Going Euro with Tablesaw

[extiger]

Because of a household and shop move, I was forced to sell my General 350 Tablesaw and slider to simplify the transition.

It is a bit premature to look for a replacement --  have to move to a new town first. By coincidence I was offered either of 2 Inca 12" tablesaws. Without much thought, I'll buy one of them. Probably the one with the cast aluminum top. On the drive home from looking at the saws, I questioned my own sanity. Then i realized how happy I would be with a Swiss-made machine in which the trunnion rides up and down on dovetail ways. And with a Baldor motor.

Cranking the handwheels on it reminded me of the superb quality European engineers and mfgrs. put into their equipment. And due the aluminum, I invite other WWers to drool on it. Seller agreed to store it for 10 months until I'm ready.

Gary Curtis
Northern California

 

[Frank Pellow]

Congratulations on the saw Gary!  I look forward to hearing about your new shop (once you get one).

 

[nclemmons]

Gary -

I have a Inca 250 tablesaw - the smaller version - with the mortise table.  Going on 25 years old and still going strong.  BTW, there is an Inca Woodworkers group on Yahoo Groups - with a small contingent of Inca loyalists. 

Inca tools are still being made in Europe -http://www.incamachines.com/eng/ has some owners manuals and may be able to help with parts.

Good luck on the new shop -

neil

 

[Dave Ronyak]

I've never seen an Inca tablesaw in person, but have been very happy with my Inca ~10" jointer/planer which I purchased new ~20 years ago.  And I regret having passed up an opportunity to buy one of Inca's larger model 3-wheel bandsaws a couple of year's ago.

A couple of year's ago someone at FOG made me aware of that Inca user's group at Yahoo.  That lead proved very helpful when I needed a couple of drive belt components a year ago.  I also contacted Inca Europe by email and they confirmed they could ship whatever parts I needed direct from Europe via courrier.

Dave R.

 

[extiger]

I'm waiting for authorization on the Inca Yahoo group. There doesn't seem to be much chatter there between others. Reading over the two brochures I obtained on the Inca tablesaw, it seems like the design has up-to-date features even though the equipt. is about 10-15 years old.

And there certainly isn't any worry about the quality of manufacture. The way the fence and rails are configured is quite exciting. I was used to the Biesemeyer system, but the Inca seems a whole lot more flexible.

Gary

 

[StevenO]

I have the large INCA table saw and the INCA planer/jointer.  Both are superb machines, in every detail. Mine are approx. 15 years old but they still seem up to date. I check the tuning about every 6 months and the machines almost never need even the tiniest adjustment. Last year I required a part (a nylon gear had worn on the jointer) and I was able to order it from the folks that now handle them (see INCA site). I belive they are located in France, in a Paris suburb. The gentleman told me they have the original machine plates and all engineering drawings but do not have resources enough to rebuild the machines and get back into business.  Too bad since INCA is certainly one of the finest names in woodworking machinery, still.  What is the url for the INCA users group? I didn't realized that one existed.

 

[extiger]

Steven, the Yahoo group for INCA is listed on Yahoo Groups under INCAwoodworking. Caps not necessary. It has been 10 days and I haven't gotten my sign-on authorization, so I get the impression that the group is pretty quiet. Maybe they are all Mimes. Mimes who do woodworking. You know how those French love their mimes.

If your jointer lasted that long I would expect a tablesaw to be a lot more durable. Thanks for your info.

Gary