Inca 570 Jointer/Planer - Feed issues

[Mark Putnam]

I recently inherited my father’s Inca 570 Jointer/Planer. It is an incredible machine, the prize of his shop. But when he and my mom had to downsize, all of his most valuable tools came to me. I’m happy about that, but I take maintenance of them very seriously.
I’ve used the Inca 570 several times since inheriting it with no problems. I’ve also performed most of the routine maintenance recommended by both Inca and Garrett Wade.
This weekend a friend came over to get assistance with a project. We did some light jointing of some 3/4″ walnut boards on the Inca. Then we proceeded to do some planing of those same boards. The boards were probably 6″ wide, so not near the Inca’s maximum capacity. They were about 11″ long. I fed the first board through, and the Inca began to cut. But then after taking about two inches of the board, the feeding stopped. The motor was still running, and it sounded like the roller was still turning. But the board was going nowhere.
I shut off the Inca, lowered the planer table and removed the board. It had received some light gouging teeth marks, presumably from the roller. I assumed that I had been trying to take off to much wood at one pass (which, upon further reflection, I really don’t think I was). So I adjust the table to take a finer cut and fed it again. Once again the board stopped. This time I pushed on the board, and it fed through. The Inca made the cut. I adjust the table height ever-so-slightly and then fed the board through a second time.
This time I could hear what sounded like the motor working extra-hard to feed the board. It wasn’t the sound of the engine slowing down. It was more like an additional noise or louder volume than normal. I’m not really sure how to explain it… Once again, the board got stuck in the planer. I turned it off, lowered the table and pulled the board out. Again, where the Inca had stopped the board had the teeth marks.
So I’m not really sure how to proceed here. My father took very good care of this machine. I have used it several times since receiving it over the past few months, but nothing excessive. I do have some extra parts. (My dad made sure to stock up on parts when the Inca went out of production.) This is clearly an issue related to the roller and feeding. If anyone has any experience dealing with this or suggestions on how to proceed, I welcome them. My next step is to begin taking the machine apart to see if I can find the problem…

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Mark, I would suggest cleaning and waxing the planer bed with paste wax for floors.

Do not use any product containing silicone.............Regards, Rod.

P.S. Welcome to the forum.

[Mick Simon]

Ditto Rod's advice. This is the most common issue with the 500 series jointer planer (but is also true for any planer without bed rollers). Keep the bed waxed.

[John TenEyck]

I had an Inca for over 25 years. Wonderful machine. And the two gentlemen above are spot on; you need to clean and wax the planer bed. Inca used to sell a special "Gleitwax" (glide wax) or something similar for just that purpose, but any non-silicone containing paste wax works fine. FWIW, I really like Lundmark Carnauba Paste Wax. While you're at it, wax the jointer tables, too, as well as the fence.

John

[Jim Barstow]

I'll pile on here. I had an inca j/p for many years and keeping the bed waxed was critical. I also had to make sure that the feed roller didn't have any chips stuck to it. My older model no dust/chip collection capability at all. The occasional chip would get stuck to the roller which could cause problems.

[Erik Loza]

It's not just an Inca-thing. Pretty much all the J/P's are like this. Have always assumed it was due to the somewhat (and necessarily) lighter design of the infeed and outfeed rollers. I was running a brand new AD9-41 at our in house show over the weekend and planer was a bit sluggish. Ditto for the jointer. New machine, cast iron still "dry".

Erik

[Mick Simon]

Really enjoyed meeting and visiting with you at the open house, Erik.

It's not just an Inca-thing. Pretty much all the J/P's are like this. Have always assumed it was due to the somewhat (and necessarily) lighter design of the infeed and outfeed rollers. I was running a brand new AD9-41 at our in house show over the weekend and planer was a bit sluggish. Ditto for the jointer. New machine, cast iron still "dry".

Erik

And not just jointer/planer combos. Any planer without bed rollers is susceptible to needing wax. The two 951 planers here at school still require regular waxing.

[Erik Loza]

Really enjoyed meeting and visiting with you at the open house, Erik. And not just jointer/planer combos. Any planer without bed rollers is susceptible to needing wax. The two 951 planers here at school still require regular waxing.

You too, Mick!

[Martin Salata]

A little late to the party here (to say the least) but does anyone on this thread that has experience with the Inca J/P have any advice on aligning the belt that drives the feed rollers? Mine keeps tracing off and I've tried aligning the idle pulley as well as adjusting how the motor is mounted. Any help would be great! Thanks.

Martin

[John TenEyck]

A little late to the party here (to say the least) but does anyone on this thread that has experience with the Inca J/P have any advice on aligning the belt that drives the feed rollers? Mine keeps tracing off and I've tried aligning the idle pulley as well as adjusting how the motor is mounted. Any help would be great! Thanks.

Martin

I never had any trouble with that belt. Had to replace it once and the new one ran w/o issue as well. My guess is the belt is worn, there is something stuck on it on the inside, or something on the rollers that is making the belt wander off the pulleys. Make sure the pulleys are really clean with no grease on them. The idler could be steering it off, too, but that should be easy to see happening. It sounds like yours is a newer model with an integral motor; I know nothing about those, sorry. I wouldn't go too deep into taking things apart until you've evaluated the easy options. You should be able to see what's causing it to come off while watching it, unless it's taking hours. Good luck. Great machine.

John

[Martin Salata]

I never had any trouble with that belt. Had to replace it once and the new one ran w/o issue as well. My guess is the belt is worn, there is something stuck on it on the inside, or something on the rollers that is making the belt wander off the pulleys. Make sure the pulleys are really clean with no grease on them. The idler could be steering it off, too, but that should be easy to see happening. It sounds like yours is a newer model with an integral motor; I know nothing about those, sorry. I wouldn't go too deep into taking things apart until you've evaluated the easy options. You should be able to see what's causing it to come off while watching it, unless it's taking hours. Good luck. Great machine.

John

John, thanks for the reply! Adding to this old thread was a bit of a hail mary. I have tried two different new belts, one OEM from Inca and another one so I know it's not because of a worn belt. It tracks off within 5 seconds of turning the machine on and yes it is a later model (blue) one from '97 or so. I believe the motor setup is the same as the previous models however. I'll try cleaning the pulleys really well and try adjusting the idler even more.

[John TenEyck]

If you can rotate it by hand, you might get a better idea of where the problem is. Going off the wheels in 5 seconds suggests something is worn or out of alignment pretty badly.

John