Inca Bandsaw service

[Torx]

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.

 

[powertools]

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

 

[Torx]

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

 

[Torx]

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.

 

[Torx]

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.

 

[Torx]

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.

 

[Torx]

Dust free at last

 

[Torx]

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.

 

[Mike MW]

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

 

[smugdruggler]

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.

 

[HamsterJam]

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

me too

 

[Torx]

Parts have all arrived now

 

[Bm101]

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.

Works 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.

 

[Torx]

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

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

View attachment 109905

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

View attachment 109909

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.


View attachment 109914


Works 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.

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)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-BLUE-M...-/263575968126?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286

 

[Torx]

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

 

[powertools]

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.

 

[powertools]

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)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-BLUE-M...-/263575968126?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286
View attachment 109927

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

 

[Bm101]

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...
https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/43491-inca-bandsaw-260-dust-extractorSometimes you have to think people could really save themselves time if they wondered why not if.

 

[powertools]

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...
https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/43491-inca-bandsaw-260-dust-extractorSometimes you have to think people could really save themselves time if they wondered why not if.

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.

 

[HamsterJam]

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.