Thread: Lathe on Sale at ALDI

Originally Posted by aldav

Anybody seen the latest Aldi catalogue with the wood lathe? Methinks they can look forward to some court days if any of the buyers take the picture as acceptable practice.

Eh, considering the wood looks stationary (despite the misleading on button), it should be fine. Just ALDI's weird visual interpretation on how to use a chisel
"First, you skewer your wood with something that looks like a lathe. Then, hold your chisel with both hands like a sword, and stab your wood to death with it. Please make sure to wear steel toe boots for.... eh, some reason, and try our sauerkraut on special in aisle 7"

Have another look at that chisel Spyro. Got one like that in your woodturning set? How much chance do you think you would have of controlling the chisel if the lathe was on? Yep, you'd be wearing it.

I don't know anything about woodturning, and I think it's safe to assume that ALDI doesn't either
I'm sure it has some asscover legalese in the instructions.
"If you are alive remove the chisel from your forehead with care, then use a disinfectant (aisle 4)"

Just plagiarising Baroness Margaret Thatcher: This lady set's not for turning. But I definitely will get a set of these chisels though.

The same lathe was sold as a GMC 20 years ago. A mate gave me this same lathe 3 years ago, had crook bearings in it, replaced those, its ok for making something cringe worthy, thats all.
In reference to the photo, Bosch did a similar thing with an earlier version of their cordless circular saw which showed the blade mounted in reverse, I spied this at Total Tools, Penrith. Mentioned it to the sales staff, they hadn't even noticed it (?????) but within a week, the saw had been pulled off the market, presumably for new packaging.

You only get what you pay for .........
Trouble is if someone was interested in starting woodturning
And bought this kind of lathe , they would be disappointed
very quickly, I hope no one actually buys one .........
Would be just a waste of money !

That lathe is only for display purposes, you don't really think any body would actually use it

The GMC vergin was my first lathe, I did a fair bit on it and learned it's limitations very quickly. I still have some of my first turning. I paid $102 for it and $35 for my first set of chisels. My next lathe cost me $1500, a Symtec 1500, with a lot of attachments, but no chisels.
Kryn

Originally Posted by rwbuild

The same lathe was sold as a GMC 20 years ago. A mate gave me this same lathe 3 years ago, had crook bearings in it, replaced those, its ok for making something cringe worthy, thats all.
In reference to the photo, Bosch did a similar thing with an earlier version of their cordless circular saw which showed the blade mounted in reverse, I spied this at Total Tools, Penrith. Mentioned it to the sales staff, they hadn't even noticed it (?????) but within a week, the saw had been pulled off the market, presumably for new packaging.

yes exact thing i thought when i saw it eas gmc run. lol

keep on plugging away

Originally Posted by KBs PensNmore

The GMC vergin was my first lathe, I did a fair bit on it and learned it's limitations very quickly.

I know of a couple of blokes who have turned some quite respectable stuff on one of these. A four-poster bed comes to mind. Mind you, these blokes don't consider themselves woodturners... they're cabinetmakers who needed to make some round pieces as cheaply as possible.

A case of skill overcoming the limitations of the tool, I guess.

For someone who wants to take up woodturning as a hobby? This is not the lathe you are looking for.

Now, if you're looking for a cheap linisher, one of these with the "bed" (pardon my sniggers) removed and a faceplate permanently mounted does a pretty good impersonation for the price. Just sayin'.

If I had any space whatsoever in my shed I'd buy one of those lathes, just to make some basic tool handles.

For all the crap I hang on ALDI I often buy some tool οr shed consumable from them, and it's usually ok for the price.

And sometimes you strike gold, like those telescopic tree loppers I bought years ago and they've been extremely capable and still going strong.

i agree, someone who knows nothing about turning will do the double, then end up in trouble due to the fact they are selling the chisels along side the lathe. they will say that "I thought these were wood turning tools as pictured with the lathe"

I was going to buy this when GMC had it, but missed out. I would've loved it at the time. Now i know more (supposedly), but back then I wish I had.

Ryobi have released one very similar recently and for sale in Bunnings but twice the price.

Sadly in Australia it is not illegal to sell unsafe products, our legislation is reactive not proactive so a case of buyer beware.

There are not enough injuries reported or attributed to these "clone" lathes so no product safety recalls or refunds. Perhaps no reported injuries equates to a "safe product" as far as the regulators are concerned.

Originally Posted by Fumbler

i agree, someone who knows nothing about turning will do the double, then end up in trouble due to the fact they are selling the chisels along side the lathe. they will say that "I thought these were wood turning tools as pictured with the lathe"

Good to see that somebody gets it Fumbler. It's not that the lathe is unsafe it's that their depiction of its use is unsafe. That chisel is totally inappropriate for use on a wood lathe and the fact that they're selling the lathe and those chisels in conjunction with one another will result in people being misled. Accidents and injury are the likely result. That was the whole point of the initial post. I couldn't give a stuff what anybody thinks about the quality of the lathe.