Replies

1. 
   Gabe_Martel | Nov 01, 2000 03:15am | #1

   *
   Eric,

   that's about 25 inches across.

   If the basement is fairly square you could get a bunch of them cut at one of the larger marble and tile shops and then just use a diamond blade on your skill saw for the ones that are off a bit.

   Gabe

1. 
   mark_cadioli | Nov 01, 2000 07:58am | #2

   *Why can't you use a conventional tile cutter?

1. 
   The_Tennis_Court_Builder_...on_t | Nov 01, 2000 02:38pm | #3

   *Eric....I would absolutely do what Gabe suggests...It's the best idea I ever borrowed from a DIYer years ago...Good advice Gabe...near the stream,aj

1. 
   bobl_ | Nov 01, 2000 02:45pm | #4

   *Suggestions already made sound good. The cuts should be nice and clean. Another suggestion is making a jig to hold the tile and guide your saw.

1. 
   Ralph_Wicklund | Nov 01, 2000 03:58pm | #5

   *As Mark asked, "Why can't you use a conventional tile cutter?" Score it and snap it. It is a pain, howevever, when the little tips persist in breaking off when you snap.An 18" tile can be cut with a wet saw. But there is not enough clearance to miss the support arm, cutting point to point diagaonally. You only have about 10 1/4" clearance and you need 12 3/4". You can rent one of those little table saw type wet saws and with a good eye you can push any size tile across in any position. The suggestion to take a number of tiles to a marble shop is a good one and will work for your starting rows on two adjacent walls. Hopefully the walls are at right angles. But, if your room's dimensions are not perfect for perfect 1/2 tile cuts, when you do your layout you may find that the perimeter cuts on the diagonal will be less than 1/2 tiles and just maybe all those cuts will be small enough to fit past the arm on the tile saw. You don't want to start with 1/2 tiles on one wall and end up with mini-triangles on the other walls - or does it matter?

2. 
   Michael_Prisbylla | Nov 01, 2000 04:56pm | #6

   *The reason that the wet saws say they can't handle cuts that long is that the tables & fences are too small. Forget the fence and freehand the cuts after marking them with a permanent marker. You'll get within 1/8 inch on your first few tries and by the end of the job will do it like a pro. Did 300 sq. ft. bathroom in 12" tiles about 2 months ago where less than 1/3 of the tiles were uncut. Lotsa angles and curves, a real pain. Used a little Plasplugs wet saw, works like a champ. It's a cheesy looking little thing but has a strong motor. Can be rented or bought for about $100 - $150. A lot of those big tiles are too hard to effectively use a snap & score cutter. Cutting them on the diagonal will break the corners off. For what it's worth,Mike the idiot DIY guy

3. 
   Eric_Pinkston | Nov 02, 2000 02:01am | #7

   *Thanks for your help so far. The idea of getting a shop to cut the first ones is good but the layout is pretty complicated and I could only get a few done - propaply not worth the effort. The space is kind of a large T with the bottom being a long hall and the top being a large room split with a U-shaped wet bar dividing the room into two seperate spaces. The tiles are too thick to use a tradionally snap cutter effectively and with almost 1,000 sq ft not terribly effecient either. I've never seen the "table saw" like tile cutter but it seems that would do the trick. Tradional saws with the blade on top won't give me the clearance I need as Ralph said. I like the idea of building a jig for my circular saw too. Any other thoughts would be appeciated - especially suggestions as to what brand/type of dry diamond blade to use.

4. 
   Eric_Pinkson | Nov 02, 2000 02:10am | #8

   *I just went to the tool crib to look at Mike's suggestion of the plasplug saw. It says it only cuts up to 3/8 inch tiles and the ones going down are 12 mm so I don't think that will work. Does anyone know a manufacturer who makes a larger version of the "table saw" type tile saw. Thanks again!

5. 
   Ralph_Wicklund | Nov 02, 2000 05:01am | #9

   *Here are three versions of the tablesaw type wetsaw.Plasplug - $119.00 will cut to 1 inchTile Cutting Machine, Model TC-180E $119.00 will cut to 1.14 inchesBoth can be found at Home DepotQ.E.P. - $98.00 will cut to 1.3 inches (33mm)Found at Lowe'sAll have a 7 inch blade that sticks out of the table more than the stated cutting depth (which is printed on the box). Guides and guards are removable, freeing the table for cutting any size tile.

6. 
   The_Tennis_Court_Builder_...on_t | Nov 02, 2000 02:35pm | #10

   *Ralph...Great job with the research...You found the answer...Time to cut tiles...near the stream,aj

7. 
   c_sousa | Nov 21, 2000 05:55am | #11

   *Last year I took my wormdrive skillsaw, using the holes on the base plate I bolted the saw to a 30 inch square sheet of 3/4 plywood and plunged the wood blade through to make an instant job site table saw which I screwed to a saw horse. Changing to a seven dollar masonry blade I had the remedy to your same problem.Works great I know 3 people who've copied the design. Just get ready to chew alot of dust

8. 
   Michael_Eckert | Nov 23, 2000 05:59pm | #12

   *Ralph,I also use the plasplug model all the time. Thought it was a toy when I first saw it too. Ever try the RotoZIP with the head attachment and their diamond saw? It blows through floor tiles like mad!

9. 
   Chris_L2 | Nov 30, 2000 01:03am | #13

   *First off, a regular tile cutter will not work on floor tiles. The tiles are too large, and the hardness of any decent ceramic/porcelian floor tile makes it next to impossible. I would recommend taking the tile to Home depot, and sizing it on one of their rental wet saws. (an Mk 101 probably). If it has enough clearance to do 1/2 of the tile diagonally, then I would recommend using it, and flipping the tile over to do the other half. Just make sure the glazing is always on top, as the cut will be ragged if it is down. Since it will require changing the fence for each side, do maybe 5 or six halfway, and then finish them off from the other side.

2. 
   Eric_Pinkston | Nov 30, 2000 01:03am | #14

   *
   I'm finishing a basement for a customer who wants to lay almost 1,000 sq ft of 18 inch tile on the diagonal. I've laid a decent amount of tile but never any this large. All the wet saws I've rented and seen for sale say they won't diagonally cut 18 inch tiles. Can you cut halfway through and then flip the tile and cut from the other direction or would it be better to rip them with some sort of diamond blade on a circular saw. Any thoughts on this or other tips on working with large tile would be appreciated.