Bandsaw identity
- Thread starter SteveF
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nev
Established Member
I'd say a bandsaw :roll:
Is that the back end? it looks very similar to my Woodster (not woodstar) BS418 (think thats the right number? I can double check tomorrow) same shape, colour, table and motor set up.
Is that the back end? it looks very similar to my Woodster (not woodstar) BS418 (think thats the right number? I can double check tomorrow) same shape, colour, table and motor set up.
nev
Established Member
SteveF":2a0nvpoy said:
well it works. but does tend to wander with a small blade. but to be honest this is the only BS I've had and it is almost certain that it is not set up correctly (one day I'll treat myself to one of mr Maskerys dvd's). Its a bit more precise with a wider blade but not perfect.
takes a 72'' blade
has a thrust bearing top and bottom but fibre 'stick' guides to prevent sideways movement.
I would guess its a mid level hobby saw. but my knowledge is limited.
John Brown
Freeloading Social media influenza
Looks a bit like my Inca.
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I have never had or used an Inca but that is what came to mind on viewing the photo.
Cheers Peter
Cheers Peter
Bright-Spark
Established Member
Definitely an Inca looks like an earlier model, great little machines that punch above their weight. I resawed some 5" hard maple on mine at the weekend going steady with a 3/4" tuffsaw skip tooth blade.
condeesteso
Established Member
Agreed, Inca 260 - French-made version with mid-green main casting. Blade length says 260, and the infeed is opposite to every other bandsaw I have ever known. If it's for sale and the wheels/tyres are good, plus it spins free and sweet, then grab it. A quick check if it has a blade on - set medium tension (just by feel) with tensioner at top (seems to have lost the knob?), back off all guides away from blade and run it. It should be dead smooth and sound like an old Singer (sewing machine, not chorister... maybe a bit of both :lol: ).
Might have a bargain there?
Might have a bargain there?
powertools
Established Member
Definitely an early Inca. The early ones did not have a knob on top for blade tension but use an allen key through the top.
Bear in mind if the fence and mitre guide are missing you will have a hard time getting spares.
Very good machine I have one myself.
Bear in mind if the fence and mitre guide are missing you will have a hard time getting spares.
Very good machine I have one myself.
SteveF":3t93jjm2 said:
I would think that you probably can retrofit a fence, but it starts to get expensive if you are not careful (having to buy some steel, toggle clamp etc). The mitre gauge will be more of a pain- you will probably have to buy something, then adapt it to your mitre slots. If the feed is on the wrong side, it is starting to look like it isnt an ideal saw for you. If you can pick it up for peanuts, then it might be worth a look, but otherwise I probably wouldnt bother (good as Inca are, if you bide your time, you could probably pick up a complete one, newer model etc for £100- to make a fence, buy a mitre gauge, adapt it etc could easily cost you £50 plus your time.)
Bright-Spark
Established Member
I have this fence fitted to mine http://www.axminster.co.uk/small-bandsaw-rip-fence and have been happy with it. Mitre gauge is a bit of a nightmare, one did come on Ebay recently but went for silly money. I have looked at getting a incra D27 and then making a new bar to fit the tables small dovetailed mitre slot but this would cost more than I payed for the saw, so living without one for now.
B-S
B-S
ok- fence may not be as expensive as I thought.
BS- Could you not buy something like http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-MITRE-GAU ... 3380f107aa and make a hardwood bar for it?
BS- Could you not buy something like http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-MITRE-GAU ... 3380f107aa and make a hardwood bar for it?
Bright-Spark
Established Member
Thanks Marcros, at that price might give it ago. Looks like I might be able to take a file to the existing bar and I can collect as it’s not to far from the office.
B-S
B-S
SteveF":60f0nl74 said:
Sounds like you may be misunderstanding here - the FEED is exactly the same as any other bandsaw, it's just that the column (the bit between the top and bottom of the saw) on the Inca is on the right, rather than the left. So no change to workshop layout needed.
FWIW, butchers' bandsaws almost always have the column on the right, but noone has ever told me why
I have an identical INCA to the one in the picture. I think they were made around the late 70's and early 80's. They were then marketed as the Euro 260, I think only with the integral motor- Up to that point they were avaiable in an unmotorised version, which saved a lot of money at the time. Ther was almost no competition as the few other consumer bandsaws were three wheel and also somewhat flimsy. It also had what they called a fretsaw attachment as an optional extra, whcih invilved a 1/8" blade and, I think, replacing the blade guides and abck bearing with a grooved bearing in which the blade ran.
Just to add a few points from my experience, to those already contributed: the mitre fence is a disappointment as it is, unusually, designed to run in a dovetailed groove. The slightest distortion in the steel slide bar means that it jams. The saw is beautifuly engineered and light enough to take out on jobs, and is also extremely powerful and will cut very deep. The direct drive fom motor to bottom wheel (no belt or pulley) means that it cuts very smoothly. You have to be very careful adjusting the blade guides because everything is done by small allen key and the guides are metal, so if the rear bearing is not firmly in place and a narrow blade gets pushed back, it will quickly strip the teeth. In fact there is alot of poking about in small spaces with allen keys whenever adjustments are needed. After longing for one for decades, ever since they first appeared, and having had one on loan now for a few years, I prefer something more substantial, but if you are prepared to put up with the fiddling and do not pay too much then it is a good saw which (almost literally) punches above its weight.
Just to add a few points from my experience, to those already contributed: the mitre fence is a disappointment as it is, unusually, designed to run in a dovetailed groove. The slightest distortion in the steel slide bar means that it jams. The saw is beautifuly engineered and light enough to take out on jobs, and is also extremely powerful and will cut very deep. The direct drive fom motor to bottom wheel (no belt or pulley) means that it cuts very smoothly. You have to be very careful adjusting the blade guides because everything is done by small allen key and the guides are metal, so if the rear bearing is not firmly in place and a narrow blade gets pushed back, it will quickly strip the teeth. In fact there is alot of poking about in small spaces with allen keys whenever adjustments are needed. After longing for one for decades, ever since they first appeared, and having had one on loan now for a few years, I prefer something more substantial, but if you are prepared to put up with the fiddling and do not pay too much then it is a good saw which (almost literally) punches above its weight.
