Tile saw

Lattimer · 03-26-2012, 08:51 AM

I'm looking at having at least 4 Sundays worth of tile work to do at home, and likely 5 or 6. At $50/day it may well be cheaper to buy, and certainly would be cheaper if I buy and then sell on craigslist. I'm keeping my eyes open for something used, but may need to go new due to time constraints. Any reviews/suggestions?

**oh'mike** · 03-26-2012, 08:55 AM

How big is the tile you need to cut?

Any mosaic in the mix?

There are three basic styles of saw---

Overhead cutter with sliding tray

Table saw style with blade in the table

Bridge saw--overhead cutter on a long track---

Lattimer · 03-26-2012, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oh'mike

How big is the tile you need to cut? 12" - if I keep it I could certainly imagine larger tiles in the future

Any mosaic in the mix? - Yes.

There are three basic styles of saw---

Overhead cutter with sliding tray

Table saw style with blade in the table

Bridge saw--overhead cutter on a long track---

in red

**oh'mike** · 03-26-2012, 09:17 AM

12" can be cut on all of the above saws----

An overhead saw is the work horse of the industry---I have an MK-101---easiest for making tricky cuts.

Table saw style is the cheapest and slowest---and messiest--but will do for a small job. Splash guard must be removed for plunge cuts--I have one for back splashes but I hate it.

Bridge saws are great for straight cuts and large tile----QEP makes a nice cheap one---
They are lousy for cleaning up the inside of an L shaped cut--plunge cutting is not an option.

An angle grinder with a diamond blade will be needed if a bridge saw is your only saw.

I typically bring a bridge saw and the MK-101 to a job---the bridge saw makes the straight cuts and mitered edges and the MK-101 does the tricky complicated cuts.

Hope this helps a little.

Lattimer · 03-26-2012, 09:34 AM

Very helpful, thank you.

Right now, I'm thinking of either an MK-370 or 377 in addition to a diamond blade for my angle grinder. Think that would work?

For a better idea, the project is:

~400 square feet of 12" floor tile
-3'x4' shower stall, mosaic floor, 6" wall tile, probably something funky and decorative on the walls. I'm putting in a shower niche, so I'll have some more complicated cuts for that. I'll also have some deep cuts through the stone I'll be using for the threshold and the shelves in the shower niche (say 1" thick).
-About 25 lineal feet of kitchen backsplash. It might be 6" tile, it might be mosaic, the boss has yet to make up her mind on that one.

bbo · 03-26-2012, 09:40 AM

you could always do the layouts and figure out all your cuts and do them on one weekend.

but if it was me, I'd check CL for a tile saw, then if I did not find one, but one and CL it after.

**oh'mike** · 03-26-2012, 10:01 AM

The MK-looks like a workable tool----if you can only have one saw, an overhead one is the choice.

I have no experience with that model,so I can't help on the choice.

ratherbefishing · 03-26-2012, 02:06 PM

I've been using a borrowed MK-101 for a few days. Works great. The two you've listed look like they work similarly, just smaller motors. I've been cutting the tiles slow, to avoid chipping. Power doesn't seem to be an issue. I think those'd work fine. Fot the extra $50, I'd get the larger motor, I think.