Inca 510 jointer/planer

[sean schriver]

I was wondering if anyone has any input on a fair price for a mint condition 10" Tersa head Model 510 (circa mid eighties) still in the box but without motor/belt and stand. Also what is the max accurate "face Jointing" length on the short bed model. I was looking for an 8 inch x 60 inch Jointer but am looking at a Inca 510 for sale. Any suggestions on motor size and where to get (will need to be 110v up to 30amp for now)?:rolleyes:

[Bill Miltner]

Arer you sure it is a 510? I thought the 550 was the first one that was sold with the tersa head. it makes a difference with the motor requirement. The 510 can work with a variety of motors, the 550 not so much.

[Larry Edgerton]

If you buy it PM me and I will dig out my supplier of Genuine Tersa knives. I found one that is cheaper by far than most. Do not buy the clones, they are junk.

[Larry Edgerton]

If you buy it PM me and I will dig out my supplier of Genuine Tersa knives. I found one that is cheaper by far than most. Do not buy the clones, they are junk.


If you don't buy it I may be interested in buying it for a jobsite tool......

[John TenEyck]

I have face jointed boards over 8 feet long on my Inca. It's a bit of a challenge to support the board as it comes off the outfeed table, but I've had no trouble keeping them flat and true. It's more about technique than length of the jointer tables. Don't let the small size put you off. The Inca is an awesome machine. As for price, hmmm, the ones I occassionally see seem to go between $750 and $1200, although a poster here just got one for $400.

[Kelly Colin Mark]

Does anyone happen to have a copy (ideally, electronic) of the manual for the 510 ? There's one on the Inca group but it's pretty low resolution and hard to make out.

I just got a 510 working but the feed mechanism consistently stalls after the piece has been pulled in a few inches. A whack on the board gets it moving at which point it is pulled through without incident. If there's a dish, a second time through (again, needing another whack after a few inches) and the piece is perfect.

Does anyone have any advise as to what I might look to adjust ? The only advice I got on the Inca group was to wax the bed. I am sure someone will suggest calling Jesse@Eagle, but I've found it's so hard to get him to get back to you...I'm sure he's really busy.

[Michael Gaynes]

I have one. It's 4.5MB and very readable. PM me your e-mail address and I'll send it to you.

[John TenEyck]

Congrats on getting the Inca. I've had one for over 20 years and have run a lot of wood through it. I have a different model so my manual probably wouldn't be of much help. If your model uses the planetary gear drive system for the feed rollers, like mine, then the stalling you are having could be due to the belt slipping on one of the pulleys. Take off the cover and watch it when you run a board through. I had that problem once after I got a little happy with the spray lube and some got on the belt. The more typical reason for stalling, however, is what those on the Inca forum told you; the board sticking on the lower bed plate. Wet woods or those with pitch are a real problem, but it also happens with nice dry hardwood as well. Wax and polish the bed with paste wax (I like Butcher's Bowling Alley Wax) and it's good to go for a few hundred more board feet. Good luck.

Thought of one more thing. Check the ends of the feed rollers, where they sit in the brackets in the side frames. There could be sawdust and possibly grease packed in there which is preventing the rollers from riding up and down smoothly. If you lift one end of the roller up it should return without hesitation when you release it. If not, clean it out and shoot in a little silicone or similar lube that dries completely until it does.

[Jon Middleton]

I have a 510, and need new knobs for the outfeed table. They crack where the pin goes through them. I might touch up the edges of the guides on the table, too, as they seem a little snug in the case recess. Anybody have a source for the knobs? I could use some tersa blades, too. Thanks.

[Jim Matthews]

Jesse at Eagle-tools (http://www.eagle-tools.com/) in los Angeles has all the Garret-Wade inventory from the 1980's.

If he hasn't got it, there are second hand units on occasion.

[Len Siegle]

I have one. It's 4.5MB and very readable. PM me your e-mail address and I'll send it to you. I have just purchased an Inca 510 at a yard sale for $140. it is missing the top guard and manual. if yours is still available I would love a copy. can you PDF it over to me?

[Loren Woirhaye]

Len, join the INCA group on Yahoo groups. That's where the action is and there's an archive of scanned paper.

[Len Siegle]

Len, join the INCA group on Yahoo groups. That's where the action is and there's an archive of scanned paper.Do you have a link?

[Loren Woirhaye]

You need a Yahoo email account to join a group.

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/incawoodworking/info

[Jay Park]

I have an Inca 510 as well. I'm very happy with it.

As for the short bed, I'm planning on building an extension like this.

290934290935290936

The Inca Yahoo Group forum has more info on it.
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/incawoodworking/conversations/messages/6111

[Len Siegle]

I have an Inca 510 as well. I'm very happy with it.

As for the short bed, I'm planning on building an extension like this.

290934290935290936

The Inca Yahoo Group forum has more info on it.
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/incawoodworking/conversations/messages/6111I got in touch with Jesse at Eagle Tools and he has the owners manual for $12. I also told him I needed the articulating arm guard for the jointer table and he quoted me $300. Ouch!! Then he went on to say that if the machine is in good shape, which it is, that it is worth between $500 and $1000. So maybe investing in the guard isn't that bad a deal.

[Loren Woirhaye]

The articulating SUVA guards are pretty groovy, but with not much hassle a shop made guard can be made up. It juts needs to 1) slide left to allow edge jointing and 2) raise on the left side mount for passing work under the guard when face planing. The short bed 510 is worth much closer to $500 than $1000. Does it have a Tersa head?

[Len Siegle]

The articulating SUVA guards are pretty groovy, but with not much hassle a shop made guard can be made up. It juts needs to 1) slide left to allow edge jointing and 2) raise on the left side mount for passing work under the guard when face planing. The short bed 510 is worth much closer to $500 than $1000. Does it have a Tersa head?not sure how to tell the difference. any help would be appreciated. thanks.

[Len Siegle]

Not sure of the difference. I have read a lot of talk about Tersa heads but not sure what it has. how can I tell?

[Len Siegle]

The articulating SUVA guards are pretty groovy, but with not much hassle a shop made guard can be made up. It juts needs to 1) slide left to allow edge jointing and 2) raise on the left side mount for passing work under the guard when face planing. The short bed 510 is worth much closer to $500 than $1000. Does it have a Tersa head?Not sure of the difference. How do I tell

[Loren Woirhaye]

The Tersa head on my INCA 570 is made up of a stack of steel plates, not a machined bar. Also, when you look at the side of the cutterhead you can see the knife is reversable and there are no gib screws or adjusters of any kind on the cutterhead cylinder.

[Len Siegle]

The Tersa head on my INCA 570 is made up of a stack of steel plates, not a machined bar. Also, when you look at the side of the cutterhead you can see the knife is reversable and there are no gib screws or adjusters of any kind on the cutterhead cylinder.based on that then I definitely have the stock head.

[Jon Middleton]

Couple of things on the Inca. One, wax makes a huge difference when thickness planing. As in night and day. It also helps when jointing, wood just floats across the tables making it smooth and effortless. In fact, I was having a hard time raising panels on my router table, too, and wax really helped. Also helps with hand planes.

Two, jointing long, heavy material seems to torque the case slightly. Up to about 5' is no problem, but beyond that it gets tough for me. I couldn't edge joint straight when doing 9' boards, seemed like I was off ~1/32 over that length. Not sure that a table mounted extension would cure the problem. My table saw is on a roller stand which is height adjustable, so I line it up perfectly flush with the infeed table and used a roller stand lined up on the outfeed side. Jointing two 9' boards and putting them edge to edge showed no gap, that is, I am able to joint within .001" over the 9' length all day long.

Great machine, very precise and a small footprint. I had actually contemplated replacing it with a Hammer because of the short tables, a larger machine, but there's no need. Saved myself $5K. I have used mine to build all the cabinets, wainscoting, mantle, etc, for my home theater. Being able to mill baseboards on a small machine is pretty cool.

[Len Siegle]

Does anyone have an idea where a person might come across a used articulating arm guard for an Inca 510 jointer/planer? Are they even available, if not what is my next best option.

[John TenEyck]

The Inca Yahoo forum is probably your best bet; maybe someone has a machine they're parting out. Otherwise, I'd consider adapting an American style guard onto the machine. The Inca guard is no better, IMO, just different and I wouldn't go out of my way to find a replacement if an alternative could be fit onto it.

John

[Tom Livernois]

I just got an Inka 510 and am in the process of cleaning it and lubricating things. It didn't come with a manual so I don't want to screw anything up. I'm wondering about preferred lubrication for the chain, etc. and also the thicknessing table seems way too hard to move, I'm assuming there is no lock, should I lube threaded rods it moves on? You can tell how well made it is but it's been sitting a while. I also am going to need new blades and a belt. Also I'm trying verify if its wired for 110 or 220, it's a plug with two tangs in a flat line. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I can't wait to get this up and running.

[John TenEyck]

I lube the chain, sprockets, and threaded rods with Triflow. Take the lower cover off to access the chain and sprockets. If yours has a planetary gear drive like mine, with a separate motor under the table, not the direct drive model, you should take that cover off and clean out the old grease and relube everything with plastic gear grease (sorry, can't remember what it's called). You need new blades? Really? I've been using the same two sets for 30 years, and have run thousands of feet of lumber through it. I sharpen them when they get dull. Takes 30 minutes or so. The best way to tell if it's wired for 110 or 220V is to take off the motor cover and see how the wires are connected vs. the wiring diagram that should be inside or outside that cover.

Enjoy the machine after you get it up and running. They do amazing work for their size.

John

[Tom Livernois]

John:
Thanks for the reply. The machine was owned by my teacher who recently died. He wanted me to have this when he was gone, but now that he's gone I can't ask him questions. The blades actually do seem pretty sharp, I just assumed they'd be dull since he was in poor health and didn't really maintain it that well towards the end. It does need a new belt though, looks like it would have been a flat belt. It seems like everyone posting is very satisfied with the cut. I have a Laguna J/P combo machine with a helical head, which I really like. Would looking to see if there was a helical head made for this machine be worth any effort? I've yet to run anything through it so am just looking for input at this point. Can't wait to get it working! Again thank for the help.

Tom

[John TenEyck]

John:
Thanks for the reply. The machine was owned by my teacher who recently died. He wanted me to have this when he was gone, but now that he's gone I can't ask him questions. The blades actually do seem pretty sharp, I just assumed they'd be dull since he was in poor health and didn't really maintain it that well towards the end. It does need a new belt though, looks like it would have been a flat belt. It seems like everyone posting is very satisfied with the cut. I have a Laguna J/P combo machine with a helical head, which I really like. Would looking to see if there was a helical head made for this machine be worth any effort? I've yet to run anything through it so am just looking for input at this point. Can't wait to get it working! Again thank for the help.

Tom

So it sounds like your machine has the motor underneath, right? If so, the belt you are talking about is indeed a flat belt and drives the planetary gear system. Unless that belt is frayed you shouldn't need to replace it, but if you do you should be able to get them from Eagle America, IIRC. I don't believe anyone makes a helical type head for the Inca. I asked a year or two ago on the Inca Yahoo forum and no one knew of one at that time. If you have a Laguna J/P why would you need the Inca - other than it having sentimental value since it was a gift?

The Yahoo Inca group can be found here: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/incawoodworking/info Maybe someone there has an electronic version of the owner's manual. As I said, the blades last a very long time, especially the HSS ones. I sharpen mine with a knife grinder now, but I used to sharpen them by hand with waterstones and a homemade jig. I have no clue where to buy new ones. They have a cutout in them for the jack screws. Unless Eagle America has some I think you'd have to look on E-Bay for some used ones or have someone custom mill some slots in a generic blade.

John

[Tom Livernois]

Yes, the motor is underneath and the belt is gone I'll be calling Eagle today. It does have sentimental value, plus it just seems like a very sweet machine. I'm going to keep it in a different part of my shop on a mobile base so I can move it outside when weather permits to just let the chips fly outside. I have a couple sets of the HSS blades unfortunately with some rust on one set.

[John TenEyck]

Yes, the motor is underneath and the belt is gone I'll be calling Eagle today. It does have sentimental value, plus it just seems like a very sweet machine. I'm going to keep it in a different part of my shop on a mobile base so I can move it outside when weather permits to just let the chips fly outside. I have a couple sets of the HSS blades unfortunately with some rust on one set.


Indeed, it is a very sweet machine. It's very smooth but does serious work. It's especially nice to have a 10-1/4" jointer in such a small footprint. Rust on the blades is usually easy to remove with water or oil stones, and rather irrelevant as long as it hasn't created pits in the cutting edge or bevel. And you really only need one set of knives. I can take them out, sharpen them, and have them back in in less than 45 minutes. Fast enough for a hobby shop.

John

[Tom Livernois]

Ordered a belt former Jesse at Eagle, he also has HSS blades but I'm going to sharpen mine first. For the amount of use I know they have on them they are amazingly sharp already. Jesse is very helpful, a great resource. I was also able to track down the original manual which was in perfect condition. Very nice...

[Tom Livernois]

I've been using my Inca for about a month now and all I can say is this machine is amazing. I've been using it mostly for planing and doing the jointing on my Laguna. As I said the knives have seen a lot of BF but still give an incredibly smooth cut. I can't figure out how this thing cuts like it does with only two knives. An amazing and beautiful machine, one you could certainly get a bit obsessed with. Highly recommended.

[John TenEyck]

Glad to hear you're enjoying the Inca, Tom. If you look at the rpm of the cutter head and speed of the board going through the Inca has a lot of cuts/linear inch despite only having 2 knives. Combined with good bearings and good balance in the cutter head and it results in a very smooth surface. Having a 10-1/4" jointing capacity in such a small machine was the reason I bought mine all those years ago, and I've never regretted it. Too bad they didn't make a 12 or 15" wide one !

John