Cutting Mosaic Tile Pieces
 

Anybody have suggestions on how to cut those little (1" x 1") tiles
that come bonded to a mesh backer? My area to be tiled doesn't work
out to an even inch boundary (surprise!). These seem to be Turkish
marble if that makes a difference. I've cut bigger ceramic tiles
before by scoring and snapping, but I don't see how to do that on
something this small. Ditto with a wet saw.

Don't need a production line solution, only a few (!) to do.

Diamond disk in a dremel??

Thanks,
Red

Cutting Mosaic Tile Pieces
 

wrote in message
...
Anybody have suggestions on how to cut those little (1" x 1") tiles
that come bonded to a mesh backer? My area to be tiled doesn't work
out to an even inch boundary (surprise!). These seem to be Turkish
marble if that makes a difference. I've cut bigger ceramic tiles
before by scoring and snapping, but I don't see how to do that on
something this small. Ditto with a wet saw.

Don't need a production line solution, only a few (!) to do.

Diamond disk in a dremel??

Thanks,
Red

a wet saw will do it correctly and easily. you don't have to worry about
getting fingers near a wet saw blade like you do for a toothed sawblade, as
it can't really hurt you as long as it's wet. you can use the side of a
blade (gently) to shape tiles.

Cutting Mosaic Tile Pieces
 

On 6/9/2009 10:44 AM spake thus:

Anybody have suggestions on how to cut those little (1" x 1") tiles
that come bonded to a mesh backer? My area to be tiled doesn't work
out to an even inch boundary (surprise!). These seem to be Turkish
marble if that makes a difference. I've cut bigger ceramic tiles
before by scoring and snapping, but I don't see how to do that on
something this small. Ditto with a wet saw.

Don't need a production line solution, only a few (!) to do.

Diamond disk in a dremel??

Nope. Wet saw.

Trick is to figure out how to hold small pieces on the saw. (Best saw to
use is the type where the work is stationary and the blade moves past
it.) If you're not secure holding the piece with your fingers, get some
small scraps of thin wood, Masonite, plywood, whatever, to use as clamps.


--
Found--the gene that causes belief in genetic determinism

Cutting Mosaic Tile Pieces
 

On Jun 9, 2:35*pm, David Nebenzahl wrote:
snip
Nope. Wet saw.


Spoke to the rental place, but I'm too cheap to meet their price for
the little bit I had to do. Wound up using the diamond disk in the
dremel. Worked out ok, need to stop once in a while to let things
cool down. lots of dust.

If I ever have to do more than a few, it'll be wet saw for sure.

Red

Cutting Mosaic Tile Pieces
 

On Jun 10, 6:56*pm, wrote:
On Jun 9, 2:35*pm, David Nebenzahl wrote:

snip
Nope. Wet saw.

Spoke to the rental place, but I'm too cheap to meet their price for
the little bit I had to do. *Wound up using the diamond disk in the
dremel. *Worked out ok, *need to stop once in a while to let things
cool down. *lots of dust.

If I ever have to do more than a few, it'll be wet saw for sure.

Tile nippers are what is normally used for real mosaic work.
http://www.mosaicartsupply.com/cuttingmosaictile.htm

The wet saw is for the straight cuts.

R

Cutting Mosaic Tile Pieces
 

"RicodJour" wrote in message
...
On Jun 10, 6:56 pm, wrote:
On Jun 9, 2:35 pm, David Nebenzahl wrote:

snip
Nope. Wet saw.

Spoke to the rental place, but I'm too cheap to meet their price for
the little bit I had to do. Wound up using the diamond disk in the
dremel. Worked out ok, need to stop once in a while to let things
cool down. lots of dust.

If I ever have to do more than a few, it'll be wet saw for sure.

Tile nippers are what is normally used for real mosaic work.
http://www.mosaicartsupply.com/cuttingmosaictile.htm

The wet saw is for the straight cuts.

R

Depends. I have used a wet saw to nibble some small pieces into odd shapes.
You just have to be very careful.

To the OP: Watch for a wet saw at yard sales, etc. They are incredibly
handy, even if you only need one once a year, and will pay for itself on the
first job. The one I got cost me $10 at a yard sale, and it's a major brand
that costs about $280 at the Borg. Makes the job go a lot easier, and
better results.

Steve