I love my Voyager drill press except for one thing.  I do not like the on..off buttons.  I really would prefer a paddle type switch. Are there any alternatives??

I'm not all that happy with them because of the lack positive on/off snap of a paddle or even a toggle but they work just fine.

My NOVA is the same as yours, except mine is in downtown Churchill, so the .500m is lost to me, but I'm going to assume that is close to 12.7mm.  With the "round" shape, I never considered using a socket... though tapping and bolting it makes total sense. I now have to find a dedicated drill to drive it.

 LBD  -  DON"T RUN TO THE STORE YET
I just took the socket off  -  it is a 3/8" drive  14mm socket.  I checked the shaft and right now it's .545 so the 1/2" socket will not work.