Comparing quality of King Canada and KIRA 13” drill presses. (1st pic below)
In post #15 above i mentioned the two drill presses i cleaned up. Neither are old outdated tools but i thought I’d post this here as a continuation my above post. The KIRA is 50 years old while the KC is getting close to it’s 25th birthday. The build quality of the Japanese KIRA is lightyears ahead of the Chinese KC.
First example: the pulley of the KC is secured to the spindle with a set screw engaging a flat spot on the spindle shaft. Simple but effective. The KIRA goes a few steps further. There is a key held in place by a set screw. The key fits accurately into a machined recess on the spindle shaft (see the 2 pics below). In addition, there is a locking nut that secures the pulley to the top spindle bearing (see next pic).
Second example: Although they look very similar and appear to be about the same size and weight- the KIRA weighs over 140 pounds vs under 90 pounds for the CK.
Lastly, runout: I did a crude runout comparison. I subjected both drills to the same loads and measured at the same distances with similarly mounting locations for the gauge. The lateral movement on the spindle (approximately 25 lb applied back and forth) was 0.001” for the KIRA and 0.007” for the CK. (see photos). This last measurement is not runout but downward deflection on the table with two 12.5 pound dumbbell weights on the spindle handle. KIRA 0.0035” vs KC 0.012”
(I subjected my pathetic POC almost new Mastercraft 8” drill press to similar loads. Lateral spindle movement was 0.026” and downward movement on the table was 0.120”).
Last pic is the KIRA’s new home on my work bench.
In post #15 above i mentioned the two drill presses i cleaned up. Neither are old outdated tools but i thought I’d post this here as a continuation my above post. The KIRA is 50 years old while the KC is getting close to it’s 25th birthday. The build quality of the Japanese KIRA is lightyears ahead of the Chinese KC.
First example: the pulley of the KC is secured to the spindle with a set screw engaging a flat spot on the spindle shaft. Simple but effective. The KIRA goes a few steps further. There is a key held in place by a set screw. The key fits accurately into a machined recess on the spindle shaft (see the 2 pics below). In addition, there is a locking nut that secures the pulley to the top spindle bearing (see next pic).
Second example: Although they look very similar and appear to be about the same size and weight- the KIRA weighs over 140 pounds vs under 90 pounds for the CK.
Lastly, runout: I did a crude runout comparison. I subjected both drills to the same loads and measured at the same distances with similarly mounting locations for the gauge. The lateral movement on the spindle (approximately 25 lb applied back and forth) was 0.001” for the KIRA and 0.007” for the CK. (see photos). This last measurement is not runout but downward deflection on the table with two 12.5 pound dumbbell weights on the spindle handle. KIRA 0.0035” vs KC 0.012”
(I subjected my pathetic POC almost new Mastercraft 8” drill press to similar loads. Lateral spindle movement was 0.026” and downward movement on the table was 0.120”).
Last pic is the KIRA’s new home on my work bench.
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