hp, it wouldn't surprise me if this press has the same motor and needs every bit of it in order to match the torque of a traditional press.

Have you tried spinning a fairly large forstner bit at slow speed to see how it handles it?

[thewizzard]

handi said:

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... It is a game changer. The first true advance in drill presses since they were invented.

Ralph

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Well, I'm not quite sure what game is going to change or if that game really needed to be changed but I always like bells and whistles.

As long as the new tech can be introduced at a competitive price and has unquestionable long term reliability, I'd give it a look.

[handi]

The DVR technology offers many features not seen before.

Yes, it has full torque even at 50 rpm. This is more like an inverter than a resistor speed controller. The computer constantly reads both rpm AND load and applies power as needed.

It also will shut down very rapidly if it senses a spike in the load. So when the bit catches as it exits a piece of metal, it will shut down rather than spinning the steel mindlessly. This technology is the same as their DVR lathe and it works. I had a tool catch on mine and you could see by the groove in the part that it stopped in just about one revolution.

The computer controller firmware can be updated, so new sub-routines can be added. For example, they are working on one that will start a bit very slowly, increasing the power and rpm as the resistance increases. This would prevent the tip of the bit from wandering before it had enough material around it to help guide it.

Ralph

[handi]

I am also told that the production unit will have a bigger table, more woodworking, less machine shop.

[Phil S.]

handi said:

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I am also told that the production unit will have a bigger table, more woodworking, less machine shop.

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That was my knee jerk reaction to the picture, needs a bigger table like a PM2800.

[Routerman]

~sale price=?

[Boatman53]

What is the drilling depth? That is why I have all vintage machines in my shop, I get 6" or more of depth. The newer ones bearly get 4" from what I've seen.
Jim