Inca 570 opinions please

[Craig Stueve]

There is an Inca 570 for sale in my area with an extra set of knives for $500. I have limited shop space and build furniture primarily. At this point my woodworking is strictly a hobby. I currently have a 6" Grizzly jointer and 13" Ryobi portable planer. I like the idea of exchanging 2 machines for 1 and gaining some valuable space back. Additionally a 10" jointer would quite often be very handy.

Other than the relatively short beds and more complicated changeover are there any other big drawbacks to a machine like this?

What are the things I should be looking for when I try out this machine before I would buy it?

Is anyone aware if the blades still available for the Tersa cutter head? If so where?

If anyone has first hand experience with this machine that would be great.

Craig

[Kevin Adams]

Craig--

Where's your area because if it's close to me, I would grab the 570 at that price! If it's in good shape, it could easily go for $1500-2000. As new, it was over $2500 and there is quite a "cult" following out there so the resale value is great.

I have owned several Inca machines over many years and still own three now, including the 510 J/P, a predecessor to the 570. In short, they are very well made machines. They are light duty, but precise. On the down side, they are no longer made so parts are not guaranteed. Eagle Tools in CA has bought out all the spare parts that Garrett Wade used to have. Jesse at Eagle is a great resource, not only for parts, but for advice.

Feel free to contact me off line if you would like more info. I would also strongly suggest that you pose your question on the Inca Yahoo site:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/incawoodworking/

BTW, I just checked that site and if you are referring to the 570 in WI, it's mentioned on the Yahoo site. I would doubt it's even available at this point as there is usually a feeding frenzy once folks know there is one out there.

Good luck,
Kevin

[Jim Becker]

No problem with the Tersa knives...there are several sources. The Inca machine was generally well-liked by folks.

[Wilbur Pan]

I don't have an Inca (drool), but I have a 10" jointer/planer combo machine that was sold by Rikon for a while.

I can say that the changeover on my machine is really not as difficult as many people believe. Also, the "disadvantage" of a shorter bed is also overestimated.

Overall, I'm really satisfied with my machine. I would go for it.

[Eric Derry]

Hi,
The Inca 570 was my only planer/joiner for about ten years and I made quite a bit of furniture with it. When sharp the Tersa blades would leave a tearout free surface on any wood I tried. I never felt the jointer was too short or the planer too narrow. I did melt a plastic gear once by planing wide rough sawn walnut for a few hours without a break. I now own a Delta DJ 20 and a Delta DC-33.I bought a lunchbox planer because I missed the cut quality of the Inca and find the portable to give similar results and now start planing on the delta and make the last pass or two on the lunchbox. I bought my 570 for $1200 and sold it ten years later for the same price. I would jump on that deal. Good luck

[Craig Stueve]

Thanks for all of the responses. I have a got a few pictures of the machine from the seller and will be going to look at it hopefully tomorrow. The more I did around the web and read the more it sounds like this just might be a perfect machine for me. Any more thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Here are the pictures.

Thanks Again,
Craig

[Phil Thien]

I don't have a 5-series, but I do have a 410. This is an 8-5/8" jointer/planer. The same one, I should mention, that Krenov uses.

What it lacks in the toughness of old iron machines it makes up for in finesse. The precision and repeatability are beyond anything else I've tried.

[Don Bullock]

Craig, let us know if you get it. I'll second the comment about Jesse at Eagle Tools in Los Angeles. He's a great guy and ships machines all over the country, not just California.

[Hank Knight]

Craig,

I own an Inca 570. It has been my only jointer/planer for 20 years. I love it. I have a very small shop and the Inca gives me really good performance with a small footprint. I sometimes wish for a longer bed, but the Inca handles 98% of what I do (mostly furniture) with no problem and the 10" capacity is really nice.

As Jim said, the Tersa knives are available. I've replaced mine many times and it couldn't be easier. When sharp, they leave a very smooth finish and I get good life out a set of high speed steel blades. I never tried to quantify how long theyt last, but I don't have to change them often. Carbide blades are available, but they are seriously expensive and I've not felt them necessary.

Inca's weak spot is the plastic gearing for the planer feed mechanism. Like Eric Derry, I melted a set of gears on mine because I didn't keep them lubricated properly. They were easy to replace, but that was 8 or 10 years ago, so I don't know if they are still available. I've been meaning to order an extra set for my machine, but I have never gotten around to it.

The machine also has an unusual belt that drives the feed mechanism. Mine has never failed and I still have the spare that came with my machine. It looks like a non-standard item. For these reasons I would check the gears and the belt on the machine you're looking at. Otherwise they are pretty simple machines. If it's in good shape, I'd grab it in a heartbeat. $500 is a great price.

Hank

Edit:

I just looked at the pictures of your machine. The motor and the switch have been replaced. I Don't know if that is a problem, but I would ask about the replacement. My house got hit by lightning 4 or 5 years ago and one of the casualties was the magnetic switch on my 570. I had a local electric motor service/repair company wire in a new toggle switch (non magnetic) and it works fine. My motor was not damaged.

[walter stellwagen]

if length is a problem Garret Wade used to carry extensions to about 6 feet I don"t know if eagle tools carries them

Walt

[Craig Stueve]

I am going to look at the machine tonight and give it a try. The owner said he would show me all of the operations and functions of the machine. The owner is selling it due to safety concerns caused by failing eyesight. He is the original owner and has all of the paperwork. The motor was replaced about 5 years ago. The original switch had failed and a friend of his "new how to fix it". That fix resulted in the motor frying. He told me that for him at least the new switch setup is much easier to use. I am hoping that the plastic gears which are the apparent weak spot of the design are in good shape.

With any luck I'll have some pictures of my new machine by morning.

I'll also have a jointer and planer for sale.:D

Craig

[Fred Craven]

YOU WANT TO SEND IT TO MEEEEEE.:D

You don't feel the need for such a machine.;)

It's too expensive for you. :eek:

I'll gladly take it for you....:D
----

You know it really sucks that you can't get INCA in the US any more. That Jointer-planer was/is one of the best JPs you can get--without having to go to a massive machine.

I wish I had one. Now days there is a group of enthusiasts who are collecting them, and driving up the price. And, of all the INCA line, the JP is one of the most popular, following the old tilting top table saw. I have the 2200, their big, and last in the US, table saw:). It's not near as popular as the jointer planers.

[Gary Curtis]

Eagle Tools (Jesse) usually has an inventory of Inca machines and parts. I bought my entire shop from them-- not Inca. Though I was tempted by one of the Inca Jointer/Planer combos for about $1500. They had two of them in stock when I last visited in March.

Two fellows in my woodworking club in the Los Angeles area had Inca 12" tablesaws. One of them mounted a Robland sliding attachment to his for a really useful piece of equipment. Inca ceased production years ago. In 2005 the furniture shop at the J. Paul Ghetty Museum traded in all their Inca equipment and used Eagle Tool to outfit them with larger scale machines.

Eagle can be reached at 323 999-2909.

Gary Curtis
Northern California

[Jim Becker]

It's good to see that Eagle is in the loop for Inca...there was a really big hole left when Garrett Wade stopped distributing and supporting these tools. My cabinetmaker neighbor has the big bandsaw. It's got a throat that goes practically "forever"!!

[Kevin Adams]

Craig--

So did you pick it up? I looked at the photos and it looks fine. Your only potential issues were the belts (readily available) and the black plastic gear. Please note that these are no longer made. Jesse has a supply of them and he rations them carefully (won't let people buy many at a time). Once his supply runs out, he has discussed finding a local source to manufacture them for him. If you buy the machine (which I recommend you do), I would suggest you buy an extra black gear from Jesse to keep as a spare. Just remember to keep it lubed up with white lithium grease (even if you don't use the machine that much the grease should be refreshed). Like a few others, I melted one when doing a marathon planing session one day.

Let us know what you decided.

Kevin

[Phil Thien]

Inca ceased production years ago.

I thought Inca was sold by the founder to Multico Sarl (a French concern). And, that many of the machines continue to be produced there now, just not exported to the U.S.

[Neil Clemmons]

There's a great Inca resource on Yahoo groups. Just go to groups.yahoo.com and search for Inca. You'll find lots of discussions on the machines.

While GW stopped selling them and the company went through some financial challenges, it appears someone is trying to start manufacturing them again in France.

Check out www.incamachines.com for information. Some owners manuals and a contact us link that might give you more info.

I have an Inca bandsaw, the J/P like the 570 without the Tersa knives and their cabinetmakers saw. All are over 20 years old and still going strong.

Neil

[Craig Stueve]

Last night I made it to look at the Inca and was quite pleasantly surprised. It had obviously been used but is very well cared for. The only thing that is at all wrong with it is the plastic knob for installing and removing the outfeed table is broken off. The other thing that was different from what I had expected was the cutterhead. It is not the Tersa type but the 2 knife standard style. The motor is a Lesson 2 HP wired for 220. It starts up and runs surprisingly smooth. The plastic gears are in excellent condition and well lubricated.

I was able to run a couple of 9 inch wide pieces of walnut and cherry through both the planer and jointer. I was impressed. The finish was excellent and this was with a set of knives that are due to be sharpened. The owner had to leave or I would have brought it home with me last night. Not to worry it will be in its new home either Sun or Mon evening. :D

Craig

[Steve Wargo]

Great Find. I love mine. It is a heck of a machine. Also I never remove my outfeed table to thickness lumber. When I bought mine (used) the gentleman I bought it from had fabricated a dust port out of a heating duct. I just clamp it to the fence and when jointing I lodge it between the outfeed table and planer bed. It works great and only take 10 seconds to install. Congrats again.

[Hank Knight]

Good for you. You're going to love it.

Hank

[Kevin Adams]

Craig--

Presuming you got it for $500 (or less if you worked a deal), think of it this way: you won't find a better small planer as compared to any of the "lunchbox" models (for roughly the same price) and you sure won't find a 10" jointer for this price. So you got both! The blades are resharpenable and you may want to pick up an extra HSS set from Jesse (along with the black plastic gear to keep as a spare).

Let us know how you like it.

Kevin

[Glenn Brady]

Check out www.incamachines.com (http://www.incamachines.com) for information. Some owners manuals and a contact us link that might give you more info.

While searching for a replacement gear assembly for my INCA 570 J/P (a machine that's served me well for twenty years), I happened upon this forum and the link above. I sent a query to Multico Sarl in the late afternoon on Friday, got a reply within two hours, sent payment by PayPal, and took delivery of the part today (Monday)! I live in the USA and wouldn't expect such service from a supplier here, let alone one in France.

[Neil Clemmons]

That's great to hear they are selling parts.

Thanks for the follow-up.

Neil

[Phil Thien]

+1 what Glenn says. I've dealt w/ the Incamachines site (Multico Sarl owns/produces Inca) and have had service that would one-up any U.S. supplier, including sending a free replacement button (and I'm not even the original owner of the machine)!