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I am trying to figure out the best way to cut 24 x 24 travertine in half. My tub saw was made only to accomodate 18 x 18 (and 12 inch diagonally)and won’t work to do precision cut (i’m using the stone on a fireplace)I tried using a diamond blade on my circular saw but it didn’t work to good. It cut a straight line fine but when I went to pick up the two pieces they cracked in pieces. I was told that Makita or Superior makes a hand held wet saw (looks like a circular saw). Any experience with the best way to cut these big mothers???
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Travertine is fairly soft (as rocks go), so using a diamond or silicon carbide saw should work on it. The main thing is that you cannot use a lot of force on the rock. Rock is brittle and cracks easily. Both sides of the cut need to be supported very well. A wet saw with a very slow feed will do the best job. If all else fails, a local rock shop or club may be able to do the cut for you. Expect to pay 25 to 50 cents per square inch cut.
*I watched granite guys do some small cuts with what looked like an average 4-1/2" angle grinder, with a diamond blade, and a squirt bottle of water to lubricate the cut. Having pros do it might be cheaper.Mike
*Travertine is a very weak. I would recommend reinforcing the back of the stone with fiberglass and then cutting it. I have had a number of vanity tops that used marble and all had a fiberglass backing.
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I am trying to figure out the best way to cut 24 x 24 travertine in half. My tub saw was made only to accomodate 18 x 18 (and 12 inch diagonally)and won't work to do precision cut (i'm using the stone on a fireplace)I tried using a diamond blade on my circular saw but it didn't work to good. It cut a straight line fine but when I went to pick up the two pieces they cracked in pieces. I was told that Makita or Superior makes a hand held wet saw (looks like a circular saw). Any experience with the best way to cut these big mothers???
I just finished putting 18x18 travertine in my kitchen, dining room and living room in a diagonal pattern. The way I cut it was probably not very smart but it was cheap. I used a $100 Delta portable table saw and built a plexiglass sled to support the tile. I taped up all of the vents around the sides of the saw to keep the water out and rigged up some tubing to run water over the tile and diamond blade. The 10 " blade was from Lowes and cost about $35. I needed to cut about 30 tiles in half diagonally and this worked fine.