Cutting slate tiles
 

I've been given a small quantity of slate tiles 300mm sq by 10mm thick.

There won't be many spare ones, so I'm keen to cut them without
wastage.

What's the best way ? I have both a tile cutter and an angle grinder.

wrote in message
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I've been given a small quantity of slate tiles 300mm sq by 10mm thick.

There won't be many spare ones, so I'm keen to cut them without
wastage.

What's the best way ? I have both a tile cutter and an angle grinder.


When you say 'tile cutter', do you mean a flat bed one with a diamond grit
disc
and a water tray to lubricate the disc as it cuts? Only IMO that's what you
need,
and I've cut many 30cmx30cm slate tiles that way.
I'll stick my neck out and say that one of those scratch-and-break things
for
snapping tiles in half won't work on slate tiles of 10mm thickness.

A diamond wheel wet flat-bed cutter can be yours for £40 if you haven't got
one.
A grinder with a stone-cutting wheel will work but you'll get lots of dust
and
probably inaccurate cuts.

Andy.

In article .com,
Roly wrote:
I've been given a small quantity of slate tiles 300mm sq by 10mm thick.

There won't be many spare ones, so I'm keen to cut them without
wastage.

What's the best way ? I have both a tile cutter and an angle grinder.

If it's an electric (diamond wheel with a water sump) tile cutter that
will be fine. If not, buy one. They're super. ;-)

--
*Oh, what a tangled website we weave when first we practice *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

What's the best way ? I have both a tile cutter and an angle grinder.

I've used both methods perfectly successfully. I tend to keep a jug of water
for lubrication when using the angle grinder. Also, only use diamond blades.
Don't waste time, tiles and effort with "conventional" blades. The hand held
angle grinder lets you do weirder shapes. I also found it excellent for
toning down raised corners and edges on particularly bumpy riven slate, to
make a safer and more attractive floor.

Christian.

I should have been a bit clearer.

The tile cutter I have is one of the scratch and snap ones. It's great
for ceramic tiles, but I had my doubts about how well it would work on
slate. You've confirmed those doubts.

I do have a diamond blade for my angle grinder, but it does sound like
a very dusty option and might not be too neat either.

So it looks like I'll be getting a water-cooled tile cutter.

I don't want to spend a huge amount, so I'm currently looking at the
600W Ferm one from Screwfix for =A339.99, or Machine Mart's Clarke ETC6
for =A335.19

Any thoughts, suggestions or alternatives?

The tile cutter I have is one of the scratch and snap ones. It's
great for ceramic tiles, but I had my doubts about how well it
would work on slate. You've confirmed those doubts.

Oh yes, it would be utterly useless.

So it looks like I'll be getting a water-cooled tile cutter.
Any thoughts, suggestions or alternatives?

If you aren't expecting to do any wall tiling, I'd just stick with a cheap
105mm angle grinder and diamond blade. Much cheaper (you may already have
on) and very effective, if you keep it wet. Better for complicated cuts,
too.

Christian.

In article ,
Christian McArdle wrote:
If you aren't expecting to do any wall tiling, I'd just stick with a
cheap 105mm angle grinder and diamond blade. Much cheaper (you may
already have on) and very effective, if you keep it wet. Better for
complicated cuts, too.

But IMHO, much more dangerous. I'm terrified of angle grinders, whereas an
electric tile cutter is a pussycat.

--
*For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On 15 Aug 2005 16:59:35 -0700, wrote:

I've been given a small quantity of slate tiles 300mm sq by 10mm thick.

There won't be many spare ones, so I'm keen to cut them without
wastage.

What's the best way ? I have both a tile cutter and an angle grinder.

I have wondered if I can mount a diamond blade in a chop saw to do
this sort of thing. The tile cutters where you score and crack will be
useless.

Angle grinder will be hard to get a good job.

Rick

In article ,
Rick wrote:
I have wondered if I can mount a diamond blade in a chop saw to do
this sort of thing. The tile cutters where you score and crack will be
useless.

They really need to be dipped in water for a long life when cutting stone.

Angle grinder will be hard to get a good job.

I'd agree.

--
*He who dies with the most toys is, nonetheless, dead.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

But IMHO, much more dangerous. I'm terrified of angle grinders, whereas an
electric tile cutter is a pussycat.

I've actually had nastier experiences with my tile cutter than with the
angle grinder. The tile cutter has given an occasional nasty kickback (yes,
I do use the riving knife), whilst the angle grinder has never given me any
trouble at all. Obviously I don't stand in line with the blade.

Christian.