Lidl Alert!

[MJP]

Couple of nice things due in Lidl from Sunday:

1) Powerfix Profi Japanese saw, £7.99 - I bought these last time round and I've given them a hammering. They are excellent, like razors and far sharper, and stay sharper, than the Irwin pull saw that I bought around the same time. I'll be getting another set for reserve.
https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/Non-Food-Offe ... cleId=7502

2) Powerfix Profi Chisel Set £7.99 - these are the ones praised by Paul Sellers I believe, so I'll be getting a set just to see.
https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/Non-Food-Offe ... cleId=7501

Martin.

 

[Tasky]

these are the ones praised by Paul Sellers I believe, so I'll be getting a set just to see.

Nope.
He praised the Aldi WorkZone ones.... which may well be the same basic thing, given that they're the same price... but the Aldi ones are going for about £20 on eBay now, tagged with "As recommended by Paul Sellers"!!! :roll:

 

[MJP]

Hi Tasky - yes, I know they were the Aldi ones but I'd bet that they are the same ones in fact.
- they look very similar anyway!

As for opportunists on ebay - good luck to them, nothing wrong with free enterprise.

Martin.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

They're not the same, but very similar. The Aldi ones have ash handles, the last Lidl ones had hornbeam ones. There's no difference between them in practice.

 

[ED65]

I love the pull saws, I'm very very pleased with mine also.

The Lidl chisels are not exact clones of the Aldi ones, or at least haven't always been. The Aldi ones have remained very consistent over the years but the Lidl ones, in addition to variations in the handles, have had much more obvious grinder texture at certain points in the past. So it's worth checking for this if that sort of thing bothers you.

 

[thetyreman]

is the pull saw crosscut? It looks ideal for flush cutting draw bore pins e.t.c, might have to get one, also could you change the handle in theory to a wooden one?

 

[ED65]

Yes they're crosscut saws. The blades are separate as you can see so I don't see any reason you couldn't mound the blades permanently into wooden handles if you don't like the original.

 

[skipdiver]

You can't flush cut with them.

 

[Rorschach]

You can't flush cut with them.

Really? I don't have any trouble flush cutting with mine.

 

[skipdiver]

You can't flush cut with them.

Really? I don't have any trouble flush cutting with mine.

I don't use mine much but i'm sure they have a set on the teeth, meaning they would leave marks on the surrounding area if used to flush cut?

 

[Rorschach]

Just checked mine and being a japanse style tooth there is no set on them. I did a quick test rubbing it over a flat surface, if you are not careful then yes it can cause a tiny bit of scratching from the blade flexing but nothing major and totally avoidable with care. After flush cutting I would always sand anyway so not an issue.

 

[skipdiver]

I stand corrected. Just assumed they were not flush cutting and as they say, you should never assume anything.

 

[custard]

Just checked mine and being a japanse style tooth there is no set on them. I did a quick test rubbing it over a flat surface, if you are not careful then yes it can cause a tiny bit of scratching from the blade flexing but nothing major and totally avoidable with care. After flush cutting I would always sand anyway so not an issue.

Japanese saws generally do have set, maybe less than western saws but it's there. If they didn't they'd jam in the kerf.

A proper flush cutting saw also has set, but only on one side, it's indicated on the saw plate which side should be visible, i.e. which side has the set.

https://www.google.co.uk/shopping/produ ... I0QAvD_BwE

 

[JohnPW]

I've just had a look on mine, bought some time ago, there is a tiny amount of set, just noticeable if you run your fingers over the teeth. Maybe about 0.2mm, definitely less than half a mil.

 

[custard]

Flush cut saw and fine toothed Japanese saw, both pull cut.

Cutting off a dowel, tight to the workpiece, with the flush cut,

Acceptable result,

Cutting off a dowel, tight to the workpiece, with the Japanese saw. Note, I cut from the other side so the spine was off the workpiece.

Unacceptable mess,

In fairness most times when I'm flushing something off, like wedged through tenons or a peg, I'll follow one of two courses. I'll either aim to leave it a few thou proud because that's how antiques always look when the stile has fractionally shrunk over the years but the long grain tenon or peg has not, it just adds a tactile something to the piece. Alternatively I'll trim it close, but finally flush it down with a chisel in order to get that glassy end grain surface that you never get from a saw no matter how fine. In both cases I'd probably use a western saw, just because that's what's normally close to hand on the workbench. It's no big deal, any style of saw works fine if you plan ahead.

Tyreman, if you're flushing off pegged tenons on furniture I suggest you get a piece of thin card with a small hole cut out, drop that over the peg and then cut off the peg. That way you've got an insurance policy that you won't scratch the surface of your furniture, which would take ages to sand out. When you've had a bit more practise lose the card, but initially you don't want to mess up your work when you're in the home straight.

 

[Eric The Viking]

You can flush cut with the Lidl saws, just about. I am really pleased with mine, and it does all the "nasty" things, meaning the times when I don't want to risk damage to an expensive Japanese blade.

The saw has a very slight set to it, as Custard says. A sliver of greaseproof paper underneath is enough, although I guess you could go all posh and use sellotape on the saw plate itself. That might be too much though.

I have an asymmetric dowel cutting-off saw from Crown Tools, which is the bee's knees for that sort of thing. Being a leftie though, the set is on the "wrong" side, and it kept catching me out embarrassingly. In order not to be seen as a total twerp, I just made a very subtle flat on the bead decoration of the handle, on the no-set side of the blade. I know it's there, but to everyone else it just looks like a bit of tidied-up damage.

It has tiny teeth, but I find I can sharpen them sufficiently with a needle file, as long as I remember to flatten the no-set side on a stone afterwards. It doesn't cut as fast as the Lidl jobbies, but it's far less likely to do damage. I suppose you could stone the Lidl blades too, although it would probably need a good, fine diamond plate as they are hardened.

Overall, those Lidl ones are jolly handy things to have around.

BTW, for years I have numbered any "disposable" handsaws with marker pen on the handles. That way I don't waste a new one on rough chipboard with metal inclusions! If I get a second Lidl saw I'll probably scratch something on the blades.

 

[bourbon]

I'll have to have a look at those.( wallet takes a bashing again)

 

[MikeG.]

......... for years I have numbered any "disposable" handsaws with marker pen on the handles. That way I don't waste a new one on rough chipboard with metal inclusions! If I get a second Lidl saw I'll probably scratch something on the blades.

By the time they get to "lllll" I'm cutting bricks or nails with them.

 

[Tasky]

Hi Tasky - yes, I know they were the Aldi ones but I'd bet that they are the same ones in fact.
- they look very similar anyway!

Actually, they're not the same..... However: Paul Sellers did indeed praise these - He's actually got two vids on chisel sharpening, one with the Aldi ones and one with this Powerfix Profi brand... and he proves they can be properly sharpened into service.

To that end, I bought a set.
There's a new Lidl just opened up in Reading.... right next door to the new Aldi, ha ha!!!

 

[fezman]

well.... against my better judgement I went for the chisels and Japanese saw.

The japanese saw is (IMO) very flimsy, and will probably be used for no more than pruning in the garden.

The chisels however seem to be a bargain. I've only had time to sharpen the 24mm one so far. It had a hollow back, spent 15 mins doing the back and bevel as per Paul Sellars approach. Used 3 ultex dimond stones #300, #1000, #1200, then some #2500 lapping film, then stropped. The result is a very very sharp chisel. I do like the feel and balance of these, so i may end up back at lidl tomorrow for another set to keep in reserve.