Aldi bandsaw....does anybody have one and can comment?

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MikeJhn":1wf8bpee said:
Cozzer

As a new member you possibly have not seen this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbZqWac0jU its the standard reference for setting up a bandsaw.

Mike

Waiting in for my Aldi saw to turn up any minute and whilst waiting have just watched this video =D>

It all makes so much more sense now... we are very lucky to have YouTube content like this.

Anymore recommended videos for bandsaw virgins?
 
I found this one interesting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k-r5utmU2Q

Also, had some fun with mine last night when the belt went...
http://www.stochasticgeometry.ie/2018/06/03/bandjaxed/

2018-06-03-19.41.20a.jpg


It didn't snap btw, that was me cutting it to get it out of the bandsaw without disassembling it because I knew I had no spare to hand and I didn't want it lying in pieces for a week while I waited on parts. Problem was that I'd pushed it too hard resawing and stripped all the teeth off the inside of the belt so the motor was spinning but the blade had no torque to it. Lovely clean cuts on the resawing mind you:

IMG_2852a.jpg


The belts turn out to be cheap as chips, most UK sources I found were selling them for around £2-3 each (but they wanted either to sell me 40 or charge me 50 quid shipping so I went with radionics over here in the end for the emergency spare and I'll buy a bag of ten off aliexpress for $15 for future replacements). It's a standard piece of industrial lego, you want a timing belt with code 124XL037 in case it happens to you.
 
Along with many others here I can do no matter than highly recommend a set of 3 videos by our very own Steve Maskery ("Workshop Essentials"). Called "Workshop essentials 4, 5, and 6" they are excellent for all virgins (not to mention some with a little more experience)!

Link:

http://www.workshopessentials.com/shop/ ... ommon/home

Worth every penny IMO. Usual disclaimers
 
WHAT A PIECE OF SHHIT!!
There is no way I am owning this ridiculous pile of crud, the door catches don't even align/engage properly so the top door won't stay closed!!!

It really is an awful piece of manufacturing. I didn't have very high expectations and it most certainly didn't exceed them! What a disappointment!

I didn't even plug it in, it's going straight back.

Not for me I'm afraid. :(
 
screwpainting":xylr4qxq said:
WHAT A PIECE OF SHHIT!!
There is no way I am owning this ridiculous pile of crud, the door catches don't even align/engage properly so the top door won't stay closed!!!

It really is an awful piece of manufacturing. I didn't have very high expectations and it most certainly didn't exceed them! What a disappointment!

I didn't even plug it in, it's going straight back.

Not for me I'm afraid. :(
We want photos! Lol

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
 
Thank you Andy, much appreciated. I did work hard to make my contribution a sort of Standard Text.

To those thinking of buying this:
I've never seen this model, so I can't comment first-hand on the particular machine, but please do the maths first.

The machine, IIUIC, costs £80 retail, including delivery. So let's work backwards from that.

1/6 of that is VAT and goes directly to Mr Hammond. As does Import Duty, another few %, I can't remember what it is, but it is not insignificant.

It has to be shipped half way around the world, from the factory to the port, across the sea, through the port and on to the warehouse.
Hermes, or DHL or whoever gets it to your door charge a few quid. What, another Fiver, maybe?

We are already down well below £60.

The manufacturer has to make a profit and pay tax on that profit.

The retailer makes a profit and pay tax on that profit. How much? I don't know, but I guess somewhere between 50% and 100% markup. Quite possibly more, actually.

So what are we left with as the actual cost of the manufacture of the machine, in terms of materials and manpower? It's not very much, is it?

So by all means buy this if it is suitable for your needs. Every machine has its place in the hierarchy. But don't buy a machine at this price point expecting the same performance as a Startrite, because you will be disappointed.

I'm not knocking Lidaldi machines in general. I have a few myself - angle grinder, muti-tool, soldering iron, drill. The drill is the best one, it seems to perform every bit as well as my (much) more expensive Makita and Festool. It doesn't have the nice extras such as a spare battey, or LED, or magnetic bit-holder, but as an actual drill, it's great.

I'm just suggesting that buyers should go in with their eyes open about just how much has been spent on this machine's production, invest in some good blades and learn how to set it up to the best of its capability. And if my work has made that easier, then it was not in vain.

Happy bandsawing!
 
screwpainting":326vp39v said:
WHAT A PIECE OF SHHIT!!
There is no way I am owning this ridiculous pile of crud, the door catches don't even align/engage properly so the top door won't stay closed

There’s a good chance that’s just because it’s not sitting level. A heavy machine can withstand that, a flimsier one needs to be dead level or the twisting runs right through the machine and mean the door catches won’t align.

I’m not trying to persuade you to keep it, there’s every likelyhood it truly is crepe. But try chocking up the corners with bits of laminate off cut while watching a spirit level on the table.
 
My Aldi bandsaw works OK for me but I know its limitations and it is welcome in my retired workroom, good blades from Tuff saws and I am shortly to make a jig to do some more of my old tissue boxes.

But the tablesaw from Aldi (workzone ) was a disaster, there was a broken item in the blade carrier on delivery so I returned and got a full refund and the saw was never given a run owing to safety risk imo.
 
custard":qhzcci7g said:
screwpainting":qhzcci7g said:
WHAT A PIECE OF SHHIT!!
There is no way I am owning this ridiculous pile of crud, the door catches don't even align/engage properly so the top door won't stay closed

There’s a good chance that’s just because it’s not sitting level. A heavy machine can withstand that, a flimsier one needs to be dead level or the twisting runs right through the machine and mean the door catches won’t align.

I’m not trying to persuade you to keep it, there’s every likelyhood it truly is crepe. But try chocking up the corners with bits of laminate off cut while watching a spirit level on the table.

I will take another look at it later Custard and try that, I might as well, as Aldi will take 10-14 days to collect it then process a refund ( I'm not waiting that long) or I can take it to a store for a refund in 2-3 days, which is a nuisance.
Also, I managed to knock over my first beer of the day as I put the box on the table so was was already in a state of trauma and mortification when I unboxed it.

I think I would have won Britain's got swear words there...
 
Well, due to the 14 day collection then refund timescale of Aldi, I decided to ask them to replace the thing that had turned up.

No problem sir, we will collect tomorrow and send you a new one within five working days.
Great so far... better than 14 days just to collect.

Up A& E all next day so missed collection.

No problem Sir, we will collect next Monday.

Band saw turns up this morning, open box, all is good, assemble, watch Snodgrass set up video again, set it up/fettled it and just tried it...

I agree with everyone who loves it =D> =D> =D>

Ripped a bit of 40mm oak worktop off cut to 1/8 then 1/16 inch, then a bit thinner, perhaps a 32nd, blown away. Did a squiggly cut through some old roof batten, amazing tight curves =D> .

My first gripe is that the table and fence are a bit J Arthur, but I think dicking about trying to improve it with some 6mm aluminum/ laminate floor stuff or something glued to it should be fun.

Glad I bought it now and Aldi have been excellent to buy from.

Just a shame that the first one was mechanically insane :(

10/10 Aldi, great service.
 
I have been working on the bandsaw table attempting to fit a new top to the table and I drilled four holes for bolts and applied a bit of MDF but I got my orientation wrong so looking for another offcut to do again. The reason I am adding a top is I am wanting to fit a jig to do mitred corners like my old tissue boxes. I found the 3/8th blade cut a super test mitre the other day.
 
Just got one of these as a first bandsaw and pretty impressed with it bar the table and fence. The table seems prone to excess vibration especially if the fence is fixed to the outside/right side of the blade. No vibration in the rest of the machine. Can anyone tell me if this is normal for these machines as sometimes the vibration is sufficient to move the fence, which admittedly only just about clamps on anyway?
 
I trap a short length of sandpaper between fence clamp and table and cured that problem and never leave the fence clamped when not in use, also release top tension knob when finished for the day.
 
Thanks for the hint, some cardboard in the clamp seemed to also work to secure the fence.
 
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