# Inca Bandsaw service



## Torx (2 May 2021)

I’ve started servicing an Inca Euro 360 bandsaw ready to go to its new owner @Mike MW, and thought I would start a thread on the process in case it helps anyone else in future. 

I’m not an Inca expert by any means, but part of my day-to-day work involves servicing various machinery, and I like restoring and tuning up old tools. I want to make sure Mike gets his moneys worth and he mentioned he doesn’t feel confident servicing it. I hope that if he starts off with a machine in good order then he’ll be able to tell when something is wrong and adjustment may be needed, rather than getting frustrated with it. I think he’s acquired a copy of the manual, which is an excellent start. 

This machine belonged to my teacher from secondary school / sixth form college, who was a pro-wood turner before becoming a teacher. He always bought the best quality tools, partly as he relied on them at a time when it was actually possible to make a half decent wage as a wood turner. He’s moving house and has asked me to sell it for him as he can no longer stand at the lathe due to back problems. 

I’d estimate it’s approx 25yrs old, it’s been looked after but is due an overhaul. 

Here it is as found.


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## powertools (2 May 2021)

I am an Inca owner and will follow this with interest.


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## Torx (2 May 2021)

A quick assessment:

Upper and lower blade guide thrust bearings will be replaced. One is rough, the other has welded itself together after seizing. The upper one is easy to get out, the lower one needs a long hex key, gripping the short end with pliers. 






SKF replacement bearings have been ordered and arrived in a day or two. For the price of these (about £4 each) there’s no point buying cheap bearings. 

The upper wheel is held on with a circlip, one washer at the front and two at the rear






The two needle roller bearings in the upper wheel have taken in quite a bit of muck, and while they’re probably ok (by feel) I’ll change them anyway






Nice to see the wheels are balanced, I doubt you’d see this in a new hobby size band saw






A bit of surface rust to deal with:









The blade guides were removed as assemblies and will have a soak in something like paraffin or WD-40 before full disassembly and service. The lower one requires the table removed first - 4 screws underneath and then the tilt mechanism can come off. The upper one is held in with a circlip again - I’ll show more on this on assembly






A lot of dust has gathered over the years, like any woodworking machine


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## Torx (2 May 2021)

The lower wheel is keyed to the motor shaft






It took a bit of persuasion to come off the shaft, a little heat from a small blow torch helped, while trying to avoid setting fire to all the dust behind the wheel.

N.B. I only really removed this wheel because I wanted to hear the motor running freely and having the wheel attached makes it harder to hear any unusual noises. It sounds perfect so that will be left alone. 

The upper guide slider (?) was packed with dust and difficult to move, so that was stripped. 






And the upper wheel tilt assembly was removed, mainly to clean out the dust. 

After that it was taken outside and given a thorough blow down with a compressed air line, including inside the starter module, which was surprisingly clean due to the rubber gasket.


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## Torx (2 May 2021)

The tyres are slightly perished. I’ve ordered a set from the US, and Royal Mail tell me via text message that they’ve already cleared customs - or it could be a scam.


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## Torx (2 May 2021)

So far, I’ve cleaned up the table, a light sand to take out any nicks and bumps and finished off with scotchbrite. It came out nice 






The slot you see there is actually a dovetail slot - a very nice feature. If I were the new owner I’d be on the lookout for a mitre fence, as this one doesn’t have one unfortunately.


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## Torx (2 May 2021)

Dust free at last


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## Torx (3 May 2021)

Repair to crack in plastic cover - 2mm aluminium sheet formed around a radius to match the inside of the plastic cover. Superglued the crack first then epoxied in place












It would have been possible to plastic weld this but it seems to be a weak spot and I thought the reinforcement wouldn’t hurt.


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## Mike MW (3 May 2021)

Hi Torx,
Great to see my future bandsaw in detail and to see the amazing attention to detail you are putting in to restoring it to what looks like as new condition. See you in June.
Regards
Mike


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## smugdruggler (3 May 2021)

Nice job Torx, I went through the exact same process with my secondhand band saw when I acquired it last year. It had been abused and was in poor condition. It had been bought off flea bay to build a large oak arbour. I have no idea how it did the job as the blade guides were all to cock and the blade itself was way off centre on the wheels.

suffice to say it is now as good as new, it was a very satisfying and rewarding job.


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## HamsterJam (3 May 2021)

powertools said:


> I am an Inca owner and will follow this with interest.



me too


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## Torx (5 May 2021)

Parts have all arrived now


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## Bm101 (6 May 2021)

Mike MW is a lucky man Torx. Much respect for your integrity. My tyres are ok but could you post a link for your US seller or pm me please if it's not too much trouble?

I can't see from your photos but my saw has a cut out area at the base. Is this standard for Incas or is it a mod? 





That's why I originally had this extraction cobbled together. It used to have some duct tape on the corners.






But I took some inspiration from Steve Maskery and started to collect at source with some 2" pipe, an old vac nozzle.






It is mobile in the holder and can be twisted and slid about in the holder/ bracket to get it out the way if tilting the table etc or removed completely. The pipe is not glued to the bracket which is just a bit of pipe with a small section cut out and reinforced buy gluing (pvc cement) another bit then screwed on (I countersunk the screw head. 10 minutes at best.








Work_s really well_ especially with the new zero clearance insert I got from ebay. This guy (good seller) : 3d.plastic on eBay
The 'vent' at the bottom is now untaped because so little dust is left in the saw or escapes while cutting. I won't post that I'm comfortable cutting MDF without a mask. That would be irresponsible but for the odd quick cut... 
I need to get round to removing the old wooden port (all of 10 seconds work lol). 
I've never seen anyone post a similar one hence the pics but I'm sure there are many out there in the wild... Maybe it will help someone.
Anyway... back on track.


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## Torx (6 May 2021)

Bm101 said:


> Mike MW is a lucky man Torx. Much respect for your integrity. My tyres are ok but could you post a link for your US seller or pm me please if it's not too much trouble?
> 
> I can't see from your photos but my saw has a cut out area at the base. Is this standard for Incas or is it a mod?
> View attachment 109898
> ...



Hi,

Mikes bandsaw doesn’t have the cutout, so it could be a mod or variant. The system you have collecting just below the blade works well for most bandsaws, it’s similar to the proper Inca part.

Thanks for the tip on the insert...I was going to draw up and 3D print a replacement but since someone else has already done it I won’t bother for £6.

Here’s a link to the tyres (or tires)









2 BLUE MAX HEAVY DUTY BAND SAW TIRES FOR INCA EURO 260 BAND SAW - 2 TIRE SET | eBay


Blue Max tires will out perform and outlast the standard conveyor belt orange urethane everybody used in the past to make band saw tires. Beware of Shiny Blue band saw tires on the market. They are not our Blue Max tires.



www.ebay.co.uk


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## Torx (7 May 2021)

Tidied up the blade guides earlier. They’re reversible, and should be 45deg






One still had the factory edge






The others needed a touch up






Plane iron jig on a flat plate (engineers surface plate in this case, but a sheet of glass etc. would work), 120 grit emery sheet






Had them looking tidy in no time, edges de-burred on an oil stone


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## powertools (7 May 2021)

My Inca that I bought new in the 1980's has the same holes at the bottom of the front cover. I block up the one below the blade guides with a piece of wood and connect my shop vac to the other as well as under the table.


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## powertools (7 May 2021)

Torx said:


> Hi,
> 
> Mikes bandsaw doesn’t have the cutout, so it could be a mod or variant. The system you have collecting just below the blade works well for most bandsaws, it’s similar to the proper Inca part.
> 
> ...



I am keen to see how you get on with the tyres. The tyres on my Inca are ok at the moment but I also have a Kity 613 that needs new tyres


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## Bm101 (7 May 2021)

Thanks Powertools. I wonder if there was a dedicated extraction hood sold at some point?
I have 'The INCA Woodworking Machinary Handbook' but I can't see it in there.
You can buy a copy to check but it's a bit pricey for some mad reason!  https://www.google.com/search?q=The...ViqnEKHbmaAMoQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1920&bih=938
A quick 5 minute google did bring up this design for a 3d printed hose...




__





Printables







www.prusaprinters.org




Sometimes you have to think people could really save themselves time if they wondered why not if.


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## powertools (7 May 2021)

Bm101 said:


> Thanks Powertools. I wonder if there was a dedicated extraction hood sold at some point?
> I have 'The INCA Woodworking Machinary Handbook' but I can't see it in there.
> You can buy a copy to check but it's a bit pricey for some mad reason!  https://www.google.com/search?q=The...ViqnEKHbmaAMoQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1920&bih=938
> A quick 5 minute google did bring up this design for a 3d printed hose...
> ...




I do have that book I think it came with the saw when I purchased it. If it is worth that much money I think I may well sell it.
I think the later saws than mine did come with an extractor port under the blade but I am happy enough with my solution. It is by no means 100% but is far better than it was.


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## HamsterJam (8 May 2021)

There is dedicated Inca part to extract sawdust from under the table. There is one fitted to Mikes machine and you can see it in Torx’s earlier pictures. I have one on my 260 and thought it was a standard fitting.
However, even with extraction connected to the port some dust does inevitably find it’s way into the body of the machine. I vacuum this out regularly in a attempt to stop it spreading too far and into too many guides, bearings, etc. This requires removal of the cover which is a little awkward.
BM101 and Powertools 260s appear to have the corner of the cover cut out to allow extraction from the body. The only other time I saw something similar was where someone had cut a full 100mm hole in the face of the cover to fit one of the Axminster dust ports with a side 63mm port for under the table. This probably works well but I don’t really want to chop a huge hole in my saw. Also I wonder if the 100mm pipe coming out of the front of the machine would get in the way.


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## HamsterJam (8 May 2021)

Dust ports are available as spare parts..,


https://incamachines.com/english/inca-5-186-5701-dust-extraction-tube-342-186-euro-260-bandsaw.html


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## Torx (8 May 2021)

HamsterJam said:


> Dust ports are available as spare parts..,
> 
> 
> https://incamachines.com/english/inca-5-186-5701-dust-extraction-tube-342-186-euro-260-bandsaw.html



Interesting to see Tyme and Multico parts on the site, is there some relationship with Inca and these other companies?


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## Torx (9 May 2021)

The upper / lower blade guide thrust bearings are marked 608Z, but actually they’re 608ZZ or 2Z indicating seals on both sides. The replacements are SKF. 

The shaft can be drifted out easily, these are just a light interference fit. Sorry, only have 2 hands and couldn’t be bothered finding a tripod so use your imagination







When fitting the new bearings take care only to press against the inner race - I used a plastic rod to start it






Then found a socket larger than the shaft and smaller than the inner race to finish it off


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## Torx (9 May 2021)

New tyres.

After removing the old ones (no tools needed, just peel them off) the adhesive came off easily with petrol. 






Make sure they’re spotless.






Chuck the new ones in a bucket of hot water. It won’t do anything, but it will make you feel like you tried. 

Clamp tyre to wheel with something to protect it from damage (as the clamp needs to be tight) then clamp the whole lot to the bench and stretch the new tyre into place. It’s not easy, I’ve had motorcycle tyres go on easier than this - I used the special tool (bit of dowel with a nail in one end through a plastic tube) for one, and the other was brute force.


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## Bm101 (11 May 2021)

Torx said:


> Chuck the new ones in a bucket of hot water. It won’t do anything, but it will make you feel like you tried.



Brilliant.


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## Torx (12 May 2021)

Fixed the blade marks in the fence.

Had some of this stuff in the cupboard






must have bought it ages ago as when I opened it up the glue was hard. The powders were still ok so gave it a go with medium viscosity superglue









Wish I hadn’t bothered to be honest, can’t really blame the product as I wasn’t using the right glue but the powder was quite coarse and it ended up very grainy. When I’ve used baking soda and superglue in the past I’ve had much better results. Must work out a way to colour baking powder...or just buy some powdered dyes. 

Cleaned it up and gave it the scotchbrite treatment. 

Looks no different but you can no longer feel the marks. Epoxy would have been just as good.


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## sometimewoodworker (13 May 2021)

smugdruggler said:


> I have no idea how it did the job as the blade guides were all to cock and the blade itself was way off centre on the wheels.


you do know that the only blade that is supposed to run in the Center of the wheel is the fretsaw blade?

All others should be adjusted so the teeth should hang off the edge of the wheel. Like this.









the Elu bandsaw tyres are not crowned so the tracking is different from almost all other bandsaw but similar to the big industrial ones.


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## smugdruggler (15 May 2021)

Hi Sometime',

There are many differing opinions based upon whether you have a large bandsaw with wide wheels or a small hobbyists where a 1/2" blade covers the entire tire. Or if you have crown wheels or flat.

I have always followed the Snodgrass method which a lot of people seem to respect.

I am however always willing to learn  thanks for your response.


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## sometimewoodworker (15 May 2021)

smugdruggler said:


> Hi Sometime',
> 
> There are many differing opinions based upon whether you have a large bandsaw with wide wheels or a small hobbyists where a 1/2" blade covers the entire tire. Or if you have crown wheels or flat.
> 
> ...


The Snodgrass method is excellent for the majority of home workshop bandsaws as they almost exclusively have crowned tyres. The significant exception is the Inca as you can see from its instructions. 
I have no opinion on smaller saws than the Inca as I’ve never had one. I also don’t know anything about the rash of really cheap ones. Peter Millard would know more about them as I think he may have, or have, had all of them. 

I don’t know where your idea of many different opinions comes from. AFIK it’s Inca as posted above or central on the crown. If you know of more please enlighten me. 

With Inca you adjust your rip fence to the blade drift (it is designed for this). With a crowned tyre you adjust the blade tracking to the mitre slot. I guess the Inca tracking is to reduce tyre wear, mine have lasted 40+ years so it works!

There is at least I member or former member who will vehemently even violently disagree with the Inca manual and claim that the crowned method is only correct way and all others are heresy, fortunately he hasn’t posted on this thread.


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## Torx (18 May 2021)

Dealt with the few bits with surface rust.






Had this chemical blacking kit I’ve been meaning to try for a while.






Made up a few trays with scraps of wood and a double layer of thick plastic sheet.






It worked well.


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## Mike MW (19 May 2021)

Hi Torx,
This all looks more and more amazing with each post. Can't wait to see it in all its shiny new glory. 
Can I ask when you are down this way so that I can keep that time free in my diary. 
I am very grateful for your remarkable attention to detail in restoring this machine.
Kind regards
Mike


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## Torx (19 May 2021)

Mike MW said:


> Hi Torx,
> This all looks more and more amazing with each post. Can't wait to see it in all its shiny new glory.
> Can I ask when you are down this way so that I can keep that time free in my diary.
> I am very grateful for your remarkable attention to detail in restoring this machine.
> ...



Sent you a PM.


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## Bm101 (19 May 2021)

Torx said:


> Dealt with the few bits with surface rust.
> 
> View attachment 110808
> 
> ...


Thanks for that. That's one for the memory bank to reference later at some point.


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## Torx (22 May 2021)

It’s going back together now. I’ve heard a couple of mentions of the table tilt being stiff and awkward, so when this went back together I checked carefully for any signs of the aluminium castings galling. Sure enough it was dragging a bit so took it apart and scraped out any lumps and bumps and gave it all a polish. Fairly smooth now but I think some dry lube will help. 

I was puzzled that only one blade guide has a locking nut, and the only exploded parts diagram I could find is horribly grainy. Found this excellent thread while looking for information Inca bandsaw 
which was good to read through. Eventually decided there should be one there so I’ve either lost it or it’s gone missing in the past. Made a new one on the lathe. Couldn’t find the right knurling pattern though I know I’ve got one somewhere, but hardly important. 


















Will have to get the blacking kit out again now, but I’ve got a few other bits to do anyway.


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## Mike MW (22 May 2021)

Amazing ! I like your knurling pattern better than the original.


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## sometimewoodworker (22 May 2021)

Torx said:


> It’s going back together now. I’ve heard a couple of mentions of the table tilt being stiff and awkward, so when this went back together I checked carefully for any signs of the aluminium castings galling. Sure enough it was dragging a bit so took it apart and scraped out any lumps and bumps and gave it all a polish. Fairly smooth now but I think some dry lube will help.
> 
> I was puzzled that only one blade guide has a locking nut, and the only exploded parts diagram I could find is horribly grainy. Found this excellent thread while looking for information Inca bandsaw
> which was good to read through. Eventually decided there should be one there so I’ve either lost it or it’s gone missing in the past. Made a new one on the lathe. Couldn’t find the right knurling pattern though I know I’ve got one somewhere, but hardly important.
> ...


I’m confident that my saw is complete and in original condition, so if you need any parts photographed I can do that for you.


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## Torx (28 May 2021)

New brush for the lower wheel, just used a bit of draft excluder brush, handy stuff to have lying about. I imagine the genuine part is a small fortune but it’s the same stuff. 






New blade fitted. It’s a 3/8” 4 skip, probably best you invest in a few different blades Mike. They’re 73”. 






All done and set up, cuts perfectly. I realised that what I thought was a circle cutting attachment of some sort is actually a depth stop, probably more useful.


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## city17 (28 May 2021)

Great work, beautiful end result.


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## Bm101 (29 May 2021)

Absolute sterling work Torx. Fair play.


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## Mike MW (25 Jun 2021)

As a footnote to all the above Alasdair [Torx ] delivered the Inca bandsaw to my door a couple of weeks ago and I am absolutely delighted with it. It looks as good as new and performs beautifully. Thank you Alasdair, you have done an amazing job. Sorry for the delay in posting a photo but I seem to have been very busy recently.


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## Torx (27 Jun 2021)

Mike MW said:


> As a footnote to all the above Alasdair [Torx ] delivered the Inca bandsaw to my door a couple of weeks ago and I am absolutely delighted with it. It looks as good as new and performs beautifully. Thank you Alasdair, you have done an amazing job. Sorry for the delay in posting a photo but I seem to have been very busy recently.



Nice to meet you Mike, thanks again for the tea and welcome rest stop. Glad you’re pleased with the machine.


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## HamsterJam (28 Jun 2021)

sometimewoodworker said:


> you do know that the only blade that is supposed to run in the Center of the wheel is the fretsaw blade?
> 
> All others should be adjusted so the teeth should hang off the edge of the wheel. Like this.
> 
> ...


Agreed - I run my Euro260 with the blade teeth protruding off the front of the wheels per the instructions.


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## HamsterJam (8 Aug 2021)

Had an issue with my Euro 260 today which I thought is probably worth sharing…
Started to get a rythmic banging noise while cutting tenons. Removed blade and still there and could hear/feel it when rotating lower wheel by hand so feared motor bearings. 
Turns out the the lower wheel had moved back on the motor shaft and was making contact with the chassis.
There is an M10 bolt in the end of the shaft and an M3 grub screw holding the wheel and a key onto the motor shaft. Removed M10 bolt and loosened the grub screw then used a small pry bar to carefully persuade the wheel forward on the shaft and reassembled.
Working fine now


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## Aussieboy (17 Oct 2022)

powertools said:


> I am an Inca owner and will follow this with interest.


Hi powertools. I have recently purchased the same machine but without a manual. Also the blade guides are worn away and need replacing. Any ideas where I can purchase them? I've searched the net without success. Any pointers will be most appreciated.


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## rob1693 (18 Oct 2022)

Parts for these are hard to find or prohibitively expensive, be easier to make your own, I made mine out of some lignum vitae pen blanks

Online manual here


https://imgur.io/a/MhUvj


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## Torx (18 Oct 2022)

Aussieboy said:


> Hi powertools. I have recently purchased the same machine but without a manual. Also the blade guides are worn away and need replacing. Any ideas where I can purchase them? I've searched the net without success. Any pointers will be most appreciated.



Can you post a photo of the worn guides?


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## Aussieboy (18 Oct 2022)

Torx said:


> Can you post a photo of the worn guides?


There is only one of the upper and none of the lower showing, the remains of them is still in situ. I have tried to get a clear pic of the one I took out but it doesn't help. They were of a metal tiny bar 5mm x5mm. I wonder if another make of bandsaw have the same size.


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## rob1693 (18 Oct 2022)

Here's a pic of my originals that I replaced with lignum


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## Torx (18 Oct 2022)

I’d replace them with a couple of bits of this if you can find some the correct size









HSS LATHE TOOL STEEL SQUARE TOOL High Speed Steel Turning Tool 3mm-20mm Size | eBay


1pcs Lathe HSS Tool Bit. Size:3 3/4 4/5 5/6 6/7 7/8 8/9 9/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/18 18/20 20/22 22/2 20/3 20/4 20/5 20/6 14/6 20mm. High speed steel tool bits show exceptional results on mild steel, alloys and tools steels.



www.ebay.co.uk





Grinding angle is somewhere earlier in this thread…


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