I DO miss my table saw at times

The competition has had the same "solutions' for a while, I'm afraid. which brings me to a slightly different topic: the days of Festool being the only company offering certian excellent features on their products (like excellent  dust extraction and reliable performance) are gone. Today, there is plenty to select from, often at a significantly lower price. This is not a knock on Festool. It is just an acknowledgement of the reality out there. I suspect Festool feels the same way, based on the recent move to sell through Amazon.com. It's called business in the digital era and we - as consumers - can only be thrilled by these developments.

meldgaard said:
irvin00 said:
I don't think Festool equipment is any different from the competition when it comes to shop space. That's not a factor in my book.

Maybe not with Festool equipment, but Festool Solutions - like TS55 + FS - I consider space saving (said the man with 3 tablesaws)
 
meldgaard said:
NuggyBuggy said:
You guys are making me think I should actually get around to hooking up the Inca 259 I bought a while ago and never set up.

You do that - I have the same saw and it is a little charm. Kind of Swiss made Festool quality of the seventies  :)

Actually I have 3 INCA machines: The 259 tablesaw, a 310 bandsaw and a 343 Jointer with 348 thickness planer

Thanks - I've read several comments to the effect that Inca was in many ways like a '70s Festool a few times.

The day I went to pick up my 259, I saw another deal on a bigger contractors saw and bought both of them that day.  My shop is small so I stored the Inca and brought the bigger one in.  I've never used either - I've tried to make do with the TS75 and the extensions as a TS substitute, but it can be tedious and time-consuming to use and just didn't work out for the same reasons already pointed out here.  I want to be able to just set the fence and cut. 

I've decided that the bigger saw takes up too much space, so it's going into storage and the Inca is coming in. 

The problem with the saw is that the manual is even more cryptic than the Festool manuals I have  :(.  What I need is an Inca-for-dummies book !  Oh, and I already am a member of the Yahoo Inca group  8).

 
NuggyBuggy said:
The problem with the saw is that the manual is even more cryptic than the Festool manuals I have  :(.  What I need is an Inca-for-dummies book !  Oh, and I already am a member of the Yahoo Inca group  8).

Ah - fortunately you are NOT out of luck yet. There IS a book from 1984 called 'Precision Machinery Techniques' by Mark Duginske & Karl Eichhorn. It is all about INCA machines (tablesaw, bandsaw, shaper and jointer) and the use of them, it is edited by INCA Ltd. Teufenthal/Switzerland and the ISBN no.:0-8069-6328-X

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I found mine second hand on amazon.com and they are still accessible on amazon from prox 30 USD and up and on ebay with starting bid on 6 USD. Go get it!
 
meldgaard said:
NuggyBuggy said:
You guys are making me think I should actually get around to hooking up the Inca 259 I bought a while ago and never set up.
You do that - I have the same saw and it is a little charm. Kind of Swiss made Festool quality of the seventies  :)

Actually I have 3 INCA machines: The 259 tablesaw, a 310 bandsaw and a 343 Jointer with 348 thickness planer
meldgaard - just wanted to you know that your post, among others, inspired me to get my saw working.  I fully disassembled and cleaned every last nook and cranny, wired up a  magnetic switch, ran 220V into my shop, and started the saw for the first time last weekend.  I've actually become obsessed with maintaining and tuning this beautiful little piece of machinery.  I don't know if I could ever get rid of it now.  Thanks !
 
harry_ said:
NuggyBuggy,

Not bad, it only took you 6 months  [laughing]  [poke]
LOL.  I've actually owned the saw for nearly a year ! I do have an excuse though: my tools are at our cottage so I only get there on the weekends, and I have little kids and a  wife who seem to always call me as soon as I step into my little space.

Edit: The backstory is this: my workshop space (at my cottage) is quite small - make that very small (I think 9' x 13.5').  I had a deal to buy the Inca, then on the day I went to pick it up, saw a good deal on a contractor's saw on CL so bought that as well.  Both saws ran on 220 and I didn't have that in my shop, so the Inca sat in another garage while the contractor's saw sat unused in my shop.  After a while I decided I just couldn't afford the space for the contractor's saw, so moved it out and the Inca in.  At that point I started refurbishing and cleaning the Inca and promptly fell in love.  Now I finally have 220 in my shop, and have located the parts for a replacement guard lock, so I'm almost ready to put it to the test.
 
meldgaard said:
NuggyBuggy said:
The problem with the saw is that the manual is even more cryptic than the Festool manuals I have  :(.  What I need is an Inca-for-dummies book !  Oh, and I already am a member of the Yahoo Inca group  8).

Ah - fortunately you are NOT out of luck yet. There IS a book from 1984 called 'Precision Machinery Techniques' by Mark Duginske & Karl Eichhorn. It is all about INCA machines (tablesaw, bandsaw, shaper and jointer) and the use of them, it is edited by INCA Ltd. Teufenthal/Switzerland and the ISBN no.:0-8069-6328-X

I found mine second hand on amazon.com and they are still accessible on amazon from prox 30 USD and up and on ebay with starting bid on 6 USD. Go get it!

Sorry about reviving an old post, but there has been a development ... If you dont want to buy the book. Its been scanned. google "imgur INCA Handbook"
 
For me, the perfect set-up is a Festool track saw (TS55), Festool Capex, and Sawstop Industrial table saw. All three do their thing brilliantly and none can do everything as well as the others.
 
Birdhunter said:
For me, the perfect set-up is a Festool track saw (TS55), Festool Capex, and Sawstop Industrial table saw. All three do their thing brilliantly and none can do everything as well as the others.

A Sawstop is on my list. I like the idea of a safer saw. Due to reading the reviews on this forum I sold my table saw and bought the Festool track saw. The track saw is great but it does not replace a table saw. Fortunately I have a dedicated shop I can use and a portable saw I can get my hands on.
 
I bought my first Festool product last month, a TS 55 REQ.  What an incredible machine.  And I was so impressed with it that I bought the best blade I could find for my table saw, a Forrest Woodworker II.  I wanted my table saw to perform as best as it could, since the track saw really set a new standard in my shop.

I make segmented blocks for turning on a lathe, mostly tool handles and peppermills.  I need a table saw to trim the blocks as I add layers of contrasting wood.  No real substitute for it.  About a month before I planned to purchase a new cabinet saw, a 3HP SawStop, I discovered Festool.  I wanted a bigger, more powerful saw to break down sheet goods -- mostly hardwood veneer plywood.  I feel fortunate that I discovered Festool before making that new table saw purchase.  I may get that SawStop some day, but my old table saw with a premium blade should meet my foreseeable needs.  Besides, with all the Festool tools I want now, that SawStop is WAY down the priority list!
 
My first post. Very interesting read.  Thanks everyone. Just recently became a Festool owner with a TS55. Picking up a MFT/3 today. Great feed back here. Looking at changing our shop (a small hobby one) around and have been considering what do with my tables saw and dust collector. Some patience and experience seems to be the order to access my future setup.  My wish list for other Festool items is greater than means at the moment. 
 
NuggyBuggy said:
Mr. Jeff Smith said:
You guys are discussing my dream product.  Something small, smart and does the job a TS usually does.
You guys are making me think I should actually get around to hooking up the Inca 259 I bought a while ago and never set up.

NuggyBuggy, I have had a 259 for 25 years and it is a wonderful saw.  Not great for sheet goods but a great compliment to Festool gear.  I highly recommend you set it up and put it to work.  Mark Duginske's book is worthwhile.  But the key with the Inca saw is cleaning it up and getting it aligned and then putting it to work!

No longer made but their precision is unparalleled.

neil
 
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