I’m looking to purchase a tile saw. Has anyone used the MK370exp?
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Yep, I have. Just bought one a few months ago. Works great. Some folks will tell you that the slide sticks a bit. True. Just push from the left and it works great. Also the plain 370 has a plastic slide that warps over time, the 370exp, however, has an aluminum slide so your'e good to go with that.
Make sure you completely submerge the pump and it works fine. I initially didnt put enough water in the tray so it wasnt sucking up enough water. I called MK and they sent me a new pump just in case it was the pump.
Other than that, it cuts great.
Dude I bought a length of the plastic tubing and drop the pump into a 5 gal bucket. That way you always will have clean (er) water running through the pump which will extend the life of it. just gotta drain the tub when its full. Oh yea I forgot. You might want to check out felker, though I hant used pone myself as I have a MK 770 I have heard nothing about good things about them
Darkworksite4:
El americano pasado hacia fuera ase la bandera
Edited 10/6/2004 9:34 am ET by RonT
Thanks man. Yeah I heard some people do that. I hadn't tried it yet but its a good idea. Thanks.
Dude I bought a length of the plastic tubing and drop the pump into a 5 gal bucket.
Ya know ... sometimes you're pure genius!
I've never thought of that ....
gonna buy some tubing tomorrow!
Jeff
and If ya need to cut 45 degrees use a speed square with stair gages....
thank ya thank ya very much..ill be here all night...(my best elvis impression) :>)
Darkworksite4:
El americano pasado hacia fuera ase la bandera
and If ya need to cut 45 degrees use a speed square with stair gages....
well ... that one I knew ... w/o the nubs.
might be bacause I lost the little fence that came with mine though .....
necessity ... she's a mother!
Jeff
they sell a kit with nothing but attachments. but as you can tell i improvised all the ones i need....necessity being the mother of invention and all...
Darkworksite4:
El americano pasado hacia fuera ase la bandera
Ron, why are the stair gages for? I mean, I know why most people use them ...
I use a plastic speed square in case I get too close to the blade.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
The stair gages are about the same thickness as the fence on a speed square. So when you attach the gages the speed square will lay flat/level on the TS table
Darkworksite4:
El americano pasado hacia fuera ase la bandera
Oh! Right! I did have that problem ...
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
WRT sliding table sticking, a spray of some teflon based lube on the rails, and pushing he slide nearest to its support (left side on my saw) works well for me.
I have the MK 370. Although it hasn't gotten as much use as I would've liked, it has certainly performed in a satisfactory manner.
I believe the instructions that come with the saw mention the advantage of putting the pump in a separate container of clean water.
Rich Beckman
Another day, another tool.
I have the regular 370. The sliding table sux big time. Mine is plastic ans has a definate sag, which causes tiles over 6" to snap near the end of the cut. The exp model has a metal table, which should solve that problem.
Other than that, it is a decent saw. A bit loud, and the table is sensitive to being pushed from the right, but not a bad tool.
I tried the longer water tube, but had two problems: the bucket empties, and the tray fills. So now you have used water where you don't want it, and no clean water in the supply side. The pump has a little mesh filter ... let it do it's job. Change the water at lunch time and keep on going.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
Joey,
Just purchased a MK101 a few weeks ago, used it to cut pavers , very happy with it!
Chris
Joey, Look at the Pearl tile saw, it's more expensive than the MK370 and MK101 but it's a much better saw. I have the MK370, it's ok for small tile but if you plan on using it alot go with a 10 inch saw. Here's a link that sells most all brands at really good prices. Ed http://constructioncomplete.com/TileEquipment/index.html
How much are you going to use the saw? I normally buy top of the line everything, but when I when I was recently looking for a tile saw I ended up buying the 10" one from Harbor Frieght. I only did so after checking a number of other tiling forums and the concensus was pretty consistent. If you are only going to use it occassionally, the saw is perfectly fine. It pays for itself after 2-3 days (vs. rentals). Occassionally their stores mark them down to $199 from the inflated $399 price, but you can usually find it online for $199 w/free shipping. I checked a number of places and a number of models, including on Ebay, and it ended up being the best value around. I've used it several times and had no problems, even on 14" porcelain tiles. Even if the motor goes bad, I can still replace it with a Baldor and be ahead of the game.
However, don't skimp on the blade. Buy the best you can afford. Also, don't expect to get it quickly from Harbor Freight. They ship via common carrier from California to a regional UPS hub. Consequently, you have to wait for it to ship from their warehouse and then you have to wait for UPS to deliver it via Ground service. I wasn't in a rush, so the couples weeks it took was worth the $2-300 I saved. They are also notorious for back orders.
Model depends on how much you will be using it, etc. but definitely look at Felkers saws...seriously good equipment.