Hi All

Got my first paid tiling job in a few weeks time, not a huge job, but I like
to buy the right kit as and when a job comes up so it's there for the
future.

Are these electric tile table saws worth getting? They seem to go from £30
upwards. Would one save me time over the usual score & break type jig I've
used in the past?

Any other benefits?


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

The Medway Handyman wrote:

Got my first paid tiling job in a few weeks time, not a huge job, but I like
to buy the right kit as and when a job comes up so it's there for the
future.

Good plan.


Are these electric tile table saws worth getting?

Definitely.


They seem to go from £30
upwards.

My PlasPlugs one was around £35, and is just great.


Would one save me time over the usual score & break type jig I've
used in the past?

Yes and no. Score/snap is quicker, but the saw lets you do narrow cuts,
and L shapes etc, which you just can't do when snapping.


Any other benefits?

You can use it to cut a wide range of tiles, some of which can't be
snapped. Porcelain for instance, and natural stone tiles (slate, marble
etc).


--
Grunff

The Medway Handyman wrote:
Hi All

Got my first paid tiling job in a few weeks time, not a huge job, but
I like to buy the right kit as and when a job comes up so it's there
for the future.

Are these electric tile table saws worth getting? They seem to go
from £30 upwards. Would one save me time over the usual score &
break type jig I've used in the past?

Any other benefits?


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

If the job is more than double the price of the saw you're going to buy
then buy it,if not then just do it the normal score&break way till
sufficiant funds allow you to purchase one.

--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

On Thu, 27 Apr 2006 23:29:31 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

Are these electric tile table saws worth getting?

Yes.

I dunno why I'm answering you because you're a ****, but yes an electric
tile saw is very useful. However for speed and the ability to work dry, the
score and break cutters are difficult to beat for straight lines.

If you can hide the ragged edge, use the ceramic carbide wheel cutters. If
you want a smooth edge, to cut fine angles or fit to irregular shapes or if
you want to get really fancy and into mosaics then a diamond wheel cutter
is really useful.

I used one to cut the corners off hundreds of tiles to make them octagons
for SWMBOs master plan involving tiles set on a diagonal with marble
insets. It does look very good. I then used it to cut marble tiles for the
bathroom, cutting an internal mitre so I could make the joins seamless, and
to create a mosaic strip between kitchen and hall because of a difficult
junction between the two floors.

OTOH even though I had the diamond saw, when cutting tiles for one of the
rear rooms where all cut edges would be hidden under skirting I used the
older score and break cutter because it was much faster and almost as
accurate.

The message
from "The Medway Handyman" contains
these words:

Are these electric tile table saws worth getting?

Yes, but not the £30 sort from B&Q unless you like wet feet. The water
tray is too small so all the water that's been up the top doesn't land
back in the tray. Runs out after about 30 seconds. Easily fixed by
sitting the whole thing in a sawn-off plastic storage crate, but far
from ideal.

Cuts fine though. Did my 3/4" slate windowsills a treat.

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

On Fri, 28 Apr 2006 00:35:56 +0100, Grunff wrote:

You can use it to cut a wide range of tiles, some of which can't be
snapped. Porcelain for instance, and natural stone tiles (slate, marble
etc).

You can also use it for stone. I used ours to cut the rocks that contained
fossils that my grandson found at Lyme Bay. It did an excellent job.

I have a Plasplugs saw, but IMO the B&Q PP saw I got was much better. It
has a tilting table and permits much more accurate angle cuts. It also has
a larger diameter wheel hence it can cut thicker tiles. I've used it to cut
clay pammets (about 2.5 in thick) to repair the hall floor.

The message
from Grunff contains these words:

Yes and no. Score/snap is quicker, but the saw lets you do narrow cuts,

Can't get narrower than a snap! When you get good at it, score/snap is
great, but as you say there's things you can do with a saw that are a
bugger to snap. Long thin bits, for a start. Even with good planning
there'll be times when you need a 6"x1/2" strip and that's where saws
really score.

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

On Thu, 27 Apr 2006 23:29:31 GMT, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote:

Hi All

Got my first paid tiling job in a few weeks time, not a huge job, but I like
to buy the right kit as and when a job comes up so it's there for the
future.

Are these electric tile table saws worth getting?

Definitely

They seem to go from £30
upwards. Would one save me time over the usual score & break type jig I've
used in the past?

Probably.


Any other benefits?


It's easy to cut small pieces and cuts to fit around things.

You are less likely to break and waste material

Negative is that it may need to be used outside.


--

..andy

The3rd Earl Of Derby wrote:
If the job is more than double the price of the saw you're going to
buy then buy it,if not then just do it the normal score&break way till
sufficiant funds allow you to purchase one.

I understand the economics, but is there any point in buying something that
won't add speed or quality? If a tile saw means less time to do the job
it's worth it.


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

The Medway Handyman wrote:
Hi All

Got my first paid tiling job in a few weeks time, not a huge job, but I like
to buy the right kit as and when a job comes up so it's there for the
future.

Are these electric tile table saws worth getting? They seem to go from £30
upwards. Would one save me time over the usual score & break type jig I've
used in the past?

Yes, they are infinitely better - less broken tiles and will do very
thin slices.

Any other benefits?

Ability to cut almost ruund holes by nibbling out most, and then useing
them like a router..

You will never score and snap again I assure you.

The Medway Handyman wrote:
The3rd Earl Of Derby wrote:
If the job is more than double the price of the saw you're going to
buy then buy it,if not then just do it the normal score&break way
till sufficiant funds allow you to purchase one.

I understand the economics, but is there any point in buying
something that won't add speed or quality? If a tile saw means less
time to do the job it's worth it.


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

The way I see it you only need those cutters when you're faced with the
12x12 tiles because they're a bugger to snap,if its a job where the tiles
are 4x4 tiles then theres no need for to go out and buy it.
By the time you've cut through a 4x4 you'll have scribed&snapped 3 tiles in
the conventional way.
--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

Steve Firth wrote:

I dunno why I'm answering you because you're a ****,

Do you have an anger management problem or are you just a complete ****wit?


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

On Fri, 28 Apr 2006 00:41:15 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

Steve Firth wrote:

I dunno why I'm answering you because you're a ****,

Do you have an anger management problem or are you just a complete ****wit?

Neither, I can simply spot a **** when I see one. However I answered your
little question so kiss my arse.

"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
. uk...
Hi All

Got my first paid tiling job in a few weeks time, not a huge job, but I
like to buy the right kit as and when a job comes up so it's there for the
future.

Are these electric tile table saws worth getting? They seem to go from
£30 upwards. Would one save me time over the usual score & break type jig
I've used in the past?

Any other benefits?


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

I bought a Ferm 600W ( 40 quidder ) from screwfix last year to use when I
re-tiled my bathroom.

There were a lot of angled tiles ( up to sloping ceiling ) and these were
difficult to cut with the tile saw. I had to do them freehand and found it
tricky to keep the cut straight. Also none of the walls in the bathroom
were plumb so I ended up cutting lots of tapers at the edges - again this
meant going freehand with the electric saw and getting a few wavy cuts.

In the end I bought a half decent score & snap cutter and found it much
easier ( faster & neater ) to cut the angles and non-square cuts with it.

The tiles I had to cut were quite large ( about 14" x 10" approx. ) so that
might have made a difference.

In summary I found it excellent for cutting L shapes, and if I had a run of
tiles that needed to be cut to the same length and that had square cuts, I
could just set the fence on the tile saw and run them all through.

Given that I'd use the old snapper wherever possible but would be very
grateful for an electric tile saw for those awkward cuts.

Sod it - use both ;-)


--
ETV

The Medway Handyman wrote:
Hi All

Got my first paid tiling job in a few weeks time, not a huge job, but I like
to buy the right kit as and when a job comes up so it's there for the
future.

Are these electric tile table saws worth getting? They seem to go from £30
upwards. Would one save me time over the usual score & break type jig I've
used in the past?

Any other benefits?




In my opinion, they are worth the cost, but should not be used as a
replacement for score&break - S&B will suffice for the 90% of the cuts
that you'll need and is faster, cheaper and cleaner to operate. Get a
decent S&B that'll accomodate the largest tile that you're likely to
come across (I found out after buying a 30cm one that our new floor
tiles were 33cm across).

THEN, buy a tile table saw - there will be that small percentage of
tiles that need a peculiar cut that cannot be achieved using the S&B -
as others have posted here - for thin slivers, for cutting concaved (as
well, I suppose as convexed) areas, and even for mitre'ing the edges of
tiles if that takes your fancy.

Just be aware that it isn't one-or-the-other - these two tools
complement each other. Without one of them, your job will take
significantly longer to complete.

On Fri, 28 Apr 2006 02:13:48 +0100, Steve Firth
wrote:

On Fri, 28 Apr 2006 00:41:15 GMT, The Medway Handyman wrote:

Steve Firth wrote:

I dunno why I'm answering you because you're a ****,

Do you have an anger management problem or are you just a complete ****wit?

Neither, I can simply spot a **** when I see one. However I answered your
little question so kiss my arse.

Does your James Dean personality go all the way?
I do hope so.
--
Regards,
Mike Halmarack

Drop the (EGG) to email me.

On Thu, 27 Apr 2006 23:29:31 GMT, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote:

Hi All

Got my first paid tiling job in a few weeks time, not a huge job, but I like
to buy the right kit as and when a job comes up so it's there for the
future.

Are these electric tile table saws worth getting? They seem to go from £30
upwards. Would one save me time over the usual score & break type jig I've
used in the past?

Any other benefits?

I'm reluctant to buy too many machines because of storage and carting.
Some quite tricky tiling jobs have been completed here with score and
break, nibbling and a wet and dry grinder that I already owned.
Reading down this thread, it's even more apparent how little the tile
saw really needs to be used for most wall tile jobs.
--
Regards,
Mike Halmarack

Drop the (EGG) to email me.

On Fri, 28 Apr 2006 00:14:00 GMT, The3rd Earl Of Derby wrote:

By the time you've cut through a 4x4 you'll have scribed&snapped 3
tiles in the conventional way.

Scratch 'n snap is quicker for cuts it can do. But note others comments
about L shapes and thin (approx 1") silvers. Power saws are messy, you
and the quite an area around the saw will get sprayed with the slurry.

Use both for speed and simple straight cuts use a good scratch 'n snap
but have a power saw available for complex(*) or thin cuts.

(*) Most complex one I've done is diagonaly cut a corner off, then a
right angle indent into that cut edge. Very quick and easy with a power
saw but would have taken an age and probably more than one tile manually.

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

Guy King wrote:

Can't get narrower than a snap!

I actually meant if you need a 10mm strip of tile - that's hard to make
by snapping.


Long thin bits, for a start. Even with good planning
there'll be times when you need a 6"x1/2" strip and that's where saws
really score.

Like that!

:-)

--
Grunff

Found it invaluable for mosaic tiling. Not sure how easy this would
have been to do with score & break.

You can borrow mine if you want to try it out.

Tim

The Natural Philosopher wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:

Are these electric tile table saws worth getting? They seem to go from£30


You will never score and snap again I assure you.

I find this really hard to believe. When I did my bathroom recently I
think there were three tiles that I couldn't use simple score and snap
and would have loved to have access to an electric cutter. I did try
getting a tile blade for the jigsaw but that was utterly, utterly
****e. In the end I made do with snapping and nibbling and in the
finished article you can't tell, but it would have been a lot quicker.

In sumary I think doing a lot of tiling you'll always want both to hand
and chose the best approach for what you're doing.

--
Steve F

The Medway Handyman wrote:
Hi All

Got my first paid tiling job in a few weeks time, not a huge job, but
I like to buy the right kit as and when a job comes up so it's there
for the future.

Are these electric tile table saws worth getting? They seem to go
from £30 upwards. Would one save me time over the usual score &
break type jig I've used in the past?

Any other benefits?

wot everyone else has said, use a scratch and snap /and/
an electric tile saw, specifically for L shapes around sockets
and quarry tiles, stone etc. very useful tool.

Are these electric tile table saws worth getting? They seem to go from
£30
upwards. Would one save me time over the usual score & break type jig
I've
used in the past?

You absolutely MUST have one. It is slower than a snap type cutter. You only
use it where a snap type is not feasible. However, these situations arise
frequently.

Some examples:

1. Tiles that aren't glazed ceramics.
2. Cutting close to the edge.
3. Very complex shapes (with skill you can do the most amazing shapes)
4. Mitred edges.

Ensure you have a good snap cutter as well. It should have metal sliding
bars. I use a Plasplugs Contractor, which is very nice to use. The handheld
types are a waste of space. A pair of grozing pliers can be useful also.

Christian.

On Fri, 28 Apr 2006 00:48:07 +0100, Guy King wrote:

The message
from "The Medway Handyman" contains
these words:

Are these electric tile table saws worth getting?

Yes, but not the £30 sort from B&Q unless you like wet feet. The water
tray is too small so all the water that's been up the top doesn't land
back in the tray. Runs out after about 30 seconds. Easily fixed by
sitting the whole thing in a sawn-off plastic storage crate, but far
from ideal.

Cuts fine though. Did my 3/4" slate windowsills a treat.

I'll second the bit about the water problem .. Mine was from Screwfix .What I
did was sit the saw in a cat litter rtray ..Sorted .


Stuart

Mike Halmarack wrote:

I'm reluctant to buy too many machines because of storage and carting.

That's a major consideration.

Some quite tricky tiling jobs have been completed here with score and
break, nibbling and a wet and dry grinder that I already owned.
Reading down this thread, it's even more apparent how little the tile
saw really needs to be used for most wall tile jobs.

Seems like my 4" angle grinder with a diamond disc and a homemade holding
jig might be the answer here.


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

The Medway Handyman wrote:

Mike Halmarack wrote:

I'm reluctant to buy too many machines because of storage and carting.

That's a major consideration.

Some quite tricky tiling jobs have been completed here with score and
break, nibbling and a wet and dry grinder that I already owned.
Reading down this thread, it's even more apparent how little the tile
saw really needs to be used for most wall tile jobs.

Seems like my 4" angle grinder with a diamond disc and a homemade holding
jig might be the answer here.



That will be hideously noisy though - might upset the customer ;-|

Cheers

Tim

That will be hideously noisy though - might upset the customer ;-|

Not much in it. However, it will be EXTREMELY dusty. I wouldn't dream of
using a dry angle grinder inside someone's house.

I would consider using the wet table type, provided precautions are taken to
collect the water.

Christian.

In article ,
The Medway Handyman wrote:
Got my first paid tiling job in a few weeks time, not a huge job, but I
like to buy the right kit as and when a job comes up so it's there for
the future.

Are these electric tile table saws worth getting?

Definitely.

They seem to go from £30 upwards. Would one save me time over the
usual score & break type jig I've used in the past?

They don't save time on an ordinary cut. Indeed they are very much slower
than score and snap. What they do give, however, is a near perfect edge
which might be needed in places and saves having to dress after a score
and snap. They're also invaluable for cutting very small pieces off a tile
- both parts will be usable with care.

As regards make, I've got the IIRC Plasplugs Tradesman. About 40 quid.
Deals with larger tiles than the small machines, and more power. I've cut
bricks with it - and concrete paving slabs. You'd need to transport it
with care though as I'd say the blade cover easily damaged. Be easy enough
to make a protective cover for that, though, if you wanted to.

--
*Always drink upstream from the herd *

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

In article ,
The Medway Handyman wrote:
I understand the economics, but is there any point in buying something
that won't add speed or quality? If a tile saw means less time to do
the job it's worth it.

It adds quality to most jobs. Not speed.

--
*Fax is stronger than fiction *

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

In article 445170a3.0@entanet,
Eric The Viking wrote:
There were a lot of angled tiles ( up to sloping ceiling ) and these
were difficult to cut with the tile saw. I had to do them freehand and
found it tricky to keep the cut straight. Also none of the walls in
the bathroom were plumb so I ended up cutting lots of tapers at the
edges - again this meant going freehand with the electric saw and
getting a few wavy cuts.

Mine has a an adjustable protractor sort of arrangement which makes
cutting angles pretty easy.

--
*I have plenty of talent and vision. I just don't care.

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

Christian McArdle wrote:
That will be hideously noisy though - might upset the customer ;-|


Not much in it. However, it will be EXTREMELY dusty. I wouldn't dream of
using a dry angle grinder inside someone's house.

I would consider using the wet table type, provided precautions are taken to
collect the water.

Christian.



IMO angle grinding tiles must be done outdoors with a mask. That dust
can make you feel rough in a way that plaster and sawdust don't.
On a rectangular cut I scribe and snap the longer one to avoid using the
disk

In article ,
Mike Halmarack ... wrote:
I'm reluctant to buy too many machines because of storage and carting.
Some quite tricky tiling jobs have been completed here with score and
break, nibbling and a wet and dry grinder that I already owned.
Reading down this thread, it's even more apparent how little the tile
saw really needs to be used for most wall tile jobs.

I'm not a pro so don't have the transport problems but I'd not be without
mine. I tend to set it up outdoors clamped to a workmate if possible.
Plenty of light and no worry about mess. Of course not so handy if tiling
a first floor bathroom, but usually fine for a kitchen. ;-)

--
*When I'm not in my right mind, my left mind gets pretty crowded *

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

The Medway Handyman wrote:
Mike Halmarack wrote:


I'm reluctant to buy too many machines because of storage and carting.


That's a major consideration.


Some quite tricky tiling jobs have been completed here with score and
break, nibbling and a wet and dry grinder that I already owned.
Reading down this thread, it's even more apparent how little the tile
saw really needs to be used for most wall tile jobs.


Seems like my 4" angle grinder with a diamond disc and a homemade holding
jig might be the answer here.



Yeah, I keep meaning to knock up some sort of holding jig but, as most
of the rectangular cuts go behind sockets, precision isn't really an
issue. I do them freehand but it's not my favourite part of the job.

Christian McArdle wrote:

That will be hideously noisy though - might upset the customer ;-|

Not much in it. However, it will be EXTREMELY dusty. I wouldn't dream of
using a dry angle grinder inside someone's house.

I would consider using the wet table type, provided precautions are taken
to collect the water.

Christian.

Odd - I wasn't aware that the tile cutter the bloke used to do my shower the
other month was that noisy - not like my blue Bosch angle grinder that
screams to the point that not wearing ear defenders would be positively
painful. For one thing, his tile cutter had a much smaller motor and
straight drive. It was only a little machine - don't think it would manage
much beyond normal tiles.

I wasn't there mind - but SWMBO didn't complain of a hideous racket, and she
would have done if it had been, what with the baby.

Agree on the dust front - his wet cutter left no traces of dust outside of
the work zone and I believe he used it inside.

Cheers

Tim

The message
from Tim S contains these words:

Odd - I wasn't aware that the tile cutter the bloke used to do my shower the
other month was that noisy - not like my blue Bosch angle grinder that
screams to the point that not wearing ear defenders would be positively
painful. For one thing, his tile cutter had a much smaller motor and
straight drive. It was only a little machine - don't think it would manage
much beyond normal tiles.

I think it was the angle grinder he was saying would be noisy. And it
is, too! And dusty.

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

Guy King wrote:

The message
from Tim S contains these words:

Odd - I wasn't aware that the tile cutter the bloke used to do my shower
the other month was that noisy - not like my blue Bosch angle grinder
that screams to the point that not wearing ear defenders would be
positively painful. For one thing, his tile cutter had a much smaller
motor and straight drive. It was only a little machine - don't think it
would manage much beyond normal tiles.

I think it was the angle grinder he was saying would be noisy.

Ooops - apologies Christian if I read that wrong.

And it
is, too! And dusty.


Heh - tell me about it ;-

Cheers

Tim

The Medway Handyman wrote:
Mike Halmarack wrote:


I'm reluctant to buy too many machines because of storage and carting.


That's a major consideration.


They're not THAT large, and you should be able to plan what you need to
take to any job.



Seems like my 4" angle grinder with a diamond disc and a homemade holding
jig might be the answer here.



Try it. Seriously. Then try it in front of your client.

I took my floor tiles around to my dad's when I needed a couple of
complex cuts. He tried using a 115mm diamond disk. Pretty much melted
and ruined the disk, some reasonable damage to the tile, too.

Get the proper tool for the job.

Christian McArdle wrote:


You absolutely MUST have one. It is slower than a snap type cutter. You only
use it where a snap type is not feasible. However, these situations arise
frequently.

Some examples:

1. Tiles that aren't glazed ceramics.
2. Cutting close to the edge.
3. Very complex shapes (with skill you can do the most amazing shapes)
4. Mitred edges.

Ensure you have a good snap cutter as well. It should have metal sliding
bars. I use a Plasplugs Contractor, which is very nice to use. The handheld
types are a waste of space. A pair of grozing pliers can be useful also.


Completely agree with the above (and even have the same snap cutter as you!)

It's quite possible someone has said this already and I'm not going to
wade through the whole thread to find it, but I do find it alarming
that you are about to go and do a professional task and not only do you
not have apparantly the right tools, but you don't know what are the
right tools.

You're a cowboy and I can only hope that has already been declared by
someone earlier. Just remind me to put you inthe killfile everytime
you appear here.

Rob

In message . com,
robgraham writes
It's quite possible someone has said this already and I'm not going to
wade through the whole thread to find it, but I do find it alarming
that you are about to go and do a professional task and not only do you
not have apparantly the right tools, but you don't know what are the
right tools.

You're a cowboy and I can only hope that has already been declared by
someone earlier. Just remind me to put you inthe killfile everytime
you appear here.

It's quite possible someone has said this already and I'm not going to
wade through the whole thread to find it, but I do find it alarming that
you have posted to uk.d-i-y and not only do you not have apparantly
[sic] the right tools, but you don't know what are the right tools.

You're a non-quoting-google-groups cowboy and I can only hope that has
already been declared by someone earlier. Just remind me to put you
inthe [sic] killfile everytime [sic] you appear here.

rant
God, non-quoting google-groupers are complete and utter PITA, drive me
to bloody distraction
/rant

--
bof at bof dot me dot uk