Jules Richardson wrote:
On Tue, 12 Oct 2010 08:53:41 -0700, Heathcliff wrote:
I have checked around at a couple big box stores and at Harbor
Freight, which has a store in my area. There seem to be two main
kinds: the kind that's like a small table saw, where the blade is
fixed and you move the tile; and the kind where the blade moves back
and forth along rails above the work. The latter are more expensive
- are they worth it? -- H

I think I paid around $70 for mine from HD, and it works well for cuts
that are parallel to the tile edge - certainly better than score/snap.


Bad points:

1) I wouldn't trust the miter "feature" at all. The workpiece holder's
plastic, and gives the impression that it'd wobble quite a lot as the
tile was run past the blade.

2) The fence is pretty crappy - all plastic, and it's hard to get it
the exact distance I want from the blade edge as well as getting it
parallel to the blade. If I were wanting to use it often I'd think
about re- designing the fence with more metal components.

3) That there's no drain point - dumping the water after a job
requires tipping the whole saw upside-down. It's not at all heavy,
but doing that is a little messy. Before I use it next, I'll cut a
hole in the side and install a metal drain fitting.

4) Filling it with water (or checking the level partway through a job)
is... goofy. You have to open the metal flap to the right of the
blade, but the metal flap fouls on the blade guard - so the whole
guard has to be unbolted and removed first. Poor design.

You get what you pay for :-) It's OK for small, occasional jobs, and
the actual cuts it makes are very good - but the drawbacks mentioned
above likely don't exist on a saw that costs twice the money, and it
might be worth paying the extra if you think you'll be using it often.

My cheap one I got used is way better than what you describe. I don't use the
guides, but just follow the lines by eye.

"Bob F" wrote

My cheap one I got used is way better than what you describe. I don't use
the guides, but just follow the lines by eye.

Blade drift, vibration of the work, and movement in the plate or fence can
screw up any cut. Marking it with chalk, pencil, or the like disappears as
soon as the water hits it. It is good to score it with a hard metal device,
then follow that line. I'm sure there are good ones that cut true, but
you're talking in the upper regions price wise.

Steve

On Tue, 12 Oct 2010 17:43:01 -0700, Steve B wrote:

"Bob F" wrote

My cheap one I got used is way better than what you describe. I don't
use the guides, but just follow the lines by eye.

Blade drift, vibration of the work, and movement in the plate or fence
can screw up any cut. Marking it with chalk, pencil, or the like
disappears as soon as the water hits it. It is good to score it with a
hard metal device, then follow that line. I'm sure there are good ones
that cut true, but you're talking in the upper regions price wise.

I think if I were to try and use mine regularly, I'd at least make my own
fence - probably something with a bit of threaded rod along the front and
back edges that I could firmly clamp once I had it adjusted to where I
wanted it (I'd replace the guides, too - on my cheap saw they're just
raised plastic numbers / marks, and very hard to see - bolting on a
couple of metal rulers instead would make a big difference). For the
level I use it, it's not worth taking a few hours to do, though.

Know what you mean about vibration, too - I wonder about sticking on some
rubber feet...

cheers

Jules