Hi all,
What would be the best tool for cutting slate tiles up-to about 1" thick?
The tiles are to be fitted into a fireplace for a woodburner to sit on.

Cheers
Pete

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Pet @ www.gymratz.co.uk ;¬) wrote:

What would be the best tool for cutting slate tiles up-to about 1" thick?
The tiles are to be fitted into a fireplace for a wood burner to sit on.

Slate is a fairly soft stone but laminar. Rooftiles can be easily cut
with an axe over a metal bar anvil but the thicker stuff will fracture
badly. Get a diamond angle grinder and cut half way through it then
bend it.

Use the grinder to soften the cut edge afterwards.

Weatherlawyer wrote:
Pet @ www.gymratz.co.uk ;¬) wrote:
What would be the best tool for cutting slate tiles up-to about 1" thick?
The tiles are to be fitted into a fireplace for a wood burner to sit on.

Slate is a fairly soft stone but laminar. Rooftiles can be easily cut
with an axe over a metal bar anvil but the thicker stuff will fracture
badly. Get a diamond angle grinder and cut half way through it then
bend it.

Use the grinder to soften the cut edge afterwards.

I have a Diamond wheel on my grinder, thought it might clog up within a
few seconds of cutting slate, but if its OK then the jobs a goodun.

Cheers
Pete


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http://gymratz.co.uk - Best Gym Equipment & Bodybuilding Supplements UK.
http://gymratz.co.uk/polar-heart-rate-monitors/ Polar HeartRate Monitors
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http://water-rower.co.uk - Worlds best prices on the Worlds best Rower.

What would be the best tool for cutting slate tiles up-to about 1" thick?
The tiles are to be fitted into a fireplace for a woodburner to sit on.

I've only cut up to 1/2" slate but it's relatively soft and very easy to cut
with an electric tile cutter.

Andy

Pet @ www.gymratz.co.uk ;¬) wrote:
Hi all,
What would be the best tool for cutting slate tiles up-to about 1" thick?
The tiles are to be fitted into a fireplace for a woodburner to sit on.

Cheers
Pete

You can just about do that on a cheap electric tile saw.

I have, in an emergency, uses it to cut 30mm sandstone slabs, and
extensively on 8mm slate tiles.

It will be very slow though.

I have also hired angle grinders - big ones - with diamond cutting
blades. Fast but far less accurate.

If you already have an electric tile saw (and everyone should: They are
only about £30 these days) I would gird up thine loins, and for the few
tiles to be cut, use that.

Otherwise hire what you need. A BIG electric tiles saw - maybe a 12"
diamond blade - would be ideal..but the rental may not be far off what a
smaller one costs to buy.

On 31 Jan, 12:50, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
Pet @www.gymratz.co.uk;¬) wrote: Hi all,
What would be the best tool for cutting slate tiles up-to about 1" thick?
The tiles are to be fitted into a fireplace for a woodburner to sit on.

Cheers
Pete

You can just about do that on a cheap electric tile saw.

I have, in an emergency, uses it to cut 30mm sandstone slabs, and
extensively on 8mm slate tiles.

It will be very slow though.

I have also hired angle grinders - big ones - with diamond cutting
blades. Fast but far less accurate.

If you already have an electric tile saw (and everyone should: They are
only about £30 these days) I would gird up thine loins, and for the few
tiles to be cut, use that.

Otherwise hire what you need. A BIG electric tiles saw - maybe a 12"
diamond blade - would be ideal..but the rental may not be far off what a
smaller one costs to buy.

I know this doesn't help the questioner, but I had a similar problem
many years ago and asked the stone mason who was building the chimney
for me. He sent me off to a local company giving me detailed
instructions on how to get there. I arrived expecting to find a small
almost backstreet organisation having some stone cutting equipment -
what I found were some half dozen 12 feet diameter diamond stone saws,
stone cutting lathes and what really caught my eye was a guy doing
piercing work on a large stone slab with a Dremel like tool. The
whole place was quite an eye opener.

Rob

On 31 Jan, 11:08, "Pet @ www.gymratz.co.uk ;¬)"
wrote:

What would be the best tool for cutting slate tiles up-to about 1" thick?

Electric wet tile saw. Plasplugs plastic ones seem to last better
than the all-steel non-Plasplugs ones.
Slate is easy to cut with almost anything, but these are easier to
control than a hand-held grinder.

Don't leave the saw wet after use though, or the blade rusts in no
time.

Andy Dingley wrote:
On 31 Jan, 11:08, "Pet @ www.gymratz.co.uk ;¬)"
wrote:

What would be the best tool for cutting slate tiles up-to about 1" thick?

Electric wet tile saw. Plasplugs plastic ones seem to last better
than the all-steel non-Plasplugs ones.
Slate is easy to cut with almost anything, but these are easier to
control than a hand-held grinder.

Don't leave the saw wet after use though, or the blade rusts in no
time.

I have one of them plasplugs one. It's not been used for a couple of
years now but hopefully it will still be OK.

I'll take both grinder and tile cutter just in case.
:¬)


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http://gymratz.co.uk/polar-heart-rate-monitors/ Polar HeartRate Monitors
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http://water-rower.co.uk - Worlds best prices on the Worlds best Rower.