On Wed, 30 Mar 2005 21:38:07 -0500, "steve" wrote:
I'm re-doing floor tiles in 2 bathrooms and was thinking about buying a
small tile saw. There is one at a local hardware store for $150. It cuts
tile and marble, is a 3/4 hp, includes a 7" diamond blade, rip fence and
mitre gauge. I figure it will costs me almost as much to rent one on 2
occasions. I have a cheap manual tile cutter but it wopn't cut the porcelain
tiles i'm installing. Oh yeah, the brand is Bolton Pro -7??
Anyhow any opinions appreciated.

While I'm a proponent of buying the best quality tools you can afford,
unless you're planning on taking up tiling for a vocation those cheap
wet saws work well enough. The $90 wet saw I bought from Lowes did my
kitchen floor, kitchen extension floor, two full baths (including a
zirconia tile shower enclosure... very tough stuff), an exterior deck
(slate), a 3/8" marble tile entry floor, a kitchen backsplash and two
end table tops (slate):

http://www.magpie.com/house/photos/b...t/IMAGE120.jpg
http://www.magpie.com/house/photos/m...us/tile002.jpg
http://www.magpie.com/house/photos/kitchen/image031.jpg
http://www.magpie.com/house/photos/b...bathbuild8.jpg
http://www.magpie.com/house/photos/k.../kitchen01.jpg
http://www.magpie.com/house/photos/m...s/image011.jpg

I've changed the blade twice (~$20). While higher-end saws are more
precise, the kitchen tile floor is 1.5" hex tiles and it worked fine
for that.

The main downside with cheap wet saws is that they're messy as hell.
Either do your cutting outside or protect the walls and floors with
plastic sheets.

Steve Manes
Brooklyn, NY
http://www.magpie.com/house/bbs