inca jointer/planer

jimsen

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Joined
Apr 13, 2011
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I just stumbled upon an inca jointer/planer in very good condition. It seems complete with all attachments. The paperwork with it says its a model 420. I'd like to purchase it,and the asking price is $500.00. I don't have a clue as to whether or not this is a fair price.( I was shown the original sales receipt, and it was purchased in 1987 for $689.00.) Any possibility someone might have a little insight into its present value? 
 
The models I normally see for sale are the 550 or 570 - those are 10" combo machines - the 570 being the same except with a quicker-to-change Tersa cutter head.

Seems the only issue with the older Inca's is the nylon gears wear out a bit - but if all looks good in the unit you are buying, they're considered very good machines.  I'd be suprised they were priced that low even then - I had thought I'd heard they were in the $1000's when new.

The above mentioned 550/570's usually sell for bewteen $500-800 used, so I'd say $500 is an ok price, but probably closer to $400 would be a better deal.

But I really have no knowledge of them other then what I've gleaned from forum posts through the years and having seen a few Inca machines up close at a guys shop once.

Good luck.

Julian
 
Most of the 550/570s I've seen sell a lot closer to $800 than $500.  If one listed for $500 I'd buy it, and I already have a Hammer A3-31 and a 510, plus some other jointers and planers I need to get rid of.
 
Hi julian. Thanks not only for the info, but the quick reply. I didn't want to miss this piece of equipment if at all possible, ( nothing of quality stays available for very long!) but I didn't want to overpay either. you've given me a good ballpark evaluation, and now I can negotiate with a little more confidence.
                          Jimsen
 
NuggyBuggy said:
Most of the 550/570s I've seen sell a lot closer to $800 than $500.  If one listed for $500 I'd buy it, and I already have a Hammer A3-31 and a 510, plus some other jointers and planers I need to get rid of.

There's a guy here in mid MI selling a 550 for around $500 if anyone wants his info PM me.  Lot of guys looking have indicated they're only looking for the 570 because of the cutterhead.

Julian
 
Hi neil. tried the group. Posted a message there three days ago-have yet to hear ANYTHING from any member. I couldn't wait any longer... as you might guess, Im not the only one interested in this machine. I'll let you know when, and IF, I recieve a response . Thank you for the quick reply.
                     Jimsen
 
jimsen, I have found that certain topics on the Inca group take off and some of them go completely ignored.  I think it is because of the format as an email listserv converted to a web front-end, as opposed to a forum.  

Anyways, there was some bickering a while back about valuation of items and discussion of such.  IIRC, someone listed an item, someone else questioned the asking price, there was some arguing about what the item should be worth, a few "an item is worth what someone is willing to pay for it" posts, and ultimately a lot of messages got deleted, and then some upset people later.

So it's possible that your inquiry went ignored because it got lost in other messages, or it's possible that people just steered clear of entering into that sort of discussion again.

I don't know much about the 420, but according to the Inca group (a 410 happens to be on the front page right now),  it is "only" an 8-5/8" jointer.  The 500-series are 10".  It looks like the planer function on the 420 requires an additional gadget, apparently included in your item, but which looks a bit kludgy. 
So since it does seem that you could get a 550 for not much more money (though in MI, and IF you are lucky), I'd probably pass on the 420.

I do know that I was offered a 410 or 420 for $250 Canadian a few months back.  I passed because the seller didn't know much about it, couldn't send me pictures and was too far away for me just to take a peek.

Take that last price with a grain of salt, however.  Inca prices are all over the board.  You can find Inca auctions on Ebay that end up going well over $1000. 

Regardless, whatever other Incas have sold for, it's tough to find an 8+" jointer for $500, and you could wait a long time for a better deal.  I know - I monitor Inca listings on Craigslist and Kijiji in my area.

 
Julian Tracy said:
NuggyBuggy said:
Most of the 550/570s I've seen sell a lot closer to $800 than $500.  If one listed for $500 I'd buy it, and I already have a Hammer A3-31 and a 510, plus some other jointers and planers I need to get rid of.

There's a guy here in mid MI selling a 550 for around $500 if anyone wants his info PM me.  Lot of guys looking have indicated they're only looking for the 570 because of the cutterhead.
Julian - if that were closer to me I would buy it.  Why ? I have no idea, but maybe it's just because I have fallen in love with tinkering with my Inca 259 saw. 
 
Therefore, nothing is overpriced.  A (proverbial?) hammer is worth hundreds of dollars to the government because they paid that much for it.

 
I hate those "it's worth what you are willing"  concepts.

I find that the price things sell for have more to do with the motivations of the seller and less to do with what an item may be "worth".

Regarding the seller in MI - he also had the 3-wheel Inca Bandsaw and the 10" tablesaw/mortiser.

JT
 
Julian Tracy said:
I hate those "it's worth what you are willing"  concepts.
I agree - I think it's an empty statement.

Julian Tracy said:
I find that the price things sell for have more to do with the motivations of the seller and less to do with what an item may be "worth".

Regarding the seller in MI - he also had the 3-wheel Inca Bandsaw and the 10" tablesaw/mortiser.
Where was this seller ? That bandsaw is supposed to be a gem.
 
I have the Inca J/P model 570 and would suggest you hold out for that model.  They become available often on eBay, Craigslist and the like.  If you prefer to buy from a more knowledgeable seller, those on the mentioned Yahoo board tend to know their stuff.  I post there regularly and would suggest that if you saw your question echoed back in the mail list and didn't get a response to repost it with a different header and ask the question a bit differently.

Inca went from the 400 to 500 series for the greater width and the automatic feed.  The dust collection on the 570 is excellent.  The 570 has a clearly superior cutter head well worth looking and waiting for.  As for me, having a 10 inch wide jointer is something I would not want to do without.

Check out the many archived discussions on this topic on the referenced Incawoodworking board.

Gary
 
Julian Tracy said:
I hate those "it's worth what you are willing"  concepts.

I find that the price things sell for have more to do with the motivations of the seller and less to do with what an item may be "worth".

Regarding the seller in MI - he also had the 3-wheel Inca Bandsaw and the 10" tablesaw/mortiser.

JT

The issues is, there is now way to put a real $$ value on it.

There is no blue book for used machinery.

It is worth whatever you are willing to pay for it and whatever the seller is letting it go for.

Who knows what is wrong with it and what it would take to repair those things.

 
Darcy, there is actually a "Blue Book" for used machinery.  It's been years since I was informed of this, and I don't recall the details, but I do remember a used machinery dealer on ebay years ago telling me about it.
 
Ken Nagrod said:
Darcy, there is actually a "Blue Book" for used machinery.  It's been years since I was informed of this, and I don't recall the details, but I do remember a used machinery dealer on ebay years ago telling me about it.

Yeah but, it is for heavy machinery such as Dozers, excavators, trenchers and things like that.

There is no price guide for used WW equipment.
 
No, I was referring to woodworking and metalworking machines.  I just don't have or remember specifics to offer any help with that, other than hypnotherapy  [big grin].
 
Wouldn't matter - today's market is a whole nuther beast than the past.

For instance, ten years ago, a clean 10" metal lathe with some tooling, like an Atlast/Logan/Southbend, might have gone for close to $2000.  These days, between $500-1200.00.

There's so many shops closing and business consolidations, that the market for used tools is upside down.

Not too mention the vast increase in the quantity as well as quality of imported machinery.

Look at 8" jointers, Grizzly makes a very highly regarded model that brand new sells for what most used Delta DJ-20's sell for.

Back in the day, imported was always a cheaper option, but it was usually a lesser quality option.

These days, Grizzly is really no different than any new Jet, Delta or Powermatic unit.  They've each got their pluses and minuses, but the fact is, today Grizzly is not usually a brand that is considered a lower quality anymore.

These changes in the market of new machines affect the pricing of used machines.

Find that book - just toss it.

JT
 
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