Thread: Aldi table saw. Junk or value?

I've had one for two years now (come this Saturday, I guess!). For a sub-$200 saw it works plenty fine. Actually, provided you work within its limitations, it is a good little saw.

I do hobby woodworking with it, but have used it to cut up all manner of things from spotted gum to redgum to blackwood to pine to... well you get the idea. With only a little tweaking it does repeatable, accurate rips, crosscuts (once you build a sled for it) and non-through cuts. I have used it to build all manner of things from a dollhouse to breadboards, to boxes (where I used it to resaw redgum), to make pulley grooves, a bandsaw, shelves, cupboards, a vanity unit. It chugs away, and for me has been excellent value for money, not least because I cannot afford to spend more than about $400-500 for one.
The fence works well, its gauge is accurate and it sits parallel to the blade (and is easy to adjust/shim). I have taken to clamping it because it has started working loose in the last 3 months, but otherwise no dramas there. It is easy to add auxillary fences to, and I have made tenoning, taper and spline jigs that all work with it.

There are limitations, however:
The motor struggles with anything much over 3.5cm height when cutting hardwood, but it can go to its full 7.2cm height if you do multiple passes. If you flip the wood, the best I did was 13cm resawing (now, I just use a bandsaw).
The stand is pretty flexible - I have been meaning to make a proper wooden mobile stand for it, but have never got around to it, so I guess it isn't too much of a problem. Because it is light, I pick up the whole saw and move it to where I want it, or away for storage.
The top is aluminium, but given its small surface area this isn't too much of a problem. It is flat across and along. The mitre slots on my saw are both parallel to the blade at 0deg, and at 45deg (and angles in between).
There is no zero-clearance insert, or ability to put one in.
The riving knife works well, but needs to be removed for through cuts. The laser light on top of it is a gimmick, and I removed mine within 2 months of getting it. To remove the riving knife is a straightforward procedure, that takes about 1-2 minutes, but needs a large (24mm??? I can't remember off the top of my head) spanner and a screwdriver.
The back outfeed table is mickey-mouse and the best thing I did was get rid of it. I just butt it against my workbench (similar height) if I need outfeed support.
It doesn't take dado blades.

Quite frankly, if my machine gave up the ghost tomorrow, I would consider it money well spent, and go and buy another one. For what I am making currently, and the direction my woodworking is going, it is more than ample for my needs.

Thanks for taking the time to reply so comprehensively. I will take it on board and go have a look at it at the shop. For that price it looks good for small projects.
Thanks again, Simon.

Buy one and then sell it on Ebay (see link)


eBay Australia: Buy new & used fashion, electronics & home d


That used table saw in the link is almost twice the price Aldi are selling them for right now with 2 hours to go in the Auction.
My local Aldi (in Melbourne too) a pallet full of them yesterday morning.

Sam

Originally Posted by Sam

Buy one and then sell it on Ebay (see link)


eBay Australia: Buy new & used fashion, electronics & home d

Sam

That's hilarious!

Maybe I should list mine as well-tuned and see how much I rustle up for it

oh well.. if I end up keeping mine... at least I know I can sell it without a loss :P

These saws are like many cheap tools - great to start, but you may quickly find the limitations of the tool. I can't see how the fence won't flex, leading to wobbly cuts and, of concern, binding with the blade resulting in kickback. So be careful how you use it - don't overload it or force timber through.

Keep in mind too that the quality of a cut on any table saw is in large part due to the saw blade too. Not sure of the quality of the supplied blades, but a new, good-quality blade would probably cost half the cost of the saw. Not sure what the arbor size is either - make sure it is a standard size so you can get new blades easily.

Personally, I'd avoid it and buy a sliding compound mitre saw instead. You can do lots of things with a SCMS and you can buy something a bit more robust for the same kind of money.

Thanks everyone for your feedback. I didn't end up getting one of these, because I have just received a Bosch GCM 800 S Professional, as a thank you for building a website for a relative. This thing is amazing, if not just a little scary also.