Aldi Chisels better than Premium ones????????????????????????????????????

[Luke Maddux]

I feel like I've had that "Ah hah" sharpening moment. It took a while, but I'm at a point where I'm comfortable enough with my methods and results, which, I should mention, are a slightly modified version of Paul Sellars'. I also restore a lot of old chisels which require flattening.

I think maybe understanding the difference between flat, truly flat, super flat, perfectly flat, ultra flat, and, of course, the elusive "Dead Flat" is something which comes with more experience than I have. I have a piece of granite that I use for lapping with 80 grit paper attached with spray adhesive. I do this to remove any serious hollows, then move through the diamond plates, then water stones to 8000 (which have been flattened on the diamond plates). I may only be reaching 95% flat, which may reduce my chisels to 95% effectiveness, but I can still get them really, really damn sharp. Sharp enough that I have no desire or need for them to be any more sharp. Maybe not sharp enough to impress other woodworkers, but certainly sharp enough to impress myself. I don't know what the scary sharp method is, but I am definitely very respectful of the blades on my chisels when they are in use.

I think Paul's point with the Aldi chisels has been reiterated a couple of times in this thread. It's about showing that you can get some fantastic chisels for dirt cheap if you just know how to get them running right. With what I've spent on my complete set of Lie Nielsen chisels, $13 is pretty much synonymous with "Free".

I will, however, comfortably make the assumption that Paul Sellars does not use Aldi chisels in his spare woodworking time...

I will also state that at no point in my dealings with the Lie Nielsen chisels have I felt any desire or need to flatten or lap the backs in any way. This is something you pay for - and get - when you buy their chisels. I guess it kind of boils down to how much value you place on 30-60 minutes of your time spent flattening chisels.

That's kind of my US$0.02 (I'm currently overseas) on that, but, again, I may not have enough experience to realize that my methods are sub-par for one reason or another.

Cheers,
Luke

[Doggie]

Hi Doggie

You must have been a very patient collector to get all the Titan chisels with the same decal

Not as patient as I was with these babies which are a couple of decades older.Fig 83A.jpg

[derekcohen]

The Aldi chisels are a welcome sight for those starting out. Indeed, they may be good enough beyond this stage ( I do not know as I have not used them, and will attempt to find some on my travels in the UK). The cost factor is important. The reason why these chisels (and similarly priced tools) are recommended by Paul Sellers is because they are cheap, and viewed as a way into woodworking by those who otherwise may be frightened away by the prices of tools, even those at the lower end of the range. I doubt that Paul would recommend rubbish just because it is cheap.

I assume that they are built to a price since many of the finer details I value are missing. This may or may not be important to you. It depends on the purpose to which they will be put. What is important to note, which is often ignored when one sees "free", is that I doubt the are a Premim Chisel, such as LN or LV, on the cheap. For myself, I see them as the start of something potentially good, be this as a customised user for myself or a gift for a friend.

On a train from London to Cornwall

Derek