Aldi 2017 Bandsaw Review

I went to to buy a frozen pizza in Aldi. I ended up buying a bandsaw...

The following is a review of the Aldi Workzone bandsaw.

This tool was last available for sale in store from the 11th of May 2017 and also online

From the Aldi webpage....

Product Description

• Blade Length: 1400mm
• Brand: Workzone
• Colour: Blue/Grey
• Corded/Cordless: Corded
• Dimensions: 430 x 360 x 690 mm
• Material: Steel, plastic & aluminium
• Power: 350W
• Product Type: Power Tools
• Reverse Action: No
• Voltage: 230 – 240 V
• Powerful induction motor provides quiet cutting operation for medium-sized work.

Contents

• 1 x Band saw
• 1 x Saw table
• 1 x Push stick
• 1 x Parallel guide
• 1 x Fence clamp
• 1x Saw blade
• 1x Instruction manual
• 1x Quick start guide
• 1x Warranty Card

Features

• 300 x 300 mm table top for good support of medium sized work
• Solid table which is tiltable from 0° to 45°
• Band wheel: Ø 200 mm
• Cutting speed: 900 m/min
• Clearance height / width: 80 / 200 mm
• Powerful induction motor provides quiet, powerful cutting operation
• Long ripping fence for accurate, straight cuts
• Quick lock for fast and rigid locking
• Solid all-steel construction
• Generous cut capacity of workpieces up to 80 mm thick
• Guarantee/Warranty 3 Years

The cost was £79.99 in the UK, and €109.99 in the Republic of Ireland. A bit more expensive in Ireland.

This bandsaw is essentially a rebranded Scheppach HBS20 8" Bandsaw. Reading the manual we see the 3 year warrenty is covered by Scheppach.com it also refers to the bandsaw as being a model HBS20.

After removing everything from the box, there is minimal assembly required. The included instructions follow Aldi's standard product manual format. So, everything is clear and easy to follow.

This is not big bandsaw. The Throat (Distance from saw blade to inner part of the machine) is 200mm and the Depth of cut (Distance from table to top of saw guide at maximum extension) is 80mm. It's adequte for most jobs.

The target market for this saw is the hobby, home use DIYers but it looks quite solid and seems to be constructed of good quality materials.

Opening the housing with the included screw driver we can see the upper and lower balanced cast alloy wheels which carry the blade. These are running on sealed for life bearings. The lower wheel is driven by a powerful 350 Watt induction motor which is rated as S2 with a 30 minutee run time.

There a number of adjustments that can be made to the machine. The main adjustment are the thrust bearing position and blade guides.

The machine comes with a plastic push stick which has a hanger on the side. There are limit switches on both the upper and lower doors of the housing, these safety features prevents activation of the machine when servicing the blade.

You can set the Depth of cut by adjusting the tool post, which works on a rack and pinion system. There no scale on the Depth of cut, but this isn't a bit issue since you can set the height of the cut against the piece you're working with.

The saws table is held in place by a single sided trunnion, which allows you to tilt the table to 45 degrees.

Possible Additions/Improvements

• Stand and wheel kit
• Replacement blades from TuffSaw
• Addition of a mitre fence

Similar products: Einhell TC-SB 200, Charnwood's W711 8" Bandsaw, Scheppach HBS20

In summary: This Aldi bandsaw is solid, versatile and great value.