Lidl diamond files

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Are they any good please Pete - just generally, not specifically Aldi? I haven't tried diamond files, just very fine "slips" for touching up lathe tools, etc.
 
The ones I have are very good, a little coarse but they do remove hardened metal quite quickly leaving you to finish the edge with slips etc.
I wouldn't be with out mine, and I am going to get another set.

Pete
 
They have some one-hand clamps too.
Probably not amazing, but good and cheap for beginners perhaps?
 
I wish the common diamond files were a little finer, virtually all seem to be about the same grit and as Pete says it's on the coarse side, but they will abrade anything you could ask them to which is the main thing. And on softer stuff that a normal file would work on they'll chew through the material in no time.

At 50p a pop they're a bit of a no-brainer I think!
 
Tasky":2zby01ns said:
They have some one-hand clamps too.
Probably not amazing, but good and cheap for beginners perhaps?
If they're equivalent to the Aldi ones I think they're pretty good for what they are, but they need to be used appropriately: they're not joint-closing clamps (at least not for PVAs) they're more for workholding, so no trying to use them as cheap stand-ins for sash clamps. Or any metal clamp for that matter.

They can and do break, but I think it's guys who work with their hands for a living who get this most because of their strong grips. More sedentary types are more likely to have them last well :)
 
Tasky":1wzk3yl5 said:
They have some one-hand clamps too.
Probably not amazing, but good and cheap for beginners perhaps?
Ah nice, thought I, then I realised that they're not really one handed. Compare them with the ones from Rutlands or Axminster (difference between the two is only colour) - those are genuinely one handed in that you can clamp OR RELEASE with one hand - critical if you want the shaft to slide under gravity so you can set the clamp before applying it.

I think you'd struggle with the Lidl ones, but I shall nip into our local Lidl and try them out, all the same...

... on the diamond files, the trick is not to throw them away ever. They're cheap because the diamond chips aren't well graded (that's expensive), but if you bed them in doing coarse stuff, the bigger bits eventually get pulled off the surface, and what's left is a lot smoother. I have a couple of sets of those multi-coloured cheap plates for things like garden tools, and I keep one fine plate from one set in the kitchen - the backing detached ages ago. When used wet, it gets a very useful edge on knives pretty quickly.

I wouldn't use them on my favourite chisels, but they are really handy. Last week-end I was "linishing" the edge of a piece of glass with one. I used the coarsest one I could find. I also have some needle files, and there's one gentle curve that gets used for making wine glasses usable if they have (really small) chips in the rim. I don't know why but our set of general purpose wine glasses seem to get dings quite easily but not actually shatter. It's a waste to chuck them just for appearance sake - rounding over a tiny ding doesn't change the taste...

E.

PS: per ED65's comment above, the Axy/Rutlands ones are really strong and do exert enough grip for joint closing (in my limited experience). The Lidl ones look weaker.
 
Tasky":dtc1wcvt said:
They have some one-hand clamps too.
Probably not amazing, but good and cheap for beginners perhaps?
Tasky I have a few sets of the hand clamps. Black with yellow clamp softners on the heads. Liddl I think.
They aren't quite the same as this model but similar. Bit more basic. The older model could be strengthened by putting a little bolt in just above the trigger as that was the weak point. Do they compare with Besseys etc. Course not. WTF!? :-s In what world would anyone expect that? :|
For soft clamps that come cheap as can be I find them useful for what they are. Cheap soft clamps. Worth a punt for a couple of quid I'd say.
Get what you pay for mate but if these are like the version I have the work well for money invested if you accept the limitations. Take a couple of random shaped odd bits of wood. Buy one set and test them in the carpark. If you're happy buy some more.
 
Eric The Viking":2zptdiqj said:
Ah nice, thought I, then I realised that they're not really one handed. Compare them with the ones from Rutlands or Axminster (difference between the two is only colour) - those are genuinely one handed in that you can clamp OR RELEASE with one hand - critical if you want the shaft to slide under gravity so you can set the clamp before applying it.
You can adjust the Aldi ones with one hand as they have a release button, presumably the same with the Lidl ones. Can take a bit of contorting though it must be said!


Bm101":2zptdiqj said:
Tasky I have a few sets of the hand clamps. Black with yellow clamp softners on the heads. Liddl I think.
Workzone? Aldi.

The Workzone ones are what I have, three sets. My two oldest are the large size, have been put through the ringer and are still going strong, I acquired two other sets a couple of years later on the strength of how well the first pair held up.

On my first two I replaced the plastic guards long ago with slips of hardboard as I was sick of chequerboard marks in my softwood and sometimes in hardwood too. These were stuck on with PVA. While it doesn't form a super-strong bond and they can pop free if the clamp clatters to the floor they do hold up to use. I prefer that they can be easily prised off because I use the clamps around metalworking as well so once they get too filthy to be safely used around clean wood they can easily be replaced with fresh.
 
ED65":mbpt4vb4 said:
they're not joint-closing clamps (at least not for PVAs) they're more for workholding,
But only a few quid and hopefully enough to hold a board to my worktop end until I can get some decent short sashes... I don't fancy sawing down my 1500mm ones, as I might need them one day!
 
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