S1 and S2 ratings, if there’s one thing I’ve learnt today is the difference - thanks to you and fellow subscribers. In my electronics world (where I originated from) we used continuous power ratings for components. At that point you quickly learned the price difference between it will go all day versus it goes up in a puff of smoke. Thanks Peter.
Thanks Mike. Yes, it was something I learned from my outstanding subscribers, too! Fortunately for my usage, it’s pretty academic, but interesting nonetheless. 👍
Thank you, and welcome! Be sure to check through the back catalogue - and don’t skip the adverts... 😆👍👍 Edited to add - if you’re interested in entry-level bandsaws, I have a playlist with all my bandsaw videos collected together 👍👍
Very many thanks for a very interesting video Peter. I purchased a cheap bandsaw from Argos last year - £59, but unfortunately had to return it as it kept shedding the bands. It was identical to the Aldi saw you have. Since then I bit the bullet and bought the Titan and have to say that apart from the table itself, I am very less than impressed. I cannot tension the blade properly at all and am currently in discussions with a blade maker to try different sizes. Thanks for your great work
Sorry to hear. The blade length does seem to be a bit of an issue for the Titan - I’ve had a couple of people suggest my blade being too long as the reason my quick-release blade tensioner doesn’t work! For blades, try Ian at Tuffsaws - very helpful, knowledgable, and generous with his time. Makes fantastic blades, too!
I bought the Titan Bandsaw last year, and it's been fettled. The blade was upgraded to a Tuffsaws 6tpi carbon supertuff, makes a huge difference including 15mm square solid aluminium bar cutting(!). I replaced the door opening screws with knobs and threaded dowels. My fence was set parallel to the blade cut and the clamp tensioned, doesn't move now. Blade drift was solved with slowing down the material speed and a lot of practice. Hope this helps, and great informative video.
Well Peter had a look at this review last night and based in all your comparisons I went and bought an Aldi this morning at 9am Special buy .... I'm looking forward to using it. Thanks once again for the great review.
Peter, Thanks so much for posting , I have watched many of your videos and find them first class, after watching your reviews, I have bought the Aldi one, ordered it on line and was delivered within 3 days, haven't put it together yer, thats my job for tomorrow morning, keep posting big thanks once again from Garry in South Yorkshire UK
Hi Peter, The instructions for the band saw must have been written by a doctor as I didn't undertsand a thing lol, I came onto youtube and watched an American expert who set up a very large bandsaw but with the same principle, within 10 minutes I had mine set up pretty much spot on, thanks for the tip, and thanks to you I saved over 100 quid on a more expensive machine .
Hi Peter, I've just got one of these, Titan have fixed the fence issue themselves, maybe even the slackening doobery, the fence on mine grips the front and back if the table and is solid when done up :)
Hi Peter, another good review. I recently purchased the Titan band saw and like you found the fence was a bit iffy. I re engineered the clamping section of the fence because I found that when you applied the cam lock that it pulled the clamping lug up at an angle so the surface area of the clamping force wasn't enough to lock the fence solidly. That's easier to visualize than it is to explain. The blade quick release on mine worked very well, I noticed on your's that the gap between the top wheel and the case was much larger than on mine which would suggest that the blade length may be slightly shorter which would pull the blade away from the release cam. The stock blade I had worked perfectly but its longevity was not great. I purchased a Starret blade to go with the bandsaw of the suggested length but found it was slightly to long and could not be tensioned at all so I re-engineered the top wheel carrier to accommodate the new blade and all worked well. It appears that blade lengths are possibly more of a hint than an accurate statement. I hope with these minor fettlings in place that the bandsaw will do as it should for a long time to come. Hope yours comes good in the end.
Hi Kev. Thanks so much for the detail, that’s really helpful. I need to dig around the fence some more, certainly; hadn’t occurred to me that the blade length may be off though, good catch! I need to play with it a bit more, figure out what’s going on - hey, maybe there’s a video in that! 😂👍
Thank you Peter for reassuring me I bought the Aldi band saw . As I'm a retired bricklayer I've been doing bits and pieces and now spend hours everyday hiding from my wife in my shed . I only paid £60 for mine happy days 👍
Wow, Peter, I loved your vlog about your ALDI bandsaw...then you did the comparison video...THEN this one!! SO MUCH information. THANK YOU. I’m 50 this year and want to add this to my collection of tools...I’m going for the Titan. X
Thanks! These vids are a couple of years old now; Axminster have introduced an entry-level bandsaw with a cast iron table at around the same price as the Titan; if I was buying today, I’d be giving that one serious consideration 👍👍
Peter Millard ooooOOOoooW! That’s THE deal breaker! Once again...THANK YOU sir. Do you know, I find it REALLY refreshing to watch a video from the uk, I have absolutely nothing against any other countries’ Vlogs...it’s just the different terminologies,measurements,screaming music and shouting I can’t bare. 🤯🥴😬🥴🤯 Your channel is like sunlight on a crappy day! You don’t mig weld too do you? 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂😂...Axminster does have some terrific stuff. #subcribed 👍🏼
Gail Pengelly Thanks Gail, that’s really kind of you to say, and I really appreciate the kind comments. Actually I am booked onto a welding course, as it’s something I’ve always wanted to try, so watch this space! 👍👍
Peter Millard, ME TOO, I got a mig welder for my 49th birthday...I’ve made a couple of bits but I REALLY want to master it. Our eldest granddaughter did an engineering cause & reckons tig is the easiest to get to grips with. I just can’t find a TH-cam’r that is a concise as your videos. I will indeed watch this space. Thank you again.👍🏼🤟🏼👍🏼
I have the Mastercraft (sold by Canadian Tire), a dead ringer for the Titan. The problem I have is with the lack of adjustability of the guides and thrust bearing. Very little available adjustment if you want to go to a 1/8" (3.125mm) blade.
I just picked up a MasterCraft bandsaw and going through it for the first time. Yes those tiny little metal nubs for the guides are difficult to work with
Very interesting video. I learned a lot of it. The S1 and S2 is now totally clear to me. Aldi is not in Slovakia but Lidl is. In some countries (not in Slovakia yet) Lidl has an online-shop, where many things (among which also tools) can be bought the whole year around. I can imagine Aldi does the same if they want to be competitive. For my Scheppach I made a kind of "barrier" to stop fine sawdust going into the inner part of the height adjustment system. It consists of two pieces of wood in which are small magnets (ordinary, not rare earth) to keep them in place. It´s not perfect yet but at least I can see how the sawdust "flies" because I painted the wood green. I'm satisfied with the fence of the Scheppach. The table itself is another story. It is magnetic so that is a great advantage (the fence is not magnetic) and can be put at an angle (what I did not use till now). The lack of a mitre slot and mitre gauge is a disadvantage. Maybe I should try to make a table for the Scheppach myself, one day. On the whole I'm satisfied with the bandsaw and I hope I can use it many more years.
Thanks Hans! Yes, the Aldi/Scheppach are pretty amazing for the money. Plenty you could do with them to improve, but I think the table’s a sticking point! 👍
I don't remember anymore how the table is screwed/mounted to the chassis. I connected it 10 months ago and that was it. I should take a look if it is a "mission impossible" or not.. In the video I noticed that also the Titan has a 1400 mm blade. So all three band saws have the same blade length.
Aldi currently have a DIY special buy event, for those who don't know. Cordless drill, scroll saw, digital calipers amongst other things. 👍 no band saws yet though. Thanks for the review, Peter. Interesting as ever!.👍👍
Hi , thanks for the reviews , but i notice that the Titan motor is offset rather than being direct drive as per the other two . is there a reduction in blade phrephial speed on the Titan ? , Mathias Wardle commented on his page that the direct drive ones where a bit fast
I’m afraid I’ve no idea - this video’s a few years old and I don’t have any of these bandsaws any more - but I certainly didn’t notice any difference between them in use. 👍
After reading your very good review and thank you for that, I purchased the Titan, and I thought like you that the blade tension release lever did not work, but I found at least on my one, if you turn it anticlockwise as far as it goes until it touches the tracking knob it does work even with the tension knob set as far as it will go on maximum tension. I agree with you about the 15 turn door screws, I have modified mine and now has (32mm diameter) large knobs the same style as the others on the machine with now only 4 turns with a circlip fitted into a groove in place of the squashed washer that they fit. The last mod that have made was to fit a ( about 32cm long) flexy LED light that can be directed towards the blade as required.
Thanks for that update Raymond, very useful. I’ll take another look at the tension quick r lease, but I’m pretty sure it didn’t do anything on mine, whichever way I turned it! 👍
Thanks Peter for your reply. As the release lever is turned anticlockwise the rubber roller moves Downward (and not upward) resistance is then met (keep turning) as then it Compresses the spring all the way until it meets the tracking knob and then takes tension off the band.
Thanks for another incredibly helpful review, Peter. I only subscribed last week but have blasted through a raft of your content, and taken delivery of a Benchdogs rail square with 5% discount . The best bit so far was your use of the phrase, ‘fannying about’! Not heard that for ages……..
Hi Peter, I have had some great work out of the Titan bandsaw and continue to get as such. However, as you say that came after a bit of fettling. I sorted the fence by inlaying the lower grabs with sticky backed cork sheet and it is now rock solid. I would also like to mention that the top yellow knob tensions the blade whilst the lever on the back de-tensions the blade by pressing DOWN and not up. So the cammed wheel shouldn't reach the top section, it presses down to ease off tension. It therefore DOES work! Keep up the great videos.
Thanks. As I mentioned in the video, the de-tensioning lever doesn’t work on mine. It gets to the point where something looks like it’s about to happen then the handle hits the bodywork and won’t go any further - this is right at the end of the travel, so there’s clearly something awry. Glad yours works for you! I changed the fence on mine for a cheap Axminster one - see videos #294 & 294 👍👍
My cheap and cheerful B&Q bands I have had for a couple of years hasn't been used much because it drifts like the Titan. I might just give a block of wood a go to see if it fixes it. Thank you Peter, great review.
Thanks. I did a makeover in this after about a year, made a big difference. 2-part series, P1 here - vid 293 Bandsaw Makeover P1 th-cam.com/video/EGgwDYl7T9M/w-d-xo.html
I bought the Aldi band saw and found it had really bad vibration. I had to balance the top and bottom wheels which improved the operation of the saw. It didn't take much to balance the wheel and I used hot glue as weight, which worked really well.
The purpose of the leaver that removes the tension on the blade is a) to prevent imprinting the blade on the rubber tire when the saw is not being used for long time. Those imprints result in uneven wheel surface that create vibration and lead to lower cut quality b) prolonging blade life by removing stress from the weld when the blade is not being used Due to slight variation in blade lengths the tensioning mechanism must be used every time when changing blades. The lever is there only to take the tension off when the saw is not in use and put it back on the same preset amount before use. It is a useful feature (if it works)
Great review Peter,Could i suggest keeping both Bandsaws,The reason been is to fit a resaw blade in one and a scrolling blade in the other,It saves a lot on set up time .Plus they are only small so easy to store.
I was thinking of getting the Aldi band saw for cutting my catapults out of plywood which is 18mm but just struggling which one to get as I only have £120
The Aldi is great, as long as you use it within its capacity. It’ll deal with 18mm Ply easily, though I’d suggest budgeting for a blade upgrade before too long. I have a few ‘budget bandsaw’ videos in a playlist - may be worth taking a look as I explain my reasons for moving on from the Aldi after 6 months 👍👍
Love it. Try clamping the fence down on the TITAN. I wish that when you mention the price in pounnds you could tell us in US funds it would be. If that's possible
Hi Peter, The so called wobbly fence on the Aldi is fine. All I needed to do was "spin" the cam lever until it was tight enough to grip the table firmly, then clamp the fence in place. BTW, did you notice that the Aldi appears to have no drive belt but seems to be direct drive. (one fewer problem area).
Thanks Mike. It was the Titan that had the particularly poor fence, btw - the Aldi wasn’t great, but it didn’t affect the cut. And no, can’t say I noticed the lack of a belt - I haven’t owned the bandsaw for a little while 👍
Peter, turn quick release tension handle all the way to the anti clockwise (away from the beam) to relase tension. It doesnt push on the top plate, it pushes on the bar behind the wheel. You show it coming to a stop on the video. Interestingly i dont get tension as low in the adjustment as you, so now i need to do more fettling. Also, i made knobs and shorter bolts for the doors. Sure there is more but cant remember.
Thanks. The quick release lever does nothing at all on mine - it doesn’t bear against any part at all, there’s no ‘feel’ in the lever that you’d expect when it engages, it’s ‘floppy’, disconnected somehow. Need investigating, certainly 👍
Had my Titan for three years now, still original blade, mainly used for pine but some oak and hard plastic ! As for the fence ,set it up on day one and not touched it since. I can remove it when required and when put back is tight enough to pull the saw around the workshop with it (mobile table !) The mitre guide was sloppy in its channel but fixed that so all in all am more than pleased with it . What do people want for less than £100 !
Peter Shaw Nope - still in its box! I think I might have said at the time I don’t use the fence much, and this proves it, lol! I’ll get onto it soon, I’m sure. 😬👍
I'm tempted to get a second bandsaw - I use my monster one for ripping and changing blades is a real PITA when you need them set up very precisely - a little cheapo with a 1/4" for scoll work would be a real luxury. BTW ALL cheapo manufacturers quote the INPUT wattage (bit dishonest marketing BS) which is usually 20 to 30% more than the actual output wattage - Axminster and proper brands dont do this - they'll all have equal motors, Titan here isnt direct drive which means less stress on the motor and a gearing advantage but a slight drop in power (though its less likely to stall)
Really good post this Peter thank you. Would you happen to know the size of the tiny screw holding the plastic insert plate in? I dropped mine in the workshop never to be seen again! Titan bandsaw.
Regarding the wobbley fence!! Someone used doublesided tape to stick an aluminium ruler to the bottom of the fence which took the play out of tge fence. After that, the cuts were square!
You can possibly make a larger cam obviously with maximum + minimum clearance and include any obstacle close , half a yingyang sort of shape without the pointy tip I have enjoyed watching you strategy forward no noncentral diversions PS I really new at all of this but I love it
Great video Peter very well explained nice to see these entry level bandsaws compared. I ended up with a Scheppach HBS30 very similar to the HBS20 except it has a 350 watt motor and extendable bed 300 x 300 to 520 mm. It's also supplied with 3 extra blades 6, 10 and 14. It performs very well for hobby work and light diy.
You can tighten the fence up. The cam isn't on a straight rod, it's a screw thread so just turn it clockwise a few times and it should grip the table no problem. ...oh and the Aldi one is being sold by Parkside from Lidl for £70.
Thanks - not my first rodeo, whilst this one will tighten, it doesn’t make it any more stable, sadly. Lidl Parkside tools are often rebadged Einhell, Aldi are usually rebadged Scheppach - I’d be interested to see if Lidl are starting to sell Scheppach. 👍
I had to send mine back because it wouldn't turn on when I bought it. The replacement they sent me had been dropped or something as the base was bent and the post had ripped away from it on one corner. The third one they sent me is on it's way now and it has come straight from Scheppach.
Using the Sheppach Basa 1.0 just swapped the blade for a much thicker one & what a huge difference it makes much nicer cut on thicker materials. Thanks for your video if room here would allow I’d opt for a taller Record Power machine but I’ll make do with this.
Another good review Peter. I have the Titan and as you say it needs a bit of Ferlinghetti to achieve good results but once it's set I am achieving good results. I found adjusting the 2 little pins that the blade runs through made a big difference. For what I need it for it is a very handy piece of kit for the money. Downside, finding more room in the shop to keep it 😩 Cheers pal
Hi Thomas. I have the fence but haven’t fitted it yet. I don’t anticipate any problems though. Fingers crossed I’ll get it done this week, but can’t promise anything- work, you know... 👍👍
Hi Lee, and thanks! I’m deliberately not linking to the fence until I know that it fits and works as I didn’t want steer anyone to the ‘wrong’ product. I bought the “Axminster Small RIP Fence Upgrade” at £13.50 (if you wanted to search it out yourself...) and it looks like it’ll do the job, I just haven’t had a chance to fit it yet, so no guarantees... 👍
i need to cut accurately mortice and tenon joints in 4x4 inch timber. What do you recommend please ? Think of a used ebay bandsaw, but not too big or heavy to transport in a car, but i do have a car trailer.
@@10MinuteWorkshop thanks, to make accurate cross morises in 4inch timber......see this compound mitre saw..... th-cam.com/video/OvagF0MeQqA/w-d-xo.html
ITs a question of space I have a very compact garage space about half one side and an end so there is nowhere for a free standing band saw. The bench has shelves behind it so a tall item like this would block access to the shelves. How tall and wide is the Work station ALDI sells
Hi Patrick. I don’t own this bandsaw any more, so can’t help with dimensions. A number of people here bought them though, perhaps someone will be able to measure them for you?
Re the fence issue, here’s a nice comment from a Scewfix reviewer... Some people mentioned that the fence is wobbly. It is, but there is an extremely easy fix: Just slide a 1mm packer underneath on the far end of the fence (furthest away from you) before you tighten it. I got a bunch of plastic packers from Screwfix which have served me for all kinds of purposes, but you could just as well use some thicker cardboard. Problem solved. Axminster also sells a fence upgrade for 14 quid which you can bolt to this saw and should improve the fence even further, but with the packer tip, it's perfectly fine for rip cuts. " Hope this helps.
A bit late I know, but having been after a Bandsaw for a few months and waiting for Screwfix to get the Titan back in stock. Today I received notification that Axminster have their AC1400B back in stock and with £45 off. So not as cheep as the Workzone or the Titan but with my rough maths not much more when you have to buy a new fence for the others. I don't work for Axminster but thought it was worth a mention. Greg
Titan thicknessers are driven with a belt not chain.I had two and the belt broke on both not long after I had them.Decided not to risk another so had a refund. Take from that what you will.
Just came from the other video, now I don't know... the mitre slot is definitely a big plus for the titan but the fence is a drawback, and still feeling I wand a higher depth, even if its just another 20mm for a nice round 100 lol. I will continue researching and see what I come up with. Thanks again for the video
These are pretty old videos now; if you take a look at the bandsaw playlist theres a more recent one about the Aldi Ferrex 10" bandsaw - cheapest 10" bandsaw in the UK when I made the video. I still use it today, though I hd the Titan for a couple of years after I gave it a makeover and fixed the fence. 👍
own an aldi bandsaw for afew months now and i forgot to conect my dust extracter and the micro switches clog up with dust and is a pain to get it working again
I have a delta bandsaw of this size, got it for a tenner on a carboot, it has a cast iron table, i use it for models and pens, i found screwing a 1"x2" block of squared off wood to the mitre and letting the saw cut it off is alot better for small cutting jobs, i did not like the gap between the blade and mitre
I have the Aldi saw and for the life of me I cannot adjust it so that it will cut a straight line. The band just wanders, even when cutting 2mm ply ? What is the roller supposed to do ? It makes no contact with anything on my saw ? Any help appreciated.
Sorry you’re having issues, but this video’s getting on for three years old, so the Aldi saw you buy today won’t be the one I had when I made the video, and if you,look through the most recent comments you’ll see that there have been some quality control issues with this particular saw. Mine came pretty well set up out of the box, but it sounds like yours may need some more work. The roller behind the blade should just touch the back of the blade to prevent it from distorting when moving the workpiece through it, and the guides on either side should almost - but not quite - touch the sides of the blade when it’s running. With all that in place, and the blade tensioned properly - it should ‘ping’ a nice clear note when plucked - and a well clamped and square fence, then you should easily get a straight cut. Many entry-level bandsaw issues are resolved with a better blade - I recommend tuffsaws in the description - but if you’re struggling to get a halfway decent cut after the setup then with these supermarket saws I’d just return it for replacement of refund, rather than beat your head against a wall. Not sure if that helps or not! 🤷♂️👍👍
The rip fence should lock if you tighten the locking lever , I have the aldi and it isn’t great ,I think if you’re going to invest in a band saw I have a good one from SIP with a depth of cut at 8 inches ish for around £500 but it’s a solid machine and very useful in the workshop ,I’ll send a picture of it soon.
My aldi tracking feature for the wheel is useless now, had it two years, changed the blade on it, and it tracks the blade off. The metal on it is cheap and flexible and it got use for the price. However on a new job at the moment which I need my saw for. Not very happy with it now. It was ok for ripping but nothing finessed.
The Triton is still available - though obviously, the saw you buy today may well be different to the one I had here. I replaced mine with a larger (10”) Aldi Ferrex model which is doing OK. I have my Titan away after some upgrades, and it’s still going strong afaik. 👍
Peter, the problem with your fence is simply because it is not locked down tight enough. unlock it, turn the locking handle one full turn clockwise lock it down, the fence should now hold rigidly, if it doesn't give it one more turn until it does. I had a 15 year old axminster band saw which finally gave up the ghost so I bought a titan and I find that it is much better than the old axminster.
Hi David. I appreciate the thought, but the fence play really isn’t because it’s not locked down tight enough! I can ignore the quick release and turn that screw as tight as I can, and the fence still pops up off the table. There are a couple of little plastic lugs that hook under the table to keep it located, and there seems to be a lot of wiggle room there: no matter how much I tighten it, in use it shifts. If I decide to keep it, there’ll be a fence and blade upgrade in its future! 👍
Hi Peter , Yet more questions... The Axminster seems to have some advantages for me such as being able to take up to half inch blades, which neither of the others do being limited to quarter inch blades. Also the cast iron table rather than aluminium or steel. * Did you not consider the larger blade size worth the extra for the Axminster?
Tricky call Mike. If you need the half-inch blade, then yes absolutely worth it. Even if you don’t, it’s a better saw than the Aldi or Titan, provided you can live with the cut capacity. 👍
Wider blades have a couple of major benefits. First, they can make deeper cuts without twisting. With these saws, the max depth of cut is only 3", anyway. Another advantage is that a wider blade makes for smoother and straighter free-hand cutting to a scribed line. The downsides, OTOH: Wider blades can't cut as tight of a curve. They suck a bit more of the available motor power and put a higher load on the bearings and frame. Because a saw is advertised that it CAN take a given band size doesn't make it a good idea. If it really pushes the limits of the saw, this could wear out the damper spring faster, for instance. And with less effective damping, the bearings would wear out faster. Then there's an issue of the frame and axles torquing. Every band saw comes factory tuned for a specific tension. When you change blade sizes, the frame and axles change position, slightly, under load. Then the blade tracks differently on the bottom wheel vs the top, and this introduces a twist in the blade. On the larger band saws, you can easily adjust the bottom wheel to adjust for these changes. I haven't owned one of these better quality 9" saws, before, so I don't know if they can be adjusted this way. On the larger saws, the axle of the bottom wheel extends thru the back cover of the saw and there are 4 bolts in a steel box frame which capture the axle and are used for making fine adjustments. Bottom line, I'd use w/e band runs the best on a 9" saw, and I bet in most cases it is a 1/4" blade. There's nothing you will regularly do on a 9" saw that needs a wider blade, IMO. If you resaw 3" wood a lot, you will want a larger saw, anyway. You don't really ever want to cut expensive stock with the blade guide all the way snug on top of the stock, because you can't see if/when the blade starts to wander. By the time you feel it, the cut will be properly buggered. And when a band saw blade gets dull, it will always get dull on one side more than the other and start to drift. That's the way wood cutting band saw blades are made. So don't believe you can tune all the drift out of a band saw; unless you are running carbide blade on a large saw, your saw will eventually drift because of blade wear. For practical purposes, you will probably want a larger saw if regularly cutting stock thicker than maybe 2".
Great video! I read somewhere else that you said you are going to upgrade the fence and blade? I got the axminster fence kit but am struggling to find a way to mount it! Is that the fence you are going to get?
Thanks!. Of the three, yes - though I don't think they make this specific one any more - but as I say in the video, I'd rather put a bit more money in and get something with more capacity, personally. 👍
Hello sir. Nice review. If you don’t mind I would like to say that your information on the tension handle is a little off as it is designed to release the tension by pushing down on the mechanism not up. If you are in front of the saw you turn it clock wise & it presses down making the wheel move down. There is no need to move the tension knob on top. I only realised this the other day whilst changing my blade. Thanks. Mark.
Peter Millard I have just been out to check mine as it did nothing also. He is correct. If you pull the lever/cam down it removes tension. Good shout UKCD. 👍🏼
I'll take another look, but in this video, at around 9.40 I show that the cam the lever moves doesn't make contact when the blade is tensioned. It literally just spins around.
bought a shepphach but it was impossible to track the band to get it in the centre of the two wheels the lower pulley was nowhere near in line had to put a spacer on the lower pulley to make it work .unless im missing something ?
Recent purchase? They seemed to have a batch that were really hard to set up, sounds like you may have one of them. I’d throw it back to the dealer/ retailer and get a replacement. 👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop bought it off ebay arrived yesterday spent all day trying to track the band but gave up lined up the lower and bottom pulleys bottom was 1/4 inch out of alignment with top one not sure what this co planar bollocks is but some on here say the pulleys never line up ,but surely two pulleys must be in line the tracking is only to centre the blade wierd really
Great video peter. I think you've got a secret love for the aldi bandsaw. It was the video that i found your channel. I wudnt part with it. It wud be good to see how long it lasts before it gives up the ghost. They where selling it over here recently. Still haven't bought it yet. You know what I wud recommend doing a video on. Last year I bought the lidl mitre saw. €80. My old man was using it yesterday & he loved it. He said he owned Makita, dewalt mitre saws over the years & he said, the Lidl one is fantastic for its value. They currently have them on sale at the moment for €60. Probably £40
Peter Millard good idea Peter. The auld woodworking gear out of aldi & Lidl aint bad. Some of its rubbish. But there marketing wank is fantastic. You go in to buy a bit of fruit & come out with a shit load of diy tools. Great! You should do a few videos on their stuff. I bought a set of squares yesterday €7. Compared them to my empire one which coast €28. Spot on.
Hi Peter. Just thought i'd let you know the 3/8 blade from bedford saws fits the titan like a dream so it now re-saws so much better. I also bought the 1/4 inch blade from bedford saws and it cuts like butter. i think it was about £8.50 a blade. Just need a better fence now. Any recommendations.
I bought (but have yet to fit) the cheap one from Axminster (£13.50 if I remember right) which should work well - but as I say, I haven’t done it yet. I usually recommend Ian John at tuffsaws.co.uk for replacement blades, but always good to have another source, thanks! 👍👍
Peter....i have tne aldi saw....just cant get it set up right. Any way you can post exactly how its set up and tuned? Love the channel. Learning loads. Thanks.
Thanks David! Have to say, all I did with the the Aldi is bolt the table on square to the blade, and start cutting. Is your blade tension OK? Tracking? I had no issues with my Aldi bandsaw at all.
Sorry Peter, forgot to ask.... When deciding between the Aldi and the Titan, what importance did you attach to the fact that the Aldi has a metal rising blade guide yet the Titan just has a plastic guide, and does it matter?
Hi Peter, Very useful videos thanks. I have just collected my Titan bandsaw from Screwfix, and unfortunately I will have to return it. The lower wheel is eccentric by around .5 to 1.0 mm causing the bvlade to move side to side and to catch on the guides during each rotation. Clearly a machining/quality control issue. I presume there is no way a user can correct this ?
Hi Mike. What a shame! No, no way of correcting that, that I'm aware of. At least Screwfix are decent about returns - fingers crossed you'll get another one without any issues. Keep me posted. 👍
Do you think the titan will get some good 4-5mm thick cut from some stabilised wood blanks, These are 60mm high , 80mm long , Id like to get as many thin slices out of these blanks/ blocks as possible, if i use some 3" thick wood for a stable fence like you did, I have a few blanks id like to almost veneer some pieces from at anything from 3mm-4mm , and 5mm thickness for a couple of home projects,
It should be OK, though it’s not the kind of thing I use it for tbh. I’d recommend you change the blade for something from Ian John at tuffsaws.co.uk - he’ll be able to advise on the best blade for the job.👍👍
Hello, nice overview ;-) im new to bandsaw and looking for my home shop for one, the titan looks nice but wher can i get a better fence for it, please and how i square i it to a so tiny blade, please?
Thanks! I bought the Axminster £14 fence - out of stock right now, so didn’t want to recommend it until I’m sure it fits. There’ll be a video when it arrives... 👍
Just to follow on from what Peter said re the Aldi's availability, although they can appear and disappear throughout the year, they tend to always show up in the runnup to Fathers Day (as do their famous chisels). Also, not to complicate things any further, I would be fascinated to know how the new Record BS9 would compare in this company. Can we tempt you to a fourth bandsaw Peter?
Thanks Ian - hadn’t made the Father’s Day connection, duh! Oh my, another bandsaw! I think, on reflection, it’s time to finish this up and move on tbh - leave something for another TH-camr to cover, lol 😂👍
There’ll be one Aldi per local area that is a dumping ground for unsold special buys from all the other stores. I went yesterday and there was 3 bandsaws randomly there. They were a special buy here in Australia a cpl months ago. I might buy one
Thanks Tony! Yeah, they do free delivery on anything over about £20 I think. Just be aware that the current version only comes with a 1-year warranty, apparently, not the 3 years of the one I tested👍👍
On to my third Titan in a week. The first had been damaged in transit and the motor casing was dented badly and stopped the motor turning. On the second the on switch did not work. The third seems okay but not impressed with the cut as it leaves wavy lines in the wood. I have tried readjusting the guards, tracking and tensioning with no effect. Any ideas? I was thinking about trying a different blade. People seem to recommend the Starret Duratec from Screwfix. By the way the tension release lever does work on mine but you need to turn it anti clockwise to move the lower bar not the upper "button" as shown in your video.
Sorry to hear about the issues. Is the blade tension nice & tight? I ran the stock blade for a while, and whilst it wasn’t the best, it cut straight, and through everything I threw at it. I changed to a Tuffsaws SuperTuff Premium Bandsaw Blade - 1575mm x 1/4" x 6tpi - bit.ly/TuffsawsPremium Works well. Also upgraded the fence - see bandsaw makeover video #293 & 294. How much of. Project do you want this to become? If you’re on your third and you’re not happy after a blade change, I think I’d be inclined to look elsewhere, tbh. Let me know how you get on. 👍
you should only care for S1 rating when comparing motors. S1 is always quoted but different manufacturers will quote different time duties like 60% 40% and 20% along with the S1(100%). Sometimes you will find S1 ratings on two motors and an S4 rating on one and S6 on the other. And you can't compare S4 to S6
Oh man you just keep giving!!! More of these please! I love reviews :) Testing of cheap/no name stuff is really fun to watch. Maybe some patreon thing could support you buying, testing, selling to keep a healthy amount of reviews going. Sorry for grammar .. brain is squashed after work and English is not my main language (latter is a bad excuse though)
Thanks! Patreon link in the description of every video, and at the end of every video. Very grateful for all the support, but always room for more! And your English is perfect! 👍👍
Hi Peter, Thanks for the review. Good to know that somewhat useful quality can be had for s decent price. I am looking at bandsaws at the moment and was wondering what your opinion (and other people's) of paying a bit more to get a greater cutting capacity. I was looking at the Scheppach Basa 1 from Screwfix at £190. It has a cast iron top and mitre slot but 100mm capacity. Just wondering if people think the extra 20mm is worth 80 quid?
Hi Steve. I don’t have any personal experience of the Basa series, but Scheppach bolt their stuff together pretty well, generally. I think if I was regularly cutting at close to 100mm then I’d go for something bigger - next size up maybe - just to get a bit more headroom. Also I’d expect motor size to play more of a role in thicker cuts. Hopefully a Basa 1 owner will chip in before too long! 👍👍
Nice compare, I have the new Scheppach with casted table, it's much better than the old one. If you bay a power tool within this price section, you have to know that you have to tune up and improofe some parts by your self. Nobody can expect high quality for less money.
Hi Peter. On the basis of this review I bought the Titan when I was back in the uk and brought it back to NZ as check in luggage! Just set it up which seemed pretty easy... the problem I have is I bought the Axminster fence upgrade and have zero idea how to attach it to the table - have you got there yet as I’d love some pointers before I ruin it!! Thanks :)
Hi Nic! Wow, that’s amazing - glad it survived the journey! No, I’ve bought the fence upgrade but haven’t fitted it yet - haven’t even looked at it tbh. It’s something I hope to get to in the next couple of weeks now my big job has finished 👍
Thanks so much for replying Peter! I’ve had a think overnight about the problem as there is no obvious way to connect it other than the single screw in the saw ‘groove’. I’m planning on attaching some timber underneath by drilling and then screwing through the edge of the table And then attaching to that once it’s square and secure...should work! As you’ll see when you look one side is on an angle which makes any other approach seem tricky! Cheers.
Hi Nic, how did you get on with attaching your Axminster fence rail? Just bought one and having the same head-scratching moment as you, it's not obvious is it? Contemplating epoxy...
key things required in a bandsaw: Cast iron table - not pressed steel or aluminium. Ceramic or ball race blade guides which are accessible and therefore easy to setup for good blade alignment. A rack and pinion adjustment for the blade height. A motor with a power rating of 400W+. If you intend to saw anything where repeatability of cut is important, cheapo bandsaws are a waste of your time and money. For your ongoing health, dust extraction.
As always a great video Peter - today was had a particular relevance to me as I've been looking at the Titan bandsaw to add to my Titan collection (table saw / planer / plunge saw). Maybe Titan don't do fences very well, I love their table saw but it's fence is terrible. I'd be very interested to know if you found a good fix for the bandsaw fence (other than a block of wood) as otherwise it sounds like a great machine that would appeal to a large percentage of your audience, maybe a great topic for one of 1 - 2 minute workshop tips if you find a good solution ?
Thanks! I have a blade & fence upgrade planned for the Titan, wether I decide to keep it or not, I think it’ll be a worthwhile experiment. And yes, with a bit of tweaking & fettling, the Titan cuts really nicely. 👍
I did see somewhere sombody talking of a fix for the titan fence. I think it referred to the use of a 1mm spacer to fill the gap between fence and table.
Thanks for the review, Peter. Which of these three saws was the quietest? I suppose they all have induction motors, but Axminster stresses that they re-engineered the housing material to lower any noise that escapes. Wonder whether you noticed any difference between them.
Great question! Must confess it didn’t occur to me to do a Db test as they all have induction motors. I’ll try and do a quick one tomorrow, if I can - though they’ll all sound a lot louder when they’re cutting, if course. Certainly none of them stood out as noisy. 👍
Thanks Peter, that would be very interesting if it's not too much trouble for you. Db tests whilst cutting the same material would be great since like you mentioned, there's a world of difference between an idling and a busy machine. Also, do you happen to know how many of the blade guides are bearings vs static as far as the three models are concerned? I had a discussion with a London-based woodworking teacher and he mentioned that an important considerations for a band saw are the stability of the fence (which you discussed in detail in your video - thanks) as well as the question of guide style (bearing vs static). I plan to buy my first band saw soon and quality matters. Seeing how many Festool tools you are using (in your recent cabinet making/installation video), I assume you have the same focus on quality, so it's good to know that the Aldi bandsaw got your recommendation.
hackneymarshes All these bandsaws have static blade guides at the sides and a bearing guide at the rear. At this size / price point I think only the Scheppach Basa 1 has bearing guides all round, and I’m afraid I’ve no experience of them. I’ll check the relative noise levels though, for sure. Oh, and these cheap & cheerful bandsaws are great for the money, but aren’t ‘heirloom’ tools, not by any stretch 👍
Hiya. Sorry workshop full of painted stuff so couldn't do cutting tests, but whilst idling the Axminster was by far the noisiest. I took readings at 1 metre and close by the machine, in a room with 23db baseline, as follows:- Axminster 63db at 1 metre, rising to 67db close to. Aldi 60db at 1 m, 63db close to. Titan 55db at 1 metre, 61db close to. So the both the cheaper machines right up close were as quiet as or quieter than the Axminster at 1 metre, and the Titan significantly quieter overall. Usual caveats apply; these are the only machines I have and it was not a scientific test, just using just a db app on my phone, but the phone was isolated from the bench, and the bandsaws located on another bench, so there should be little transfer of noise through benchtop vibes. Treating the db values as relative, rather than absolute would seem the best approach. And all three saws are significantly less noisy than, say, the track saws I compared last year, and as I said previously, the Axminster didn’t stand out as being significantly louder in normal use. HTH P.
@@trampsovercoat8372 Thanks! Aldi had a slightly larger machine on sale a little while back, not sure if that would do the job. ~120mm depth of cut, I think? Might be worth a look. 🤷♂️
Hi Peter, I just stumbled across your video and found it really interesting and informative. Just off to Spain for a few weeks, but a band saw is on my shopping list for when I get back! I did like the hack that the Baron Rouge passed on - nice one mate! So it will possibly be the Titan from Screwfix as I already have a Titan table saw and have found it absolutely brilliant and a must have for any newbie woodworker. However, and please correct me if I am wrong, but I was of the impression that a band saw was better suited for cutting curves rather than straight edges, however I can see the benefit of having the band saw as one is able to cut far thicker pieces of timber than on the bench saw. Kind regards, Michael.
Thanks Michael, and welcome! Yes, bandsaws are good for cutting curves, which is why cutting a thin straight line is particularly challenging - and a great test for general set-up. This video is a couple of years old now BTW - Axminster have a small bandsaw at around the same price as the Titan, but with a cast iron table, just FYI. I think that would be the one I'd go for if I was buying now. 👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop Yes! Just had a look at the Axminster P1400B saw - looks like it could be a good deal. We have an Axminster outlet in Basingstoke, might be worth a look at when I get back!
![Aldi Ferrex 10” Bandsaw 12 months on [video 475]](/img/n.gif)
S1 and S2 ratings, if there’s one thing I’ve learnt today is the difference - thanks to you and fellow subscribers. In my electronics world (where I originated from) we used continuous power ratings for components. At that point you quickly learned the price difference between it will go all day versus it goes up in a puff of smoke. Thanks Peter.
Thanks Mike. Yes, it was something I learned from my outstanding subscribers, too! Fortunately for my usage, it’s pretty academic, but interesting nonetheless. 👍
Only just discovered your channel today, what a breath of fresh air. Objective reviews which are really useful for beginners like me. Thanks
Thank you, and welcome! Be sure to check through the back catalogue - and don’t skip the adverts... 😆👍👍
Edited to add - if you’re interested in entry-level bandsaws, I have a playlist with all my bandsaw videos collected together 👍👍
Very many thanks for a very interesting video Peter. I purchased a cheap bandsaw from Argos last year - £59, but unfortunately had to return it as it kept shedding the bands. It was identical to the Aldi saw you have. Since then I bit the bullet and bought the Titan and have to say that apart from the table itself, I am very less than impressed. I cannot tension the blade properly at all and am currently in discussions with a blade maker to try different sizes.
Thanks for your great work
Sorry to hear. The blade length does seem to be a bit of an issue for the Titan - I’ve had a couple of people suggest my blade being too long as the reason my quick-release blade tensioner doesn’t work! For blades, try Ian at Tuffsaws - very helpful, knowledgable, and generous with his time. Makes fantastic blades, too!
I bought the Titan Bandsaw last year, and it's been fettled. The blade was upgraded to a Tuffsaws 6tpi carbon supertuff, makes a huge difference including 15mm square solid aluminium bar cutting(!). I replaced the door opening screws with knobs and threaded dowels. My fence was set parallel to the blade cut and the clamp tensioned, doesn't move now. Blade drift was solved with slowing down the material speed and a lot of practice. Hope this helps, and great informative video.
Thanks Nick! Yes, a fence and blade upgrade is planned. But fan of Ian at Tuffsaws👍
Well Peter had a look at this review last night and based in all your comparisons I went and bought an Aldi this morning at 9am Special buy .... I'm looking forward to using it. Thanks once again for the great review.
Cheers Ger! It’s a great little bandsaw👍
Peter, Thanks so much for posting , I have watched many of your videos and find them first class, after watching your reviews, I have bought the Aldi one, ordered it on line and was delivered within 3 days, haven't put it together yer, thats my job for tomorrow morning, keep posting big thanks once again from Garry in South Yorkshire UK
It’s a pleasure Gary. Enjoy your bandsaw - they’re great little machines, and simply astonishing for the money 👍👍
Hi Peter, The instructions for the band saw must have been written by a doctor as I didn't undertsand a thing lol, I came onto youtube and watched an American expert who set up a very large bandsaw but with the same principle, within 10 minutes I had mine set up pretty much spot on, thanks for the tip, and thanks to you I saved over 100 quid on a more expensive machine .
Nice one, Garry, well done! 👍
Hi Peter, I've just got one of these, Titan have fixed the fence issue themselves, maybe even the slackening doobery, the fence on mine grips the front and back if the table and is solid when done up :)
Hi Peter, another good review. I recently purchased the Titan band saw and like you found the fence was a bit iffy. I re engineered the clamping section of the fence because I found that when you applied the cam lock that it pulled the clamping lug up at an angle so the surface area of the clamping force wasn't enough to lock the fence solidly. That's easier to visualize than it is to explain. The blade quick release on mine worked very well, I noticed on your's that the gap between the top wheel and the case was much larger than on mine which would suggest that the blade length may be slightly shorter which would pull the blade away from the release cam. The stock blade I had worked perfectly but its longevity was not great. I purchased a Starret blade to go with the bandsaw of the suggested length but found it was slightly to long and could not be tensioned at all so I re-engineered the top wheel carrier to accommodate the new blade and all worked well. It appears that blade lengths are possibly more of a hint than an accurate statement. I hope with these minor fettlings in place that the bandsaw will do as it should for a long time to come. Hope yours comes good in the end.
Hi Kev. Thanks so much for the detail, that’s really helpful. I need to dig around the fence some more, certainly; hadn’t occurred to me that the blade length may be off though, good catch! I need to play with it a bit more, figure out what’s going on - hey, maybe there’s a video in that! 😂👍
Thank you Peter for reassuring me I bought the Aldi band saw . As I'm a retired bricklayer I've been doing bits and pieces and now spend hours everyday hiding from my wife in my shed . I only paid £60 for mine happy days 👍
Great price! And thanks! 👍👍
Wow, Peter, I loved your vlog about your ALDI bandsaw...then you did the comparison video...THEN this one!! SO MUCH information. THANK YOU. I’m 50 this year and want to add this to my collection of tools...I’m going for the Titan. X
That said the scheppach does sound tempting!
Thanks! These vids are a couple of years old now; Axminster have introduced an entry-level bandsaw with a cast iron table at around the same price as the Titan; if I was buying today, I’d be giving that one serious consideration 👍👍
Peter Millard ooooOOOoooW! That’s THE deal breaker! Once again...THANK YOU sir. Do you know, I find it REALLY refreshing to watch a video from the uk, I have absolutely nothing against any other countries’ Vlogs...it’s just the different terminologies,measurements,screaming music and shouting I can’t bare. 🤯🥴😬🥴🤯 Your channel is like sunlight on a crappy day! You don’t mig weld too do you? 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂😂...Axminster does have some terrific stuff. #subcribed 👍🏼
Gail Pengelly Thanks Gail, that’s really kind of you to say, and I really appreciate the kind comments. Actually I am booked onto a welding course, as it’s something I’ve always wanted to try, so watch this space! 👍👍
Peter Millard, ME TOO, I got a mig welder for my 49th birthday...I’ve made a couple of bits but I REALLY want to master it. Our eldest granddaughter did an engineering cause & reckons tig is the easiest to get to grips with. I just can’t find a TH-cam’r that is a concise as your videos. I will indeed watch this space. Thank you again.👍🏼🤟🏼👍🏼
I have the Mastercraft (sold by Canadian Tire), a dead ringer for the Titan. The problem I have is with the lack of adjustability of the guides and thrust bearing. Very little available adjustment if you want to go to a 1/8" (3.125mm) blade.
I just picked up a MasterCraft bandsaw and going through it for the first time. Yes those tiny little metal nubs for the guides are difficult to work with
Now that watched the video a bit, you're right, it's exactly the same. The only minor difference I can see is the on/off switch
Very interesting video. I learned a lot of it. The S1 and S2 is now totally clear to me. Aldi is not in Slovakia but Lidl is. In some countries (not in Slovakia yet) Lidl has an online-shop,
where many things (among which also tools) can be bought the whole year around. I can imagine Aldi does the same if they want to be competitive.
For my Scheppach I made a kind of "barrier" to stop fine sawdust going into the inner part of the height adjustment system. It consists of two pieces of wood in which are
small magnets (ordinary, not rare earth) to keep them in place. It´s not perfect yet but at least I can see how the sawdust "flies" because I painted the wood green.
I'm satisfied with the fence of the Scheppach. The table itself is another story. It is magnetic so that is a great advantage (the fence is not magnetic) and can be put at an angle
(what I did not use till now). The lack of a mitre slot and mitre gauge is a disadvantage. Maybe I should try to make a table for the Scheppach myself, one day.
On the whole I'm satisfied with the bandsaw and I hope I can use it many more years.
Thanks Hans! Yes, the Aldi/Scheppach are pretty amazing for the money. Plenty you could do with them to improve, but I think the table’s a sticking point! 👍
I don't remember anymore how the table is screwed/mounted to the chassis. I connected it 10 months ago and that was it.
I should take a look if it is a "mission impossible" or not..
In the video I noticed that also the Titan has a 1400 mm blade. So all three band saws have the same blade length.
Aldi currently have a DIY special buy event, for those who don't know. Cordless drill, scroll saw, digital calipers amongst other things. 👍 no band saws yet though. Thanks for the review, Peter. Interesting as ever!.👍👍
Thank! I’m not in the loop with the Aldi specials, so good to know 👍
Hi , thanks for the reviews , but i notice that the Titan motor is offset rather than being direct drive as per the other two . is there a reduction in blade phrephial speed on the Titan ? , Mathias Wardle commented on his page that the direct drive ones where a bit fast
I’m afraid I’ve no idea - this video’s a few years old and I don’t have any of these bandsaws any more - but I certainly didn’t notice any difference between them in use. 👍
Thank you. I shall check it out. Looks like it could be a nice fathers day present
👍
After reading your very good review and thank you for that, I purchased the Titan, and I thought like you that the blade tension release lever did not work, but I found at least on my one, if you turn it anticlockwise as far as it goes until it touches the tracking knob it does work even with the tension knob set as far as it will go on maximum tension.
I agree with you about the 15 turn door screws, I have modified mine and now has (32mm diameter) large knobs the same style as the others on the machine with now only 4 turns with a circlip fitted into a groove in place of the squashed washer that they fit.
The last mod that have made was to fit a ( about 32cm long) flexy LED light that can be directed towards the blade as required.
Thanks for that update Raymond, very useful. I’ll take another look at the tension quick r lease, but I’m pretty sure it didn’t do anything on mine, whichever way I turned it! 👍
Thanks Peter for your reply. As the release lever is turned anticlockwise the rubber roller moves Downward (and not upward) resistance is then met (keep turning) as then it Compresses the spring all the way until it meets the tracking knob and then takes tension off the band.
A very honest video Peter. Thank you for your time.
Cheers Peter. Conclusion up this Friday (tomorrow) 👍
Thanks for another incredibly helpful review, Peter. I only subscribed last week but have blasted through a raft of your content, and taken delivery of a Benchdogs rail square with 5% discount . The best bit so far was your use of the phrase, ‘fannying about’! Not heard that for ages……..
Thanks Ady, and welcome! Lots of back-catalogue to catch up on! 👍👍
Good review peter. The fence was the first thing I ditched when I bought mine but the saw has always done what I’ve asked of it.
Thanks! 👍
Hi Peter, I have had some great work out of the Titan bandsaw and continue to get as such. However, as you say that came after a bit of fettling. I sorted the fence by inlaying the lower grabs with sticky backed cork sheet and it is now rock solid. I would also like to mention that the top yellow knob tensions the blade whilst the lever on the back de-tensions the blade by pressing DOWN and not up. So the cammed wheel shouldn't reach the top section, it presses down to ease off tension. It therefore DOES work! Keep up the great videos.
Thanks. As I mentioned in the video, the de-tensioning lever doesn’t work on mine. It gets to the point where something looks like it’s about to happen then the handle hits the bodywork and won’t go any further - this is right at the end of the travel, so there’s clearly something awry. Glad yours works for you! I changed the fence on mine for a cheap Axminster one - see videos #294 & 294 👍👍
My cheap and cheerful B&Q bands I have had for a couple of years hasn't been used much because it drifts like the Titan. I might just give a block of wood a go to see if it fixes it.
Thank you Peter, great review.
Thanks. I did a makeover in this after about a year, made a big difference. 2-part series, P1 here - vid 293 Bandsaw Makeover P1 th-cam.com/video/EGgwDYl7T9M/w-d-xo.html
@@10MinuteWorkshop I'll check them out.
Many thanks.
Thanks Peter, I learned a lot. The Aldi app is a great way of keeping track of the special buys as they come on line.
Thanks Juliet! There’s an app for that, lol! 👍😂
Thank you for the insight. Do you think you could cut aluminium bar stock on such a bandsaw, with the appropriate blade? Thanks.
I’m sure you can! 👍
I bought the Aldi band saw and found it had really bad vibration. I had to balance the top and bottom wheels which improved the operation of the saw. It didn't take much to balance the wheel and I used hot glue as weight, which worked really well.
Interesting! I’d have just chucked it back to them! 👍
The purpose of the leaver that removes the tension on the blade is
a) to prevent imprinting the blade on the rubber tire when the saw is not being used for long time. Those imprints result in uneven wheel surface that create vibration and lead to lower cut quality
b) prolonging blade life by removing stress from the weld when the blade is not being used
Due to slight variation in blade lengths the tensioning mechanism must be used every time when changing blades.
The lever is there only to take the tension off when the saw is not in use and put it back on the same preset amount before use.
It is a useful feature (if it works)
Great review Peter,Could i suggest keeping both Bandsaws,The reason been is to fit a resaw blade in one and a scrolling blade in the other,It saves a lot on set up time .Plus they are only small so easy to store.
Thanks Iain! Yeah, still pondering that one! Really tight on space though, so we’ll see 👍
Glad you've done that video Peter been considering the titan saw was nice to see a comparison and how well it cuts
Thanks! Yes, cuts really nicely without the shonky fence. Upgrade due soon, I think 👍
I was thinking of getting the Aldi band saw for cutting my catapults out of plywood which is 18mm but just struggling which one to get as I only have £120
The Aldi is great, as long as you use it within its capacity. It’ll deal with 18mm Ply easily, though I’d suggest budgeting for a blade upgrade before too long. I have a few ‘budget bandsaw’ videos in a playlist - may be worth taking a look as I explain my reasons for moving on from the Aldi after 6 months 👍👍
Were can i get a new blade for my Aldis band saw, and what size? Mine snapped!
Wonder how the small harbor freight 9 in band saw would stand up to comparison?
Love it. Try clamping the fence down on the TITAN. I wish that when you mention the price in pounnds you could tell us in US funds it would be. If that's possible
Thanks loads Peter, I'm looking to purchase a bandsaw in the coming weeks so this has been a great help. Cheers 👍🏼🍻
Cheers Pete, glad it's helped 👍
Hi Peter,
The so called wobbly fence on the Aldi is fine. All I needed to do was "spin" the cam lever until it was tight enough to grip the table firmly, then clamp the fence in place.
BTW, did you notice that the Aldi appears to have no drive belt but seems to be direct drive. (one fewer problem area).
Thanks Mike. It was the Titan that had the particularly poor fence, btw - the Aldi wasn’t great, but it didn’t affect the cut. And no, can’t say I noticed the lack of a belt - I haven’t owned the bandsaw for a little while 👍
Peter, turn quick release tension handle all the way to the anti clockwise (away from the beam) to relase tension. It doesnt push on the top plate, it pushes on the bar behind the wheel. You show it coming to a stop on the video. Interestingly i dont get tension as low in the adjustment as you, so now i need to do more fettling. Also, i made knobs and shorter bolts for the doors. Sure there is more but cant remember.
Thanks. The quick release lever does nothing at all on mine - it doesn’t bear against any part at all, there’s no ‘feel’ in the lever that you’d expect when it engages, it’s ‘floppy’, disconnected somehow. Need investigating, certainly 👍
Had my Titan for three years now, still original blade, mainly used for pine but some oak and hard plastic ! As for the fence ,set it up on day one and not touched it since. I can remove it when required and when put back is tight enough to pull the saw around the workshop with it (mobile table !) The mitre guide was sloppy in its channel but fixed that so all in all am more than pleased with it . What do people want for less than £100 !
Exactly! I think it's a brilliant little saw for the money! 👍
Really useful comparisons here, Peter. Am considering the Titan for my own shop, so very keen to hear how you got on with the Axminster fence upgrade.
Thanks! Axminster fence upgrade is sat in the box it arrived in due to work madness just now - there'll be a video in due course, I promise! 👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop Did you ever manage to get the Axminster fence fitted, Peter? And any joy with getting the tension adjustment lever to work?
Peter Shaw Nope - still in its box! I think I might have said at the time I don’t use the fence much, and this proves it, lol! I’ll get onto it soon, I’m sure. 😬👍
I'm tempted to get a second bandsaw - I use my monster one for ripping and changing blades is a real PITA when you need them set up very precisely - a little cheapo with a 1/4" for scoll work would be a real luxury. BTW ALL cheapo manufacturers quote the INPUT wattage (bit dishonest marketing BS) which is usually 20 to 30% more than the actual output wattage - Axminster and proper brands dont do this - they'll all have equal motors, Titan here isnt direct drive which means less stress on the motor and a gearing advantage but a slight drop in power (though its less likely to stall)
on the titan bandsaw could grub screws be added to the fence thighting attachment to eleminate the play on the fence.
Not that I could see - I t’s just a really sloppy mechanism. I’ve bought a third-party fence, we’ll see how it works out 👍
Really good post this Peter thank you. Would you happen to know the size of the tiny screw holding the plastic insert plate in? I dropped mine in the workshop never to be seen again! Titan bandsaw.
Sorry John, I don't own any of these any more.
Regarding the wobbley fence!! Someone used doublesided tape to stick an aluminium ruler to the bottom of the fence which took the play out of tge fence. After that, the cuts were square!
You can possibly make a larger cam obviously with maximum + minimum clearance and include any obstacle close , half a yingyang sort of shape without the pointy tip
I have enjoyed watching you strategy forward no noncentral diversions PS I really new at all of this but I love it
Great video Peter very well explained nice to see these entry level bandsaws compared. I ended up with a Scheppach HBS30 very similar to the HBS20 except it has a 350 watt motor
and extendable bed 300 x 300 to 520 mm. It's also supplied with 3 extra blades 6, 10 and 14. It performs very well for hobby work and light diy.
Nice! And thanks! 👍👍
Nice review. Very helpful. Fannying about! Great vernacular 😁😁😁
Thanks! And yes, absolutely 😂👍
Thanks! And yes, absolutely 😂👍
You can tighten the fence up. The cam isn't on a straight rod, it's a screw thread so just turn it clockwise a few times and it should grip the table no problem.
...oh and the Aldi one is being sold by Parkside from Lidl for £70.
Thanks - not my first rodeo, whilst this one will tighten, it doesn’t make it any more stable, sadly. Lidl Parkside tools are often rebadged Einhell, Aldi are usually rebadged Scheppach - I’d be interested to see if Lidl are starting to sell Scheppach. 👍
I had to send mine back because it wouldn't turn on when I bought it.
The replacement they sent me had been dropped or something as the base was bent and the post had ripped away from it on one corner.
The third one they sent me is on it's way now and it has come straight from Scheppach.
...and my bandsaw was delivered today!
...except it wasn't a bandsaw, it was a mitre saw :/
So, still waiting for my bandsaw...after a month :(
@@10MinuteWorkshop Maybe not relevant, but I just bought a Parkside compressor which is made by scheppach aparently.
@@diyengineer811 That's interesting, thanks Mark! Is it any good? I'm looking for a small quiet one... 🤔
Using the Sheppach Basa 1.0 just swapped the blade for a much thicker one & what a huge difference it makes much nicer cut on thicker materials. Thanks for your video if room here would allow I’d opt for a taller Record Power machine but I’ll make do with this.
Thanks Tony! Yes, blade upgrade is on the cards 👍
Another good review Peter. I have the Titan and as you say it needs a bit of Ferlinghetti to achieve good results but once it's set I am achieving good results. I found adjusting the 2 little pins that the blade runs through made a big difference. For what I need it for it is a very handy piece of kit for the money. Downside, finding more room in the shop to keep it 😩
Cheers pal
Yeah, getting the blade guides set up snug makes a big difference, and I'm amazed how much I use mine! 👍👍
Hi Peter I am looking at getting the Titan did you manage to get the fence problem sorted?
Hi Thomas. I have the fence but haven’t fitted it yet. I don’t anticipate any problems though. Fingers crossed I’ll get it done this week, but can’t promise anything- work, you know... 👍👍
Hi Peter. Thanks for the video on the bandsaws. Could you give me a link to the axminster fence you bought for the Titan. Cheers Lee
Hi Lee, and thanks! I’m deliberately not linking to the fence until I know that it fits and works as I didn’t want steer anyone to the ‘wrong’ product. I bought the “Axminster Small RIP Fence Upgrade” at £13.50 (if you wanted to search it out yourself...) and it looks like it’ll do the job, I just haven’t had a chance to fit it yet, so no guarantees... 👍
i need to cut accurately mortice and tenon joints in 4x4 inch timber. What do you recommend please ? Think of a used ebay bandsaw, but not too big or heavy to transport in a car, but i do have a car trailer.
I've no idea I'm sorry - my bandsaw experience is limited to what you see here on the channel. 👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop thanks, to make accurate cross morises in 4inch timber......see this compound mitre saw.....
th-cam.com/video/OvagF0MeQqA/w-d-xo.html
Can these smaller bandsaws cut metal e.g. 6mm mild steel and brass? Thanks for a great video
So the tension is an F#
Bought an Aldi bandsaw yesterday. Looking forward to using it soon.
Excellent! Let me know how you get on 👍
ITs a question of space I have a very compact garage space about half one side and an end so there is nowhere for a free standing band saw. The bench has shelves behind it so a tall item like this would block access to the shelves. How tall and wide is the Work station ALDI sells
Hi Patrick. I don’t own this bandsaw any more, so can’t help with dimensions. A number of people here bought them though, perhaps someone will be able to measure them for you?
Re the fence issue, here’s a nice comment from a Scewfix reviewer... Some people mentioned that the fence is wobbly. It is, but there is an extremely easy fix: Just slide a 1mm packer underneath on the far end of the fence (furthest away from you) before you tighten it. I got a bunch of plastic packers from Screwfix which have served me for all kinds of purposes, but you could just as well use some thicker cardboard. Problem solved. Axminster also sells a fence upgrade for 14 quid which you can bolt to this saw and should improve the fence even further, but with the packer tip, it's perfectly fine for rip cuts. "
Hope this helps.
Thanks. If you take a look at the next video in this series (#149) I draw those exact conclusions. Video coming shortly about the fence upgrade. 👍
Peter Millard thanks Peter. I'm just about to buy the titan so look forward to you video.
A bit late I know, but having been after a Bandsaw for a few months and waiting for Screwfix to get the Titan back in stock. Today I received notification that Axminster have their AC1400B back in stock and with £45 off. So not as cheep as the Workzone or the Titan but with my rough maths not much more when you have to buy a new fence for the others. I don't work for Axminster but thought it was worth a mention. Greg
Good to know, thanks Greg! 👍👍
Do a review on the titan planer thicknesser. Available from screwfix for £140. I'd be interested to see your views on it.
Never owned one so it would be a bit of a novice review! Heard good things about the slightly pricier Erbauer though👍
Few good reviews on TH-cam for that p/t, gonna get me one whilst it’s 20 quid off, Rutlands do similar for 180, but it’s probably the same. 👍🏻
Try to get your hands on an old Wadkin
Titan thicknessers are driven with a belt not chain.I had two and the belt broke on both not long after I had them.Decided not to risk another so had a refund. Take from that what you will.
Would love to see a review of this machine, it keeps tempting me with that price. Usually even more tempted when arms are tired from planing...
Just came from the other video, now I don't know... the mitre slot is definitely a big plus for the titan but the fence is a drawback, and still feeling I wand a higher depth, even if its just another 20mm for a nice round 100 lol. I will continue researching and see what I come up with.
Thanks again for the video
These are pretty old videos now; if you take a look at the bandsaw playlist theres a more recent one about the Aldi Ferrex 10" bandsaw - cheapest 10" bandsaw in the UK when I made the video. I still use it today, though I hd the Titan for a couple of years after I gave it a makeover and fixed the fence. 👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop thanks I'll check that out now ✌️
own an aldi bandsaw for afew months now and i forgot to conect my dust extracter and the micro switches clog up with dust and is a pain to get it working again
Yeah, dust collection/extraction is never great on bandsaws, but anything’s better than nothing 👍👍
Good advice for all New bandsaw owners-BIN THE STOCK BLADE! Cheers Peter👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌
Yes, absolutely! Always interesting to see how they cut with the stock blade though, as it’s an easy upgrade with instant results 👍
Really interesting video Peter. I am still deciding between a new saw or buying a used, heavy saw and rebuilding it. I'll let you know!
If you know what you’re doing then a good used saw will be a great project 👍
Well - it looks like I am bidding on a project bandsaw and we'll have to see how that works out...
I have a delta bandsaw of this size, got it for a tenner on a carboot, it has a cast iron table, i use it for models and pens, i found screwing a 1"x2" block of squared off wood to the mitre and letting the saw cut it off is alot better for small cutting jobs, i did not like the gap between the blade and mitre
Good tip, thanks! Also a Delta for a tenner!! Bargain! 👍
I have the Aldi saw and for the life of me I cannot adjust it so that it will cut a straight line. The band just wanders, even when cutting 2mm ply ? What is the roller supposed to do ? It makes no contact with anything on my saw ? Any help appreciated.
Sorry you’re having issues, but this video’s getting on for three years old, so the Aldi saw you buy today won’t be the one I had when I made the video, and if you,look through the most recent comments you’ll see that there have been some quality control issues with this particular saw. Mine came pretty well set up out of the box, but it sounds like yours may need some more work. The roller behind the blade should just touch the back of the blade to prevent it from distorting when moving the workpiece through it, and the guides on either side should almost - but not quite - touch the sides of the blade when it’s running. With all that in place, and the blade tensioned properly - it should ‘ping’ a nice clear note when plucked - and a well clamped and square fence, then you should easily get a straight cut. Many entry-level bandsaw issues are resolved with a better blade - I recommend tuffsaws in the description - but if you’re struggling to get a halfway decent cut after the setup then with these supermarket saws I’d just return it for replacement of refund, rather than beat your head against a wall. Not sure if that helps or not! 🤷♂️👍👍
Another really enjoyable informative and well put together video. Thanks
Thanks! 👍
The rip fence should lock if you tighten the locking lever , I have the aldi and it isn’t great ,I think if you’re going to invest in a band saw I have a good one from SIP with a depth of cut at 8 inches ish for around £500 but it’s a solid machine and very useful in the workshop ,I’ll send a picture of it soon.
My aldi tracking feature for the wheel is useless now, had it two years, changed the blade on it, and it tracks the blade off. The metal on it is cheap and flexible and it got use for the price. However on a new job at the moment which I need my saw for. Not very happy with it now. It was ok for ripping but nothing finessed.
What would you suggest buying now? I noticed that a lot of these bandsaw reviews get dated quickly since the models get discontinued for some reason.
The Triton is still available - though obviously, the saw you buy today may well be different to the one I had here. I replaced mine with a larger (10”) Aldi Ferrex model which is doing OK. I have my Titan away after some upgrades, and it’s still going strong afaik. 👍
Peter, the problem with your fence is simply because it is not locked down tight enough. unlock it, turn the locking handle one full turn clockwise lock it down, the fence should now hold rigidly, if it doesn't give it one more turn until it does. I had a 15 year old axminster band saw which finally gave up the ghost so I bought a titan and I find that it is much better than the old axminster.
Hi David. I appreciate the thought, but the fence play really isn’t because it’s not locked down tight enough! I can ignore the quick release and turn that screw as tight as I can, and the fence still pops up off the table. There are a couple of little plastic lugs that hook under the table to keep it located, and there seems to be a lot of wiggle room there: no matter how much I tighten it, in use it shifts. If I decide to keep it, there’ll be a fence and blade upgrade in its future! 👍
Hi Peter ,
Yet more questions...
The Axminster seems to have some advantages for me such as being able to take up to half inch blades, which neither of the others do being limited to quarter inch blades. Also the cast iron table rather than aluminium or steel.
* Did you not consider the larger blade size worth the extra for the Axminster?
Tricky call Mike. If you need the half-inch blade, then yes absolutely worth it. Even if you don’t, it’s a better saw than the Aldi or Titan, provided you can live with the cut capacity. 👍
Wider blades have a couple of major benefits. First, they can make deeper cuts without twisting. With these saws, the max depth of cut is only 3", anyway. Another advantage is that a wider blade makes for smoother and straighter free-hand cutting to a scribed line.
The downsides, OTOH: Wider blades can't cut as tight of a curve. They suck a bit more of the available motor power and put a higher load on the bearings and frame. Because a saw is advertised that it CAN take a given band size doesn't make it a good idea. If it really pushes the limits of the saw, this could wear out the damper spring faster, for instance. And with less effective damping, the bearings would wear out faster.
Then there's an issue of the frame and axles torquing. Every band saw comes factory tuned for a specific tension. When you change blade sizes, the frame and axles change position, slightly, under load. Then the blade tracks differently on the bottom wheel vs the top, and this introduces a twist in the blade. On the larger band saws, you can easily adjust the bottom wheel to adjust for these changes. I haven't owned one of these better quality 9" saws, before, so I don't know if they can be adjusted this way. On the larger saws, the axle of the bottom wheel extends thru the back cover of the saw and there are 4 bolts in a steel box frame which capture the axle and are used for making fine adjustments.
Bottom line, I'd use w/e band runs the best on a 9" saw, and I bet in most cases it is a 1/4" blade. There's nothing you will regularly do on a 9" saw that needs a wider blade, IMO. If you resaw 3" wood a lot, you will want a larger saw, anyway. You don't really ever want to cut expensive stock with the blade guide all the way snug on top of the stock, because you can't see if/when the blade starts to wander. By the time you feel it, the cut will be properly buggered. And when a band saw blade gets dull, it will always get dull on one side more than the other and start to drift. That's the way wood cutting band saw blades are made. So don't believe you can tune all the drift out of a band saw; unless you are running carbide blade on a large saw, your saw will eventually drift because of blade wear. For practical purposes, you will probably want a larger saw if regularly cutting stock thicker than maybe 2".
Great video! I read somewhere else that you said you are going to upgrade the fence and blade? I got the axminster fence kit but am struggling to find a way to mount it! Is that the fence you are going to get?
Thanks! I’ve bought the cheap (
great video, thanks. if money were no object, would you say the axminster is the best of the 3? does the axminster bed also tilt to 45%? many thanks.
Thanks!. Of the three, yes - though I don't think they make this specific one any more - but as I say in the video, I'd rather put a bit more money in and get something with more capacity, personally. 👍
Hello sir. Nice review. If you don’t mind I would like to say that your information on the tension handle is a little off as it is designed to release the tension by pushing down on the mechanism not up. If you are in front of the saw you turn it clock wise & it presses down making the wheel move down. There is no need to move the tension knob on top. I only realised this the other day whilst changing my blade. Thanks. Mark.
On the Titan? Thanks, I understand what it should do, but mine simply does nothing. 🤔
Peter Millard I have just been out to check mine as it did nothing also. He is correct. If you pull the lever/cam down it removes tension. Good shout UKCD. 👍🏼
I'll take another look, but in this video, at around 9.40 I show that the cam the lever moves doesn't make contact when the blade is tensioned. It literally just spins around.
Peter I will do a short video to maybe better explain what I mean.
OK, thanks. My bandsaw’s pretty inaccessible right now, so I’m working from memory, and from the video, lol!
bought a shepphach but it was impossible to track the band to get it in the centre of the two wheels the lower pulley was nowhere near in line had to put a spacer on the lower pulley to make it work .unless im missing something ?
Recent purchase? They seemed to have a batch that were really hard to set up, sounds like you may have one of them. I’d throw it back to the dealer/ retailer and get a replacement. 👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop bought it off ebay arrived yesterday spent all day trying to track the band but gave up lined up the lower and bottom pulleys bottom was 1/4 inch out of alignment with top one not sure what this co planar bollocks is but some on here say the pulleys never line up ,but surely two pulleys must be in line the tracking is only to centre the blade wierd really
That's a really useful review Peter. Thank you.
Thanks Andy! 👍
Great video peter. I think you've got a secret love for the aldi bandsaw. It was the video that i found your channel. I wudnt part with it. It wud be good to see how long it lasts before it gives up the ghost. They where selling it over here recently. Still haven't bought it yet.
You know what I wud recommend doing a video on. Last year I bought the lidl mitre saw. €80. My old man was using it yesterday & he loved it. He said he owned Makita, dewalt mitre saws over the years & he said, the Lidl one is fantastic for its value. They currently have them on sale at the moment for €60. Probably £40
Thanks! Haha, I do! Really love that little bandsaw, so so useful. Great idea about the Lidl mitre saw! Pair that off against the Kapex, lol! 👍👍
Peter Millard good idea Peter. The auld woodworking gear out of aldi & Lidl aint bad. Some of its rubbish. But there marketing wank is fantastic. You go in to buy a bit of fruit & come out with a shit load of diy tools. Great! You should do a few videos on their stuff. I bought a set of squares yesterday €7. Compared them to my empire one which coast €28. Spot on.
Hi Peter. Just thought i'd let you know the 3/8 blade from bedford saws fits the titan like a dream so it now re-saws so much better. I also bought the 1/4 inch blade from bedford saws and it cuts like butter. i think it was about £8.50 a blade. Just need a better fence now. Any recommendations.
I bought (but have yet to fit) the cheap one from Axminster (£13.50 if I remember right) which should work well - but as I say, I haven’t done it yet. I usually recommend Ian John at tuffsaws.co.uk for replacement blades, but always good to have another source, thanks! 👍👍
Yeah i looked at tuffsaw. There wasn't much difference. So i picked the slightly cheeper one. cheers for the fence details.
Peter....i have tne aldi saw....just cant get it set up right. Any way you can post exactly how its set up and tuned? Love the channel. Learning loads. Thanks.
Thanks David! Have to say, all I did with the the Aldi is bolt the table on square to the blade, and start cutting. Is your blade tension OK? Tracking? I had no issues with my Aldi bandsaw at all.
Sorry Peter, forgot to ask....
When deciding between the Aldi and the Titan, what importance did you attach to the fact that the Aldi has a metal rising blade guide yet the Titan just has a plastic guide, and does it matter?
Doesn’t matter a scrap to me, for my usage - though as I say, I’m not a heavy bandsaw user, so it may make more of a difference to others. 👍
Hi Peter, Very useful videos thanks.
I have just collected my Titan bandsaw from Screwfix, and unfortunately I will have to return it.
The lower wheel is eccentric by around .5 to 1.0 mm causing the bvlade to move side to side and to catch on the guides during each rotation. Clearly a machining/quality control issue. I presume there is no way a user can correct this ?
Hi Mike. What a shame! No, no way of correcting that, that I'm aware of. At least Screwfix are decent about returns - fingers crossed you'll get another one without any issues. Keep me posted. 👍
Do you think the titan will get some good 4-5mm thick cut from some stabilised wood blanks,
These are 60mm high , 80mm long ,
Id like to get as many thin slices out of these blanks/ blocks as possible, if i use some 3" thick wood for a stable fence like you did,
I have a few blanks id like to almost veneer some pieces from at anything from 3mm-4mm , and 5mm thickness
for a couple of home projects,
It should be OK, though it’s not the kind of thing I use it for tbh. I’d recommend you change the blade for something from Ian John at tuffsaws.co.uk - he’ll be able to advise on the best blade for the job.👍👍
Hello, nice overview ;-) im new to bandsaw and looking for my home shop for one, the titan looks nice but wher can i get a better fence for it, please and how i square i it to a so tiny blade, please?
Thanks! I bought the Axminster £14 fence - out of stock right now, so didn’t want to recommend it until I’m sure it fits. There’ll be a video when it arrives... 👍
Peter Millard thank you very much 👍
Just to follow on from what Peter said re the Aldi's availability, although they can appear and disappear throughout the year, they tend to always show up in the runnup to Fathers Day (as do their famous chisels). Also, not to complicate things any further, I would be fascinated to know how the new Record BS9 would compare in this company. Can we tempt you to a fourth bandsaw Peter?
Thanks Ian - hadn’t made the Father’s Day connection, duh! Oh my, another bandsaw! I think, on reflection, it’s time to finish this up and move on tbh - leave something for another TH-camr to cover, lol 😂👍
There’ll be one Aldi per local area that is a dumping ground for unsold special buys from all the other stores. I went yesterday and there was 3 bandsaws randomly there. They were a special buy here in Australia a cpl months ago. I might buy one
Aldi is selling the Workzone one at the moment. 23/09/2018. £79.99 and free delivery
Thanks Tony! Yeah, they do free delivery on anything over about £20 I think. Just be aware that the current version only comes with a 1-year warranty, apparently, not the 3 years of the one I tested👍👍
I just had from Amazon a WEN 3962T 3.5-Amp 10-Inch Two-Speed Band Saw with Stand and Work light. for $335 us dollars. Don't know how that will compare
On to my third Titan in a week. The first had been damaged in transit and the motor casing was dented badly and stopped the motor turning. On the second the on switch did not work. The third seems okay but not impressed with the cut as it leaves wavy lines in the wood. I have tried readjusting the guards, tracking and tensioning with no effect. Any ideas? I was thinking about trying a different blade. People seem to recommend the Starret Duratec from Screwfix. By the way the tension release lever does work on mine but you need to turn it anti clockwise to move the lower bar not the upper "button" as shown in your video.
Sorry to hear about the issues. Is the blade tension nice & tight? I ran the stock blade for a while, and whilst it wasn’t the best, it cut straight, and through everything I threw at it. I changed to a Tuffsaws SuperTuff Premium Bandsaw Blade - 1575mm x 1/4" x 6tpi - bit.ly/TuffsawsPremium
Works well. Also upgraded the fence - see bandsaw makeover video #293 & 294. How much of. Project do you want this to become? If you’re on your third and you’re not happy after a blade change, I think I’d be inclined to look elsewhere, tbh. Let me know how you get on. 👍
you should only care for S1 rating when comparing motors. S1 is always quoted but different manufacturers will quote different time duties like 60% 40% and 20% along with the S1(100%). Sometimes you will find S1 ratings on two motors and an S4 rating on one and S6 on the other. And you can't compare S4 to S6
The bandsaw are back in ALDI and are priced 79.99 as of today 03/06/2018.
Yes, thanks! 👍
I have an Aldi bandsaw (the older version with curved top), it still works fine for me.
Can you source blades for the Titan do you know Peter ?
I’m desperate for my first bandsaw
Absolutely! I like tuffsaw blades - link in the description, as always! Bandsaw blade - bit.ly/TuffsawsPremium 👍👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop legend
Oh man you just keep giving!!! More of these please! I love reviews :) Testing of cheap/no name stuff is really fun to watch. Maybe some patreon thing could support you buying, testing, selling to keep a healthy amount of reviews going. Sorry for grammar .. brain is squashed after work and English is not my main language (latter is a bad excuse though)
Thanks! Patreon link in the description of every video, and at the end of every video. Very grateful for all the support, but always room for more! And your English is perfect! 👍👍
Hi Peter, Thanks for the review. Good to know that somewhat useful quality can be had for s decent price. I am looking at bandsaws at the moment and was wondering what your opinion (and other people's) of paying a bit more to get a greater cutting capacity. I was looking at the Scheppach Basa 1 from Screwfix at £190. It has a cast iron top and mitre slot but 100mm capacity. Just wondering if people think the extra 20mm is worth 80 quid?
Hi Steve. I don’t have any personal experience of the Basa series, but Scheppach bolt their stuff together pretty well, generally. I think if I was regularly cutting at close to 100mm then I’d go for something bigger - next size up maybe - just to get a bit more headroom. Also I’d expect motor size to play more of a role in thicker cuts. Hopefully a Basa 1 owner will chip in before too long! 👍👍
Nice compare, I have the new Scheppach with casted table, it's much better than the old one. If you bay a power tool within this price section, you have to know that you have to tune up and improofe some parts by your self. Nobody can expect high quality for less money.
👍👍
Haha in the second shot you look like a giant against the tiny bandsaws. Love this video
Hi Peter. On the basis of this review I bought the Titan when I was back in the uk and brought it back to NZ as check in luggage! Just set it up which seemed pretty easy... the problem I have is I bought the Axminster fence upgrade and have zero idea how to attach it to the table - have you got there yet as I’d love some pointers before I ruin it!! Thanks :)
Hi Nic! Wow, that’s amazing - glad it survived the journey! No, I’ve bought the fence upgrade but haven’t fitted it yet - haven’t even looked at it tbh. It’s something I hope to get to in the next couple of weeks now my big job has finished 👍
Thanks so much for replying Peter! I’ve had a think overnight about the problem as there is no obvious way to connect it other than the single screw in the saw ‘groove’. I’m planning on attaching some timber underneath by drilling and then screwing through the edge of the table And then attaching to that once it’s square and secure...should work! As you’ll see when you look one side is on an angle which makes any other approach seem tricky! Cheers.
Thanks! Haven’t had the chance to take a look at all tbh. I’ll check it out this week 👍
Hi Nic, how did you get on with attaching your Axminster fence rail? Just bought one and having the same head-scratching moment as you, it's not obvious is it? Contemplating epoxy...
Did you ever get yours fitted Peter?
key things required in a bandsaw: Cast iron table - not pressed steel or aluminium. Ceramic or ball race blade guides which are accessible and therefore easy to setup for good blade alignment. A rack and pinion adjustment for the blade height. A motor with a power rating of 400W+. If you intend to saw anything where repeatability of cut is important, cheapo bandsaws are a waste of your time and money. For your ongoing health, dust extraction.
As always a great video Peter - today was had a particular relevance to me as I've been looking at the Titan bandsaw to add to my Titan collection (table saw / planer / plunge saw). Maybe Titan don't do fences very well, I love their table saw but it's fence is terrible. I'd be very interested to know if you found a good fix for the bandsaw fence (other than a block of wood) as otherwise it sounds like a great machine that would appeal to a large percentage of your audience, maybe a great topic for one of 1 - 2 minute workshop tips if you find a good solution ?
Thanks! I have a blade & fence upgrade planned for the Titan, wether I decide to keep it or not, I think it’ll be a worthwhile experiment. And yes, with a bit of tweaking & fettling, the Titan cuts really nicely. 👍
Also interested to hear how you get on with the fence upgrade - thanks for the useful comparison videos
Pleasure - will keep you posted re the fence upgrade 👍
I did see somewhere sombody talking of a fix for the titan fence. I think it referred to the use of a 1mm spacer to fill the gap between fence and table.
Thanks for the review, Peter. Which of these three saws was the quietest? I suppose they all have induction motors, but Axminster stresses that they re-engineered the housing material to lower any noise that escapes. Wonder whether you noticed any difference between them.
Great question! Must confess it didn’t occur to me to do a Db test as they all have induction motors. I’ll try and do a quick one tomorrow, if I can - though they’ll all sound a lot louder when they’re cutting, if course. Certainly none of them stood out as noisy. 👍
Thanks Peter, that would be very interesting if it's not too much trouble for you. Db tests whilst cutting the same material would be great since like you mentioned, there's a world of difference between an idling and a busy machine. Also, do you happen to know how many of the blade guides are bearings vs static as far as the three models are concerned? I had a discussion with a London-based woodworking teacher and he mentioned that an important considerations for a band saw are the stability of the fence (which you discussed in detail in your video - thanks) as well as the question of guide style (bearing vs static). I plan to buy my first band saw soon and quality matters. Seeing how many Festool tools you are using (in your recent cabinet making/installation video), I assume you have the same focus on quality, so it's good to know that the Aldi bandsaw got your recommendation.
hackneymarshes All these bandsaws have static blade guides at the sides and a bearing guide at the rear. At this size / price point I think only the Scheppach Basa 1 has bearing guides all round, and I’m afraid I’ve no experience of them. I’ll check the relative noise levels though, for sure. Oh, and these cheap & cheerful bandsaws are great for the money, but aren’t ‘heirloom’ tools, not by any stretch 👍
Hiya. Sorry workshop full of painted stuff so couldn't do cutting tests, but whilst idling the Axminster was by far the noisiest. I took readings at 1 metre and close by the machine, in a room with 23db baseline, as follows:-
Axminster 63db at 1 metre, rising to 67db close to.
Aldi 60db at 1 m, 63db close to.
Titan 55db at 1 metre, 61db close to.
So the both the cheaper machines right up close were as quiet as or quieter than the Axminster at 1 metre, and the Titan significantly quieter overall.
Usual caveats apply; these are the only machines I have and it was not a scientific test, just using just a db app on my phone, but the phone was isolated from the bench, and the bandsaws located on another bench, so there should be little transfer of noise through benchtop vibes. Treating the db values as relative, rather than absolute would seem the best approach.
And all three saws are significantly less noisy than, say, the track saws I compared last year, and as I said previously, the Axminster didn’t stand out as being significantly louder in normal use.
HTH P.
Are these any good for cutting bowl blanks?
A bit small I would have thought; 80mm max depth of cut. I've never cut a bowl blank though, so I'm not really sure what size machine you'd need. 🤷♂️
That is a shade too small unfortunately. Thanks for your reply and love your content.
@@trampsovercoat8372 Thanks! Aldi had a slightly larger machine on sale a little while back, not sure if that would do the job. ~120mm depth of cut, I think? Might be worth a look. 🤷♂️
Hi Peter, I just stumbled across your video and found it really interesting and informative. Just off to Spain for a few weeks, but a band saw is on my shopping list for when I get back! I did like the hack that the Baron Rouge passed on - nice one mate! So it will possibly be the Titan from Screwfix as I already have a Titan table saw and have found it absolutely brilliant and a must have for any newbie woodworker. However, and please correct me if I am wrong, but I was of the impression that a band saw was better suited for cutting curves rather than straight edges, however I can see the benefit of having the band saw as one is able to cut far thicker pieces of timber than on the bench saw. Kind regards, Michael.
Thanks Michael, and welcome! Yes, bandsaws are good for cutting curves, which is why cutting a thin straight line is particularly challenging - and a great test for general set-up. This video is a couple of years old now BTW - Axminster have a small bandsaw at around the same price as the Titan, but with a cast iron table, just FYI. I think that would be the one I'd go for if I was buying now. 👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop Yes! Just had a look at the Axminster P1400B saw - looks like it could be a good deal. We have an Axminster outlet in Basingstoke, might be worth a look at when I get back!
I love how in the 1st video you were like “nah, don’t really use a bandsaw, meh” and now you have 3 😂
Not any more! 😂👍👍
Great and useful review, Sir. Thanks and greetings from Chile.
Thank you! 👍
Thank you Peter for the info