[amakarevic]

i am looking for a recommendation for an inexpensive wet saw that will do for a small-scale DIY-er. my price range is up to $200.

what i found on Amazon is this:

http://www.amazon.com/MK-Diamond-158252-MK-145-2-Horsepower/dp/B00005A1J5/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

any beta on that one or other recommendations?

also, i noticed that some are 7 and some are 4.5", what is the main difference. i will mainly be dealing with mosaic, 1 and 2" tiles.

thanks

 

[oh'mike]

The little 'table saw' style wet saws have their place. I bought one many years ago for doing back splashes in high rise apartment buildings.

Here is my take on them---They can give you a fair cut but seldom a 'show' cut.

They are slow----the guard must be removed to make plunge cuts---use a rag to keep the water off the ceiling.

Not so good for mosaic---you must push the sheet into the blade and the tiles can bunch up and bind against the fence.

You will get some edge chipping with those saws--it's difficult to get the fence aligned perfectly every time.

They are a handy little addition to a tilers tools but a rather limited little machine.---Mike---

 

[mustangmike3789]

they are nice to have for a quick repair or a small back splash as mentioned. they cut from the bottom and will chip at the end of every cut unless you slow down to almost a complete stop or flip the tile around and finish the cut from the other direction.

 

[amakarevic]

can somebody chime on 7" vs. 4.5" blades?

thanks

 

[mustangmike3789]

can somebody chime on 7" vs. 4.5" blades?

thanks

4.5" blades are cheaper but dont last as long as a 7" due to less surface area on the rim of the blade. the size of the blade doesnt make much of a difference on a table top saw that cuts from the bottom vs. the size of the tile. wet saws that have a sliding table with the blade mounted over the top will use larger blades and table clearance to accomodate larger tiles. ive cut 18" tiles with the 4.5" table top saws with no clearance issues. the problem with the small blade cutting large tiles is that they will heat up faster even with plenty of water running which can lead to heating and cracking tiles and reduce the life of the blade.

 

[amakarevic]

so my bottom line qustion would be: is there a wet saw out there that you would recommend to a DIY-er like myself and what is it?

 

[mustangmike3789]

MK makes good wet saws. ive had a MK770 for almost 20 years with thousands of sqft of tile passed through it. it cuts nice and fast but it is really loud. i have a smaller MK that is light, cuts good and it is loud too. $200 will get you close to the small MK saw. those table top saws will be fine for small projects and you can find them for less than $100.

 

[amakarevic]

OK, how about this:

http://www.amazon.com/MK-Diamond-15...ref=sr_1_3?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1305923681&sr=1-3

what worries me about this one is that some reviews indicate design flaws.

thanks

 

[amakarevic]

notably, this review:

http://www.amazon.com/review/R3GF0FN4YUJ76N/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R3GF0FN4YUJ76N

 

[oh'mike]

Once again you are looking at a saw that requires PUSHING the mosaic tiles into the blade along a fence.

They will bunch up and bind against the fence,causing lots of chips.

Mesh backed tiles can not be pushed when wet---they will bunch up. Think "rocks glued to a handkerchief.

---" You can not push a rope"----

 

[amakarevic]

OK, so what SHOULD i use, now that we've established what not to?

 

[SteelToes]

Once again you are looking at a saw that requires PUSHING the mosaic tiles into the blade along a fence.

They will bunch up and bind against the fence,causing lots of chips.

Mesh backed tiles can not be pushed when wet---they will bunch up. Think "rocks glued to a handkerchief.

---" You can not push a rope"----

I've used these small saws many many times…I actually have one in my garage it is a Husky brand or something like that...

Mesh back tiles can be pushed... I've done it before you just need to push on an each individual piece...with no problems what so ever

Even with big tile saws you have to push base against the blade ...which is the same motion you'll be doing with a small saw.


Click on DEMO and see yourself

I would recommend buying something that can accommodate a diagonal cut on a 12"x12" tile... you will need that if you decide to do some diagonal patterns or a picture frame type of stuff... some of these small saws cant do that

 

[SteelToes]

Also I've seen a post where somebody its recommending to use a grinder with a diamond blade to make these cuts..

You will need a diamond blade to cut some openings and some odd cuts but to use a grinder to make all of the cuts it is not a good idea ...you can do it i can do it ...but how nice are those cuts are going to look...

Well they are not going to look as good as they would with a wet saw..that's for sure..

You will need a grinder regardless so try it yourself and see