Replies

1. 
   IMERC | Apr 09, 2006 10:18pm | #1

   Morse or Blue Diamond..

   Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming

   WOW!!! What a Ride!

   Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

2. 
   DanH | Apr 10, 2006 04:24am | #2

   You don't need diamond -- decent qualtiy carbide will do the job. I've got about a 1.5" hole saw I've used to install several Wingits through tile -- they say it's good for 50-100 holes, and that seems likely.

   If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
1. 
   BillBrennen | Apr 10, 2006 10:07am | #3

   Dan,Were your Wing-Its through porcelain tile, or plain ceramic? I tried a carbide grit jigsaw blade once on porcelain and failed. Burned half a dozen small bits just drilling for grab bar screws on the same tile.Bill

1. 
   DanH | Apr 10, 2006 02:04pm | #4

   I guess plain ceramic. I must confess I don't know the difference.
   If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison

1. 
   philarenewal | Apr 10, 2006 04:58pm | #5

   The body of porcelain tile is harder than granite.

   Technically it is a ceramic tile, but it is very dense and is made from materials different from ordinary ceramic tile. 

   "Let's get crack-a-lackin"  --- Adam Carolla

2. 
   BillBrennen | Apr 10, 2006 08:21pm | #6

   Yeah, what Philarenewal said. Porcelain is very dense, essentially no porosity, and is fired so high it vitrifies (like glass). Normal wall tile cuts like butter with carbide grit tooling. Porcelain just laughs!Bill

2. 
   BryanSayer | Apr 10, 2006 08:54pm | #7

   If you are boring through in place tile, it isn't just the hardness of tile, it is also everything behind the tile.Thinset and backer board is tough on hole saws, particularly if it had to be a thick coat to cover some unevenness. I ended up having better luck using the hole saw to make a pattern to follow in the tile, and using a rotary tool with a carbide cutting bit.

1. 
   BillBrennen | Apr 10, 2006 11:17pm | #8

   Bryan,Thinset and backer board are vastly easier to cut than porcelain tile is. Similar to granite, as mentioned above. Did your method use a Rotozip type of cut-out tool? That what it sounds like over the Web.Bill

1. 
   BryanSayer | Apr 11, 2006 04:39am | #9

   It was actually a Dremel. I tried to drill through the thinset and the backer board with a carbide tip Milwakee hole saw, on subway tile. Got through the first tile ok, but couldn't penetrate the thinset. I think the silica just chewed the carbide off of the hole saw. Anyway, I was able to use the hole saw to create a pattern on the second hole and then use the Dremel with a carbide cutting bit.This was a patch job for a new tub fill with a handheld shower. The old backing had just rotted away, after who knows how many replacements. This tub actually has the old toe fills. Anyway, we patched in some backer board, but had to pad that out with a thick layer of thinset.I didn't want to spring for the $80 for a diamond tip hole saw for this one use.

1. 
   peteduffy | Apr 11, 2006 05:04am | #10

   I found a 1" diamond hole saw for about $35 or so at Berlands House of Tools, local near here (I think they're in Palatine, IL)

   I tried everything on porcelan tile once.  Diamond was the only thing that worked.  Payed for itself, when you consider all the expensive broken tiles.

   I like to use a sponge with water, or a spray bottle, and slow speeds.

   Diamond is the only way to go with porcelan.  For larger holes for shower handles, I just cut a bunch of 1" holes around the perimeter.

   The carbide pilot drill is sometimes a pain, so I removed it.  I have a piece of wood with a 1" hole in it that I put on top of the tile, and the hole saw through the hole.  This is enough to get it (a good groove) started.  Once the groove is started, I remove the wood guide.

   Cutting ceramic is like butter compared to porcelan.Pete Duffy, Handyman

2. 
   user-61008 | Apr 12, 2006 03:35am | #11

   Yeah, I broke down & bought 3 diamond tipped hole saws today, the more common sizes I use, 1 1/8, 1 1/4, & 2 1/4. Cost me $205. But they worked sweet and will pay for themselves in no time. The worst part of them is the carbide tip pilot bit, the carbide tip was gone after 2 holes. Just used a masonry bit to drill the pilot & then ran the hole saw. Diamond tip is the only way to go on a good porcelain tile. Still can't believe how hard that stuff can be though