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INCA 570 Jointer/Planer

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Marsh Jackson

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Sep 26, 1994, 7:28:12 PM9/26/94
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I am considering purchasing an INCA 570 combination jointer/planer. The
$2350 price seems kind of high, but probably is cheaper than buying two
seperate machines of the same size. The cutter head is about 10 3/4" for
both functions and the bed is 42" long. Does anybody have any experience
with this machine that they can share ?

Bennett Leeds

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Sep 26, 1994, 9:20:22 PM9/26/94
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Marsh Jackson writes

> I am considering purchasing an INCA 570 combination jointer/planer.

Here's my canned Inca descriptions - if you have further questions I'd be more
than happy to relay my experiences. BTW, I have no connection with Injecta
Machinery or Garrett-Wade.


General Inca things:

Most of their machines use lots of aluminum for structural parts (castings,
tables, fences, rails, etc), which cuts down on weight. Many of the machines
are quite compact (10" tablesaw, 10.5" bandsaw, jointer/planer), which make
them great for home shops. The aluminum construction keeps them light.
Vibration is not a problem as Inca uses good design and balancing, not weight,
to acheive smoothness. While you may find that a machine is not robust enough
for commercial shop abuse, nothing is cheaply made - the fit and finish are
superb throughout. The aluminum surfaces are anodized for strength.

Many people dismiss Inca because of their 10" tablesaw. This saw has
some quoibles that render it inappropriate for many people: a nonstandard arbor
diameter (20 cm) {reason: more support than a 5/8" arbor}, a tilting table {so
you can put a mortising table on it}, the inability to bury a 10" blade below
the table {no excuse here}, and a small table size (it is also not built to
take a pounding). What drives everybody crazy is that this is one of the most
accurate saws available, which is what attracts them to it in the first place.
Unless you make only small things like jewlery boxes or non-large musical
instruments, this saw is not for you. It is perfect for these small things
which require fanatical accuracy (and a small tilting table isn't a bother).
Anyway, Inca makes a number of precision woodworking machines other than this
controversial saw.

I've owned 3 Inca machines: a 12" tilting arbor tablesaw, 10.25"
jointer/planer, and 20" bandsaw. Here are my longwinded descriptions and
comments:


Inca Jointer/Planer Specifics:

10.25" width capacity for both. Over/under type. Jointer tables total about
42" in length, planer capacity from 1/8" to over 6" thick. Yes, the jointer
tables are short, but for modest furniture-sized projects they're sufficient.
The jointer tables are cast aluminum, with lots of ribbing for strength.

In thickness planer mode there are two feed speeds (about 11.5 ft/min and 16.5
ft/min). The 2HP 220 volt motor (magnetic switch is standard) was powerful
enough for full width cuts in hard maple. The jointer fence tilts 45 degrees,
one-way only, and is supported on the infeed side. The dust collection hood
works well (not perfect, though) in both jointing and planing modes. If you
don't use the dust collection hood you can completely avoid changeover time
from jointer to planer, but dealing with the copious amount of dust and chips
is worse than the changeover.

The planer table is smoothly polished stainless steel, and doesn't have rollers
(which are meant for use with very rough stock: Inca assumes you will joint one
face smooth before you thickness plane). The planing table is a four-poster,
with four screws. Each crank revolution is about 2 mm.

The 550 and 560 have two cutters; the 570 has three. The 560 and 570 have the
Tersa cutterhead that takes special blades (made by Onsrud in the US, for those
of you that care about such things). The advantage of the Tersa is that no
blade adjustments are necessary (or even possible). Knife changes take 30
seconds. Really. There are two cutting edges per knife, so you can flip them to
get a fresh edge. Two HSS knives cost about $30, a carbide pair is about $150.
The machine comes with carbon steel knives, which don't last long in hardwoods.
The HSS lasts reasonably long in normal hardwoods, but the Teak, Rosewood, and
other exotics that I sometimes used took their toll. On the good side is that
the blades are double-sided. I used the carbide set for most preliminary
planing (I touch it up using a diamond paddle), and swap between 2 sets of HSS
knives depending on the circumstances.

An advantage to the 570 is that it has 50% more cuts per inch, (over 130!)
which gives an amazingly smooth finish. Even with only two cutters, the slow
planer feed gives over 84 cuts per inch on the 560 (but the stock feed rate is
slow - less than half of most planers. If you have a lot of wood to plane use
the faster speed until the final pass. Note that even the fast speed is not
that fast. The Inca JP is made for craftsmen who need smoothly and accurately
planed wood for fine projects. It is not meant for shops that have to mass
produce large quantities of material. The wood coming out of the machine is
ready for a light hand scraping, or 220 grit sanding, depending on one's
religion.

Another advantage of the Tersa cutterhead is that the blades are supported very
close to their cutting edges, so chatter is reduced. The quick change feature
is no gimmick and may be worth the extra money if you use your machine very
much, cut very hard woods (purpleheart and cocobolo wear cutting edges rather
quickly), or want to put in old blades for recycling pallet wood, for instance
(You can also use one blade side for the rough dimensioning at the faster feed
rate, then switch to the clean side for the final pass at the slow speed, then
switch back for the next time).

Since the blades don't adjust, if an adjustment is required, the jointer tables
must be shimmed to match the blades, which is a pain but only has to be done
once (I bought my machine used and so had to do this). Thin, wide boards need
to be supported properly when face jointing so thay don't chatter (I use roller
holdowns), but this is a problem with any wide jointer on thin stock.

I had the knurled outfeed roller replaced with a smooth one so I could take
extremely light planing passes (I was getting some knurl marks on walnut). I
did have occassional stalling problems, but waxing the table cures it without
fail.

For about the same money, you can get the Robland 12" wide unit. This is a cast
iron machine with 55" of jointer table. The wood finish isn't as good in
planer mode unless you spend another $400 for a variable feed speed adjuster.

I sold my Inca and bought the MiniMax FS350, which has a 13.75" width capacity
and 72" of jointer table. I have big projects like 8' doors coming up, and the
Inca's 42" tables weren't going to cut it. Tearout was bad on figured woods,
and I didn't want to spend $400 for the variable speed (already blew the budget
on the JP itself), so I Jerry-rigged my own variable speed feed using a plywood
pulley and a Sears variable speed drill. It's worked pretty well, but if I go
too slow I get some burn marks on maple unless my knifes are very sharp. I
really miss the quick-change knife system of the Inca.

- Bennett

Jeffrey C. Kantor

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Sep 27, 1994, 10:37:35 AM9/27/94
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I have an INCA combination jointer/planer that I bought about 8-10 years ago.
I'm not sure of the model number with going down to the basement to look at it,
but it is the older style 2 bladed cutter, rather than the newer 3 bladed cutter.

Overall, I have to say that it makes a fairly good jointer and a fairly good
planer. When nice and sharp, I get an excellent cut as to the usual 12" portable
planers many people have in their garages.

Things I like about it are that the cutter head is very easy to adjust,
and I get a good surface. Also, it is lightweight, and fits well into the
tight quarters of my basement shop.

The things I don't like about it are that the jointer fence flexes a bit too
much, that the round belt driving the planer feed jumps off from time to time,
and the continual changing between planar and jointer modes. Waxing the planer
table does wonders.

If I were to do it again, I think I would either look at the Hitachi or Makita
combination which requires no setup to change between modes. Or else do what
my father recently did, which was buy the 6" delta jointer (DJ15), and a
12 inch portable planer, the total cost of which was much less than the $2350
you're quoting.

Don't get me wrong, the INCA jointer/planer does a nice job. But the setup time
in going from mode to the other is annoying, and it's designers took a
compact/precision/aluminum approach rather than a massive/big_knobs/cast iron
approach to the problem.

---

Jeff

Jeffrey C. Kantor Email: Jeffrey...@nd.edu
Dept. of Chemical Engineering Voice: 219 631 5797
University of Notre Dame Fax: 219 631 8366
Notre Dame, IN 46556


Bennett Leeds

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Sep 27, 1994, 3:02:14 PM9/27/94
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Jeffrey C. Kantor writes

> I have an INCA combination jointer/planer that I bought about 8-10 years ago.
>...

> Things I like about it are that the cutter head is very easy to adjust,

The newer 570 uses the Tersa cutterhead, so there are no adjustments to make.


> The things I don't like about it are that the jointer fence flexes a bit too
> much, that the round belt driving the planer feed jumps off from time to

> time...

Inca's revised the jointer fence at least once since your unit. Instead of
a solid fence, it's now an extrusion. Being much thicker I'd imagine it
would be stiffer. My 560 had a solid fence: it didn't flex on me during use,
although I *could* flex it some if I wanted to.

Inca's also revised the belts. Instead of round belts, all the JPs use flat
belts on slightly crowned wheels. I found adjusting these belts simple, and
they never slipped on me that I was aware of. Older models can be retrofitted
with the new style belts, btw.


> If I were to do it again, I think I would either look at the Hitachi or
> Makita combination which requires no setup to change between modes.

Unfortunately, you'd then be giving up the wide jointer, and their jointer
tables are even shorter than the Inca's, I believe. Do those units have dust
collection connections for the jointer?


> Or else do what
> my father recently did, which was buy the 6" delta jointer (DJ15), and a
> 12 inch portable planer, the total cost of which was much less than the $2350
> you're quoting.

Again, a 6" jointer is a lot narrower than the 10.25" jointer of the Inca,
although you do get longer tables and a better fence on the Delta. As for
the portable planer comparisons, if you deal with figured wood, like bird's
eye, curly maple, etc., or very hard woods, I think you'd be dissappointed
in the performance of the portables compared to the Inca.


> Don't get me wrong, the INCA jointer/planer does a nice job. But the setup
time

> in going from mode to the other is annoying...

Yes, there is change-over time if you're using the dust collection hood. The
only part of it that bothered me was cranking the planer table down to
swing the hood under the cutterhead for jointing, then cranking the table up
to use as a planer. I solved the problem with an old B&D wimp-o-matic (;^))
cordless drill with a hex socket in it, enabling me to "motorize" the table
height. With this setup, change-overs were less than 45 seconds.

Another potential problem with change-overs is losing of planer settings
when going to jointer mode. I solved this problem by marking the height
shaft with a radial mark, and noting its position when I planed stock.
Between the height gauge and the radial mark location, I was able to reset
the planer's thickness setting to within a few thou. It is more work than
having separates, though. All tools have trade-offs and I could see where
one set might be better for some people than the other.


> it's designers took a
> compact/precision/aluminum approach rather than a massive/big_knobs/cast iron
> approach to the problem.

I've owned and used machines designed with both approaches and I personally
prefer the former, when done right. Inca did a good job on the JP and their
tablesaws. The big bandsaw, however, is another story.

- Bennett Leeds
ben...@mv.us.adobe.com

Al Amaral - SunSoft PC Desktop Integration

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Sep 27, 1994, 3:04:50 PM9/27/94
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In article <jackson-2609...@mac01158.hac.com> jac...@msmail2.hac.com ( Marsh Jackson) writes:
>I am considering purchasing an INCA 570 combination jointer/planer. The

Sorry, no experience, but I wonder if there are other (less expensive) combo
jointer/planer machines available. If so, who makes them and where can I see
one? I'll be in the market for both soon and I would be very interested in
a combo machine if I can save substantial $ and/or floor space...

Thanks...

--Al Amaral--
--
--------------------------------------------------------------
Al Amaral Al.A...@East.Sun.COM

Nael Atallah

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Sep 27, 1994, 4:04:56 PM9/27/94
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Hitachi $1000.00

Chris Paris

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Sep 28, 1994, 12:47:53 PM9/28/94
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In article <369qci$i...@walters.East.Sun.COM> a...@marley.East.Sun.COM (Al Amaral - SunSoft PC Desktop Integration) writes:
> jointer/planer machines available. If so, who makes them and where can I see
> one? I'll be in the market for both soon and I would be very interested in

The Kity has a 10.25" capacity in both jointer and planer modes
(unlike the Hitachi). I believe it's 14000 cuts/min and 29 ft/min feed
rate, which gives you 42 cuts/inch in planer mode. This is fewer cuts
per inch than the Inca 570 gives you, so I would guess that the finish
isn't as good. I've wondered how hard it would be to slow down the
feed rate. It's $1500 from Farris Machinery (800) USA-KITY.

I haven't used the Kity JP or seen it in person, but I have the Kity
bandsaw.

Chris

Mike Marzett

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Sep 28, 1994, 7:57:00 PM9/28/94
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>In article <369qci$i...@walters.East.Sun.COM> a...@marley.East.Sun.COM (Al Amaral

>- SunSoft PC Desktop Integration) writes:
>> jointer/planer machines available. If so, who makes them and where can I see

>> one? I'll be in the market for both soon and I would be very interested in
>

Laguna Tools in Laguna Beach California distributes the Robland line of
Jointer Planers. Theirs is a 12" model with 1 speed and has a 3 HP 220V
motor. You can also get it with a Mortiser I own the X-31 which includes
in addition to these two machines a 10" tablesaw and a 1" Spindle Shaper
each with its own 3 HP motor. Laguna has a 90 minute video which
demonstrates the Jointer Planer as well as the other machines. Their # is 1
800 234-1976. I think their jointer/planer combo is very good.
MikeM...@Vista.CA

Stan Faullin

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Sep 28, 1994, 8:19:27 PM9/28/94
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In article <jackson-2609...@mac01158.hac.com> jac...@msmail2.hac.com ( Marsh Jackson) writes:
>From: jac...@msmail2.hac.com ( Marsh Jackson)
>Subject: INCA 570 Jointer/Planer
>Date: Mon, 26 Sep 1994 15:28:12 -0800

I agree with most everything that Bennet said in his previous post. I also
have the 570 with the Tersa cutterhead.

1) The wide jointer is very nice at 10-1/4" (not 10-3/4"). But the planer is
rather narrow. I've had many 12 or 13" boards that I had to rip down to fit
in the planer. It ends up making the wood less usable.

2) The dust shroud is pitiful for a machine that costs as much as the Inca
does.

3) The jointer tables are too short. 42" may sound like a lot, but think
about jointing a 6'x2"thick board. Only 21" is supported and 4
feet are hanging off. More is definitely better. I haven't seen this on my
machine, but an Inca dealer told me that long heavy boards deflected his
outfeed table so he couldn't get a straight cut. He had to prop up the
outfeed table to fix the problem.

4) Switching over from jointer to planer is not extremely difficult or time
consuming, but it is a pain.

5) Changing blades is really easy, but more expensive than normal blades.

6) The planer leaves a great surface, but the stainless steel plate must be
waxed often or the wood won't feed properly.

7) A dust collector is almost a requirement for the planer. I also use it for
jointing or the chips clog the dust shroud (see #2 above).

8) Would I buy mine again? Maybe. I got it at a very good price
- new about $1500, (I bought it in England) so that helped me make up my mind.
I would like something a little more ruggedly built that could handle longer
stock. My long range plan is to probably keep the Inca and possibly
buy a 8" jointer with longer tables.

Good luck,

Stan

Mike Marzett

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Sep 28, 1994, 1:41:00 PM9/28/94
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>In article <jackson-2609...@mac01158.hac.com> jac...@msmail2.hac.com
>( Marsh Jackson) writes:
>>From: jac...@msmail2.hac.com ( Marsh Jackson)
>>Subject: INCA 570 Jointer/Planer
>>Date: Mon, 26 Sep 1994 15:28:12 -0800
>
>>I am considering purchasing an INCA 570 combination jointer/planer. The
>>$2350 price seems kind of high, but probably is cheaper than buying two
>>seperate machines of the same size. The cutter head is about 10 3/4" for
>>both functions and the bed is 42" long. Does anybody have any experience
>>with this machine that they can share ?
>
Although I have no experience with the INCA 570 there are two other fine
jointer/planer combinations.
One is the Robland and the other is made by KITY. The Robland has 12"
capacity and the Kity has both 10 and 12" models. I believe that both are
in the 2300 -3000 range. I have the Robland and I can say it is a fine
piece of equipment. You can also get either with a horizontal mortiser.
The Robland has a 3HP motor and can plane 1/8" off Maple with no problems.
Hope this gives you another alternative.
MikeM...@Vista.CA

Deeny3

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Sep 28, 1994, 6:10:01 PM9/28/94
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A nice thing about the Robland is that you can get it with variable speed
of 0- whatever it's usually set for. The option is only available at
Laguna tools and runs about $600 I believe.

_Deirdre

In article <m0qq30q...@crash.cts.com>, Mike Marzett

Bennett Leeds

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Sep 29, 1994, 1:35:36 PM9/29/94
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Stan Faullin writes

> I agree with most everything that Bennet said in his previous post. I also
> have the 570 with the Tersa cutterhead.
>
> 1) The wide jointer is very nice at 10-1/4" (not 10-3/4"). But the planer is
> rather narrow. I've had many 12 or 13" boards that I had to rip down to fit
> in the planer. It ends up making the wood less usable.

I've heard this said by other Inca owners. Personally, in most circumstances
I wouldn't plane a board that I didn't first flatten. The easiest way, IMHO,
to do the flattening is with a power jointer. If I felt the planer was too
narrow, then I would feel that the jointer is too narrow as well.


> 2) The dust shroud is pitiful for a machine that costs as much as the Inca
> does.

It does seem a bit under-done, but in my experience it worked quite well.
In planer mode, there was never any problem. In jointer mode, the trick is to
raise the planer table to push the shroud up against the bottom of the
jointer tables, making a tighter seal. I was using a 600 cfm dust collector.


> 3) The jointer tables are too short. 42" may sound like a lot, but think
> about jointing a 6'x2"thick board. Only 21" is supported and 4
> feet are hanging off.

I'll agree that 6' is pushing the jointer to its limits.


> 6) The planer leaves a great surface, but the stainless steel plate must be
> waxed often or the wood won't feed properly.

I don't know any way around this on any planer. If you have roll


> I would like something a little more ruggedly built that could handle longer
> stock. My long range plan is to probably keep the Inca and possibly
> buy a 8" jointer with longer tables.

You might want to consider selling the Inca and getting the Robland or
MiniMax units instead. They're wider and longer, and cast iron. However,
you'll need to rig up a variable feed rate to get results as good as the
Inca's planer.

- Bennett Leeds
ben...@mv.us.adobe.com

Bennett Leeds

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Sep 29, 1994, 1:45:52 PM9/29/94
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Deeny3 writes

> A nice thing about the Robland is that you can get it with variable speed
> of 0- whatever it's usually set for. The option is only available at
> Laguna tools and runs about $600 I believe.

I believe that's a rip-off price. The motor is apparently the same one used
by the Perfomax drum sander for it's feed plate (price for the feed plate
with motor is about $300). It is a nice DC motor, which apparently has enough
torque even at low rpms. The speed kit is not made by Robland, btw.

You can save $100 and install the feed kit yourself. Laguna sells like a car
dealership, so price negotiation is possible (just call for a price at two
different times and you'll probably get two different quotes - I did).

Laguna's kit replaces the secondary chain and pulleys on the planer that
convert the high rpms of the cutterhead (I believe) down to the standard
feed rate. My MiniMax's drive works the same way - on it there's about a
36:1 reduction ratio in gearing from cutterhead. The kit throws that away,
and so needs a high-torque, low rpm motor to directly drive the feed rollers.

Laguna was willing to sell me the speed kit (with return guarantee) believing
that it would work on my MiniMax. Before spending the bucks, however, I
decided to jerry-rig something of my own. I removed the big pulley (rubber
edged, like a bandsaw wheel) and put on a big wooden pulley that I made. I
drove this pulley via a fan belt and a Sears variable speed drill. By keeping
the pulley and all the gear reduction after it, I'm able to get quite low
feed speeds and the drill has enough power for even wide and deep cuts in
hard woods.

I've found that if my blades aren't Scary-Sharp(tm), that I will get some
stock burning in maple if my feed rate is too slow, but that I can usually
get tear-out free results in tear-out prone woods.

- Bennett Leeds
ben...@mv.us.adobe.com

John N Scheffel

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Sep 29, 1994, 4:26:37 PM9/29/94
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If you want to save a little money you might consider waiting a while.
Both Garrett Wade and Injecta regularly put the 570 on sale for
$200 off and may throw in a few cheap accessories for free. Also,
I think Injecta sometimes has used INCA equipment for sale, so you
might check with them if used is OK. Could save you a few hundred
dollars.

Someone asked about other manufacturers. Ferris (sp?) Industries sells
3 models of over and under jointer/planers made by KITY which are similar
to the INCA. The cheapest model is about $1300. I saw one at a
WW show and it looked decent. I think it only had one feed rate on
the planer and did not have the Tersa cutterhead. Other than that
it was of similar design and capacity. Sorry, I don't have the number
handy, but if you want it send me a note.
______________________________________________________________________________
John Scheffel
john_s...@sj.hp.com
(408) 435-6473

eug...@gmail.com

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Aug 8, 2020, 5:31:59 PM8/8/20
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I have used this machine for many yesrs. what do want to know.
Rob
eug...@yahoo.com
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