Aldi 'Workzone' Pillar drill

[damo8604]

After reading some favourable reviews on here about Aldi I thought I'd take the plunge and invest in a pillar drill.

I rushed the kids to get them off to school early so that I had time to get to my local Aldi first thing in the morning, I got there half an hour after opening and there were two left.

I set it up last night but was a little disappointed, the chip guard seems a little flimsy, I can see that snapping or shattering in use....

It was a bit of a pain to attach the chuck, the instructions said to swiftly and forcefully attach the chuck to the spindle, you should hear it engage when positioned correctly, I ended up bashing the hell out of it but didn't hear a 'click' so have no idea if it is fitted correctly.

Tensioning the belts is also a pain, I had to prise the motor away from the chuck using a screwdriver as a lever, it appears to be at it's furthest position however the belts still slip when trying out a 35mm forstner bit on a scrap piece of timber. All in all I was a bit disappointed, maybe I'd got caught along in the hysteria? I don't know and with this being my first pillar drill I have no bench mark to compare with.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

How hard was the wood, how sharp was the forstner? A 35mm blunt forstner takes a bit of driving.

 

[damo8604]

How hard was the wood, how sharp was the forstner? A 35mm blunt forstner takes a bit of driving.

It was a brand new forstner bit however it was a cheap bit from screwfix. I think it was a tenner for 5 bits, the wood was reasonably soft, I don't think it was pine but it certainly wasn't Oak, unfortunately my timber recognition skills need working on

 

[OM99]

i bought the same and seems fine to me, Did you leave the belt on the pre configured speed? Mine was set at 2000 RPM which might be a bit fast for a 35mm forstner bit.

Oli

 

[damo8604]

i bought the same and seems fine to me, Did you leave the belt on the pre configured speed? Mine was set at 2000 RPM which might be a bit fast for a 35mm forstner bit.

Oli

Ah..... come to think of it I didn't check the speed, that makes sense (actually pretty blooming obvious)

Thanks buddy, I'll have a play when I get in from work

 

[Selwyn]

I have a powercraft version of this - can't remember if it is lidl or aldi but you respect is limitations for a lot of woodworking uses it is good enough. You have to watch the belt for tight and the speed because it doesn't have the guts to be pushed

 

[damo8604]

That's better..... Reduced the speed and it's running smoothly. The comment about the chip guard still stands and there isn't a great deal of plunge but for what I need it for it'll do the job, I've spent £60 on worse!

 

[Monkey Mark]

I have a similar one, can't remember what branding it's got.
For what they cost, I think they're pretty good.

 

[8squared]

I've got a cheap power devil drill that had the same flimsy guard... I never used the clear adjustable part so I took that off followed by the rest shortly after as it cracked.

To replace it I traced the shape in 3/4" mahogany cutting the hole for the shaft slightly smaller then hand sanded till I could install it with a few light taps off a mallet... And drill a small hole to thread in the depth stop.

It works more accurately than the plastic one.

 

[Paddy Roxburgh]

Does anyone actually leave the chip guard on a drill? I've drilled millions (well a lot) of holes in metal and wood and have never felt the need for one, it's a pretty safe operation at low speed and chips don't get thrown up at your face. The main danger is the work piece getting stuck and spinning around and hitting your hand (with metal this can really sting)
Paddy

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I believe the first thing I've ever done with every power tool I've owned is take the "safety" devices off. I've never seen how stopping you actually seeing anything makes it safer. It's box ticking, that's all.

 

[Monkey Mark]

I've got a cheap power devil drill that had the same flimsy guard... I never used the clear adjustable part so I took that off followed by the rest shortly after as it cracked.

To replace it I traced the shape in 3/4" mahogany cutting the hole for the shaft slightly smaller then hand sanded till I could install it with a few light taps off a mallet... And drill a small hole to thread in the depth stop.

It works more accurately than the plastic one.

The plastic collar was cracked on mine when I got it used. Been meaning to make a copy for the depth stop myself.

 

[Monkey Mark]

Does anyone actually leave the chip guard on a drill? I've drilled millions (well a lot) of holes in metal and wood and have never felt the need for one, it's a pretty safe operation at low speed and chips don't get thrown up at your face. The main danger is the work piece getting stuck and spinning around and hitting your hand (with metal this can really sting)
Paddy

I always take them off. As you say it's pretty safe. However I did once have a 5mm drill bit snap and part of it hit me in the face. The shattered point was amazingly sharp, giving a nice cut.