Using Time Machine backup as source?
 

Would it be possible to use a Time Machine backup, ie, a folder containing one snapshot, as a source for a SD clone operation, ie, would SD correctly unroll the file and folder hard links?

For sure, I don't expect the result to be bootable. But could one, eg, 'clone' just a user folder from a TM snapshot 'onto' the user folder on a bootable disk? Or would one, even if one set SD to ignore everything but the user folder (on the source), run into the problem of 'ignoring extra files at the destination'?

Other backup or synchronisation software can be set to copy/clone one folder onto another folder, ie, they would not run into 'extra files at the destination' problem but they might have problems with the hard links.

We can't copy from a folder like that, no. But you can restore with Time Machine doing that.

Thanks, the idea to use a cloning tool was born from the 'problem' that TM doesn't do an incremental restore. It is rather a wipe your disk (or folder) and copy everything from the back.

Ah. Well...I'm guessing it will be a rare operation... :)