Wiki: Tile cutter review
 

Feedback welcome...


==Score & snap Machines==
* Faster than diamond blade saws
* Significant waste due to tile breakage
* The cut edge of the tile is sharp, a stroke or 2 with a carborundum
stone makes it safe.
* Machines that need the tile repositioned between score and snap
operations are hard to line up correctly, resulting in even more
breakage & waste
* can't cut narrow strips, minimum size is anywhere from 0.5" - 2" to
avoid breakage.


==Hand held scorers==
These are just a handle with a piece of sharp Tungsten Carbide (TC) or
a steel wheel.
* Lowest cost tile cutter
* Snapping pressure tends not to follow the score accurately, causing
more breakage loss than with the score and snap machines.
* steel cutting wheels are replaceable, TC bits are regrindable with
care and a diamond disc

Cutting:
# Pencil the cut line
# place straight edge on tile
# Score
# ? tap to propagate crack?
# snap tile. Pressing right over the score line causes less breakage


==Diamond table saws==
* These cut tiles quite quickly, but never as fast as score & snap.
* There is close to zero wastage due to breaking
* Thin tile strips can be cut no problem
* All wet diamond tile saws are very noisy when cutting a tile, use
ear protection
* The cut edge is safe rather than sharp
* The typical £30-50 cost soon pays for itself in tile savings
* Usually the table tilts to enable angled cuts for external corners,
avoiding obstacles, and compound mitre cuts
* When close to the end of the cut, to avoid a snapped corner its
necessary to reduce tile speed greatly and apply even force very
gently to both sides of the tile. This should yield a perfect cut
* Cuts at an angle can be done by just following a pencil line by eye
* For repeated precision angled cuts, make a tile holder using a thin
piece of board and either a few [[screws]] to put the tile against, or
a strip of wood as a stop.
* recomended for porcelain or marble

* These saws can generally also be used to cut
* concrete slabs
* stone slabs
* marble
* roof tiles
* fossils
* lumps of quartz for decoration
* flints for decorative walling, etc
* All metals
? sharpening?
? glass cutting?


===Erbauer===
* Does the job no problem
* Minimal [[water]] spray, even with the guard up
* Comes with a 45 degree cutting tile holder
* On off switch is a bit fiddly
* Comes with an [[RCD]] plug
* Fence has to be adjusted and [[clamp]]ed at both ends separately
* Fence can be adjusted to a different setting each end for out of
true cuts
* The ruler strips that help you line the [[fence]] up aren't
accurately positioned
* The ruler strips quickly peel off, this is really not helpful.
* more than powerful enough


===Plasplugs===
===Topps===

==Larger Diamond blade saws==
* Sliding cutting head blade makes angled cuts easier


==Manual saws==
Abrasive grit hand [[saw]]s can cut just about any shape, so are used
for the most difficult cuts. Not many tiling jobs need this though.


==Others==
[[Angle grinder]]s in a stand are sometimes used to cut tiles. These
setups are far from ideal, and the blade can easily overheat, causing
blade buckling & tile breakage. There is also no way to easily slide
the tile, no guarding, no alignment scales etc. Not really
recommended.

Its even possible to cut a tile with a [[die grinder]], but not very
practical. Progress is very slow, and its only useful if you already
have a die grinder but no better tool, and just have one tile to cut,
eg for a repair. The tool pieces to use are diamond cutting disc and
abrasive stone.


NT

Wiki: Tile cutter review
 

On Aug 26, 9:53*pm, John Rumm wrote:
NT wrote:
Feedback welcome...

I would suggest splitting the article into two - one describing the
features etc to go in the power tools FAQ, and then a second one to go
in the review section with the comments on particular machines. This
would be more in keeping with other articles.

Yes, I think so. Will incorporate the rest of the feedback later.
Cheers!


NT

Tile cutter review
 

NT wrote:
Feedback welcome...


==Score & snap Machines==
* Faster than diamond blade saws
* Significant waste due to tile breakage
* The cut edge of the tile is sharp, a stroke or 2 with a carborundum
stone makes it safe.
* Machines that need the tile repositioned between score and snap
operations are hard to line up correctly, resulting in even more
breakage & waste
* can't cut narrow strips, minimum size is anywhere from 0.5" - 2" to
avoid breakage.


==Hand held scorers==
These are just a handle with a piece of sharp Tungsten Carbide (TC) or
a steel wheel.
* Lowest cost tile cutter
* Snapping pressure tends not to follow the score accurately, causing
more breakage loss than with the score and snap machines.
* steel cutting wheels are replaceable, TC bits are regrindable with
care and a diamond disc

Cutting:
# Pencil the cut line
# place straight edge on tile
# Score
# ? tap to propagate crack?
# snap tile. Pressing right over the score line causes less breakage

Position the tile over a wooden skewer or sililar & press down on either
side.


==Diamond table saws==
* These cut tiles quite quickly, but never as fast as score & snap.
* There is close to zero wastage due to breaking
* Thin tile strips can be cut no problem

'L' shapes & notches can be cut easily.

* All wet diamond tile saws are very noisy when cutting a tile, use
ear protection
* The cut edge is safe rather than sharp
* The typical £30-50 cost soon pays for itself in tile savings
* Usually the table tilts to enable angled cuts for external corners,
avoiding obstacles, and compound mitre cuts
* When close to the end of the cut, to avoid a snapped corner its
necessary to reduce tile speed greatly and apply even force very
gently to both sides of the tile. This should yield a perfect cut
* Cuts at an angle can be done by just following a pencil line by eye

Pencil lines will often be washed away by the blade cooling water. Use a
chinagraph pencil or a Sharpie marker.

Use the machine on a dust sheet to prevent dirty water staining floor
coverings. Keep a cloth nearby to dry off the tile.

* These saws can generally also be used to cut
* concrete slabs
* stone slabs
* marble
* roof tiles
* fossils
* lumps of quartz for decoration
* flints for decorative walling, etc
* All metals
? sharpening?
? glass cutting?


===Erbauer===
* Does the job no problem
* Minimal [[water]] spray, even with the guard up
* Comes with a 45 degree cutting tile holder
* On off switch is a bit fiddly
* Comes with an [[RCD]] plug
* Fence has to be adjusted and [[clamp]]ed at both ends separately
* Fence can be adjusted to a different setting each end for out of
true cuts
* The ruler strips that help you line the [[fence]] up aren't
accurately positioned
* The ruler strips quickly peel off, this is really not helpful.
* more than powerful enough


===Plasplugs===
===Topps===

==Larger Diamond blade saws==
* Sliding cutting head blade makes angled cuts easier


==Manual saws==
Abrasive grit hand [[saw]]s can cut just about any shape, so are used
for the most difficult cuts. Not many tiling jobs need this though.


==Others==
[[Angle grinder]]s in a stand are sometimes used to cut tiles. These
setups are far from ideal, and the blade can easily overheat, causing
blade buckling & tile breakage. There is also no way to easily slide
the tile, no guarding, no alignment scales etc. Not really
recommended.

Its even possible to cut a tile with a [[die grinder]], but not very
practical. Progress is very slow, and its only useful if you already
have a die grinder but no better tool, and just have one tile to cut,
eg for a repair. The tool pieces to use are diamond cutting disc and
abrasive stone.


NT

* For repeated precision angled cuts, make a tile holder using a thin
piece of board and either a few [[screws]] to put the tile against, or
a strip of wood as a stop.
* recomended for porcelain or marble

Tile cutter review
 

==Diamond table saws==
* These cut tiles quite quickly, but never as fast as score & snap.
* There is close to zero wastage due to breaking
* Thin tile strips can be cut no problem

'L' shapes & notches can be cut easily.

* All wet diamond tile saws are very noisy when cutting a tile, use
ear protection
* The cut edge is safe rather than sharp
* The typical £30-50 cost soon pays for itself in tile savings
* Usually the table tilts to enable angled cuts for external corners,
avoiding obstacles, and compound mitre cuts
* When close to the end of the cut, to avoid a snapped corner its
necessary to reduce tile speed greatly and apply even force very
gently to both sides of the tile. This should yield a perfect cut
* Cuts at an angle can be done by just following a pencil line by eye

Pencil lines will often be washed away by the blade cooling water. Use a
chinagraph pencil or a Sharpie marker.

Use the machine on a dust sheet to prevent dirty water staining floor
coverings. Keep a cloth nearby to dry off the tile.


Use Eye protection! (I know we often don't, but a ceramic slurry could
be nasty)

Wiki: Tile cutter review
 

On 26 Aug, 20:32, NT wrote:
Feedback welcome...

==Score & snap Machines==
* Faster than diamond blade saws
* Significant waste due to tile breakage
* The cut edge of the tile is sharp, a stroke or 2 with a carborundum
stone makes it safe.
* Machines that need the tile repositioned between score and snap
operations are hard to line up correctly, resulting in even more
breakage & waste
* can't cut narrow strips, minimum size is anywhere from 0.5" - 2" to
avoid breakage.

Quality counts. I broke my Rubi Star on my last floor, the bars just
spread out and the whole thing fell apart. Bought a Montolit as a
replacement, and it didn't even blink at the same times. It cuts
straight lines, and not very sharp ones (the cutter bevels the edge).
Nearly zero wastage. Waste of money for cheap tiles, but if you are
dealing with really hard quality stuff it's worth paying out for a
good Rubi etc, as long as it's not a one off. It's a day or two of
paying a tiler, that's the way I look at it. And there's little
better to spend money on than good tools (apart from good food, wine
and music). Really don't biy one which needs moving between score and
snap - it's a bit like glass, the sooner you can follow the score with
the tap/wham/sledgehammer blow (depending tile), the better.


==Diamond table saws==
* These cut tiles quite quickly, but never as fast as score & snap.
* There is close to zero wastage due to breaking
* Thin tile strips can be cut no problem
* All wet diamond tile saws are very noisy when cutting a tile, use
ear protection
* The cut edge is safe rather than sharp
* The typical £30-50 cost soon pays for itself in tile savings
* Usually the table tilts to enable angled cuts for external corners,
avoiding obstacles, and compound mitre cuts
* When close to the end of the cut, to avoid a snapped corner its
necessary to reduce tile speed greatly and apply even force very
gently to both sides of the tile. This should yield a perfect cut
* Cuts at an angle can be done by just following a pencil line by eye
* For repeated precision angled cuts, make a tile holder using a thin
piece of board and either a few [[screws]] to put the tile against, or
a strip of wood as a stop.

The most outstanding point of difference is the ability to do L-shape
cuts, or all sorts of shapes by cutting up to a line(on mine, I can
lift the tile to get a 90 degree edge, you might need to build an
angle-sled to do so on a blade-below type.


* recomended for porcelain or marble

Ambivalent at best about the porc bit - the harder the tile, the
greater the advantage of manual cutters. For marble and other stone,
diamond (or grit) sawing is necessary rather than recommended.


==Larger Diamond blade saws==
* Sliding cutting head blade makes angled cuts easier

Sliding tables are as good. My Duhrer Teide (snag at £60 and a day-
trip from ebay) is very good, but not exactly a sensible buy new for
anyone.

Wiki: Tile cutter review
 

NT wrote:

==Score & snap Machines==
* Faster than diamond blade saws
* Significant waste due to tile breakage

Only on the cheapest models. Virtually none on anything £30

* The cut edge of the tile is sharp, a stroke or 2 with a carborundum
stone makes it safe.

Since the edges are rarely exposed they don't need to be safe



==Diamond table saws==
* These cut tiles quite quickly, but never as fast as score & snap.
* There is close to zero wastage due to breaking
* Thin tile strips can be cut no problem
* All wet diamond tile saws are very noisy when cutting a tile, use
ear protection
* The cut edge is safe rather than sharp
* The typical £30-50 cost soon pays for itself in tile savings
* Usually the table tilts to enable angled cuts for external corners,

Love 'em or hate 'em, tile trims are the only way to deal with external
corners on ceramic tiles

==Others==
[[Angle grinder]]s in a stand are sometimes used to cut tiles.

Mini grinder in one hand and tile in the other is sometimes used for
*short* cuts. Quite safe, but not very accurate. Typically used for
rectangular cuts behind sockets where the longer of the two cuts can
then be done on the snapper