Aldi offers 9th October 2008

[Digit]

Smoothness and lack of slack in the slide on the BJ. Any slackness can result in sloppy biscuits.
I have bought a number other things from Aldi, digital calliper, 'F' clamps, soldering irons, nail gun and a number of small tools.
They may not be the very best quality but for the price they have all proved to be excellent.
The calliper, for example, is far and away the best buy of any normally offered, including Axminster's, at nearly three times the cost.

Roy.

 

[Digit]

Jonothan! My local Aldi aready has the stuff on display so I removed a BJ from it's box and examined it.
Compared with mine there was a bit of movement in the slides.
Having said that there is a little in mine and mine cuts slots that a bit tight,
Go for it mate, you always cut some slots and glue a biscuit in to check the results.
The router/table set up also looks good for the price, like wise the morticer.
Cheapo morticer chisels I find give you hernia.
Table saw? Personally I'd have to be desperate.
But as a means of getting started it's only half the price of similar models with a 'better' brand name on them.
That is a personal opinion others may differ.
Best of luck!

Roy.

 

[jsb]

Thanks Roy. Ok will give the mortiser chisels a miss, and wasn't planning on the table saw anyway, a bit hide to hide away from SWMBO.

Will certainly give the BJ a try though.

So the products are on display but not for sale?

Jonathan

 

[lurker]

I've had some good tools from Aldi or Lidl.

I think if you buy with the view that they might be rubbish and be pleasantly surprised if they are not. I find their "quality" surpasses housebranded stuff from B&Q, Machine mart etc

My best buys I think have been the calipers, F-clamps and a palm sander.
I've even bough some things to "break up" for useful parts like fences & Knobs.

That biscuit kit is excellent - even the glue is good. might get a spare.
The router bits are surprisingly good but that kit is almost worth the money for the collets alone

Got a couple of fire Extigishers yesterday ( thanks for the tip off Racers) - I reckon these are at least half price & Kidde is a top brand extingisher. At 7 quid you are nuts not to have one in the workshop!!

 

[Digit]

They were on sale jsb, my local Aldi always seems to be one day ahead for some reason.

Roy.

 

[dicktimber]

Tim,
Don't be put off with the set of mortice chisels, just because they are in sets of three or that other people think they are too cheap.

These chisels are manufactured from high speed steel, and hardened to Rockwell C 63.
The rockwell impact test is one standard used to determine the hardness of steel. After heating, the steel to relax the molecules, the metal is quenched, usually in oil.
By cooling the metal quickly the molecular structure, becomes very hard.
It can then be ground to make tools that require a very hard composition, in use. ie} mortice chisels

If the chisels conform to RC63, and I have no reason to believe Aldi are misrepresenting the trading standards regulations, then there is no reason at all why they shouldn't give you an acceptable level of performance.
So long as you set the auger in the chisel correctly!
My advice would be to buy some and try them.
Mike

 

[Digit]

It's not that I think they are too cheap Mike, just that the cheap ones I have used in the past simply wouldn't handle hardwood very easily.
A friend of mine bent a small one on Oak some time back.
If jsb tries them perhaps he could give us a report on them, some of Aldi's stuff belies their cheap price that's for sure.

Roy.

 

[toolsntat]

Just bought the B/J and must say that it ain't a patch on the the other one I had from them before this one, which even had the case with it.
The angle adjustment mechanism is really flimsy and there is more slack in the slides than a slack thing winning a slack competition.....
Also got another little chop saw which is still as good as the last one
Been using the old one for nearly a year now and would feel lost without it :roll:
Cheers
Andy

 

[Chems]

Please stop calling the Biscuit Jointer a "BJ!"

I'm tempted by the chop saw, been looking for one for a while but haven't wanted to take the plunge with this credit crunch on.

 

[lurker]

Andy,

thanks for that
I was going to take a punt at the BJ but won't bother now.

 

[lurker]

Chems,

Just twigged where your nasty little mind :lol: was going. :roll:

 

[Chems]

I know a lot of the forum population is older but there is no need to be discussing the amount of slack you get in your bj.

:twisted:

 

[jsb]

Ok, just back from Aldi to lots of questions from work colleagues.

I am now the proud owner of an Aldi Biscuit Jointer, router and router table.

There is a little play in the biscuit jointer but < 0.5mm IMO and certainly for £20 worth a punt.

Decided to leave the morticer for now.

Thanks to everyone for a) the tip-off and b) their advice.

 

[big soft moose]

I know a lot of the forum population is older but there is no need to be discussing the amount of slack you get in your bj.

:twisted:

particularly as many of the older contingent like to avoid mechanical assistance and just do the job by hand :!: :twisted:

 

[dicktimber]

Roy,

I hear what you say.
Some woods are very difficult to drill let alone mortice out.
I have had to persevere as I am sure you have yourself with difficult hardwoods.
If your friend put so much pressure on that the chisel bent then I have to question the safety aspect.
The chisel could have shattered and that could have been a disaster.
If tools don't cut you don't put excessive pressure on them, especially with a lever....you and I would stand back consider the wood a problem and use an alternative method of cutting the mortice.
We wouldn't have knackered a tool up be it 10p or £10.
Anyway enough said, I respect your comments.

You also read my mind as I went out today, pushing my way through the throng of men pushing trollies laden with, saws, biscuit jointers, mortise machines etc.....a deal brings them out!!!!
I bought 4 chisels and will report back, when I have time to try them.

As for the biscuit jointer...well it is very basic. Plastic base, with a step in it and a strange depth arrangement.
For £20 and if you don't want to use the angle plate, it will probably do the job.
For someone starting it will at least introduce them into working wood.
Mike

 

[Rich]

Ok, just back from Aldi to lots of questions from work colleagues.

I am now the proud owner of an Aldi Biscuit Jointer, router and router table.

There is a little play in the biscuit jointer but < 0.5mm IMO and certainly for £20 worth a punt.

Decided to leave the morticer for now.

Thanks to everyone for a) the tip-off and b) their advice.

JSB, I'd be obliged if you could let us know if the router base has been modified so that it fits in the recess on the underside of the table.

Regards,

Rich.

 

[CWatters]

I also went for the router table but left the table saw as it didn't look that great. As I was leaving two different people asked me where the router tables were so they must be getting a lot of interest.

Noticed they had TCT saw blades in packs of 2 (different teeth) for £10.

Jigsaw with laser for £18 on the 12th.

 

[wizer]

I brought home the router table today. My intention was to do as Shultzy suggested and use the main table as an insert for a larger table. When I unpacked it, I wasn't too impressed. It was all a little too 'cheap', the table was slightly twisted and so useless for my purpose. I'm not sure I liked the grooved surface either. So, it's going back tomorrow. I might keep it for the NVR switch, which is probably worth the £25 (just).

 

[Tim_UK]

I bought the morticer (and the box of chisels in the end !)

Seems very sturdily made and have just assembled it - will try it out at the weekend.

They didn't have many router tables left so I wouldn't hang about if you are after one of these. The router is different to previous years and doesn't seem as suited to use in a table as it only has the plunge depth adjustment rather than the turn-screw on previous versions.

 

[roman]

I bought the biscuit jointer and morticer. The former seems a little crude but ok for the money. The morticer is quite solid, though predictably fiddly to set up accurately and its base out of square with the fence, i hope to remedy this over the weekend with a little packing. I backed out of buying the router table in part because I was unsure whether my router would fit (cmt version of dewalt 625) and th security guard told me off for attemptin to take a peek. Does anybody know whether it would fit?
Oh, and nice bresaola and savoury snacks!

roman