Wet saw breaks tile at end of cut

[Cactus Jack]

Hello, all. I recently bought a 7" wet tile saw. Nothing fancy, just
an inexpensive Home Depot saw. The saw does a great job of cutting;
however, on some types of tile, at the end of the cut it tends to chip
or break a corner off the tile. Does anyone know a way to prevent
this from happening? The only thing I've found that seems to help is
to slow down the tile feed to a creep as I approach the edge of the
tile, but this does not always prevent the chipping.

Thanks,
Jack

[Big_Jake]

I've had the same issue from time to time. The cause is that the
blade is "prying" the tile apart, and when you get near the end, the
last little bit of tile breaks off. You have the solution - go slowly
at the end. You could also cut partway from one side and then turn it
around and finish the cut. The ultimate solution is to get a serious
saw - not cheap.

JK

[EXT]

I have a HD 7" tile saw. The blade that came with it had a very slight
wobble to it, it cut fine but would crack the tile at the end of cut
breaking the last corner off if you went a little too fast. I changed the
blade for a better one, now it doesn't wobble, and cuts fine.

With all the saws that I have used owned or rented, the last 1/4" of the cut
is the most critical as there can be tremendous stress on that last little
piece of tile. Caution and slow feed is always the best method to get a good
cut when at the end of the cut.

"Big_Jake" <I.do.re...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1172500201.5...@p10g2000cwp.googlegroups.com...

[JoeM]

Flip over end to end,cut in 1/4" and flip back and continue the cut.

"EXT" <noe...@reply.in.this.group> wrote in message news:45e300a6$0$58032$892e...@auth.newsreader.octanews.com...

[EXT]

Yes, sometimes flipping end over end and cutting a 1/4" in will help, with
some tiles it causes the glaze to chip when cutting glaze side down, and
when not using a fence or other guide it can be difficult to align the
bottom cut with the top, or it will not work when cutting a 45 degree mitre.

"JoeM" <ge...@done.net> wrote in message
news:b1EEh.6789$tD2....@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net...

[Andrew Duane]

The other suggestions about going slowly at the end are good, but I
also found that supporting both halves of the tile for that last 1/2"
works wonders. Luckily, I bought a bunch of extra field tiles to
experiment on.....

[Father Haskell]

On Feb 26, 9:24 am, "Cactus Jack" <JackMang...@Yahoo.com> wrote:

Might be the tiles. Denser, higher quality tiles from a tile store
will be less liable to chip.

[Old_Boat]

"Father Haskell" <father...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1172513042....@v33g2000cwv.googlegroups.com...

If you are using the fence, make sure it is perfectly parallel to the blade
or it will chip the last little bit every time.

LJ

[zxcvbob]

Push the tile with a scrap that backs-up or supports both sides of the
cut, and go slow.

Bob

[Big_Jake]

Am I missing something? My saw has a sliding table that supports the
whole tile. Are there saws where half the tile hangs off the edge of
the table??

JK

[zxcvbob]

We're talking about supporting the *back edge* of the tile when you cut.

Bob

[Big_Jake]

But both the OP and Andrew talk about supporting the tile at the END
of the cut. You push the table forward, and the tile goes into the
blade, sometimes hanging off the table at the start of the cut. At
the end of the cut, the tile is better supported than at any time
during the cut. Is there another type of wet saw with a different
type of table?

JK

[dadiOH]

Big_Jake wrote:
> But both the OP and Andrew talk about supporting the tile at the END
> of the cut. You push the table forward, and the tile goes into the
> blade, sometimes hanging off the table at the start of the cut. At
> the end of the cut, the tile is better supported than at any time
> during the cut. Is there another type of wet saw with a different
> type of table?

Sure. There are bridge saws (like a RAS)...saw moves, tile doesn't.
There are saws with a non-moving table with fence (like a wood table
saw), tile is pushed into the blade along the fence.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

[zxcvbob]

Put another scrap tile firmly behind the one you're cutting, so as the
blade breaks thru the first tile it starts cutting the scrap.
(Actually, it starts cutting the scrap before it finishes the first
tile.) The scrap will support the back edge of the one you are cutting.

The tile is already fully supported from the bottom at the end of the
cut. You need to also support the back edge if your tiles are chipping.
That's the best i can explain it. Good luck.

Bob

[Cactus Jack]

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone! I'll give these ideas a
try.

Jack

[rd08...@yahoo.com]

On Feb 26, 10:24 am, "Cactus Jack" <JackMang...@Yahoo.com> wrote:
> Hello, all. I recently bought a 7" wettilesaw. Nothing fancy, just
> an inexpensive Home Depotsaw. Thesawdoes a great job of cutting;
> however, on some types oftile, at the end of the cut it tends to chip
> or break a corner off thetile. Does anyone know a way to prevent

> this from happening? The only thing I've found that seems to help is

> to slow down thetilefeed to a creep as I approach the edge of thetile, but this does not always prevent the chipping.
>
> Thanks,
> Jack

Are you cutting porcelain? When you cutting hard porcelain on your
tile saw the diamond in the blade will start to round over. You may
need to use a dressing stone on the blade. It is an abrasive stick
that you cut into with your blade. This will expose new diamond and
should help with the breaking of the tile. Contractors Direct carries
a good one <a target="_blank" href=http://www.contractorsdirect.com/
Siri-True-Blue-Dressing-Stone>http://www.contractorsdirect.com/Siri-
True-Blue-Dressing-Stone</a>. They also have a cool comparison chart
on <a target="_blank" href=http://209.35.48.178/BERT/saw-comparison/
tile-saw1.html>tile saws</a>.

[rd08...@yahoo.com]

[tmu...@juno.com]

Try cutting 1/3 from one side and 1/3 from the other and finish in the
center. Experiment cutting different ways until you find one that
works. also try not to put too much hand pressure or saw blade
pressure on the tiles.

[Swamaster]

replying to Big_Jake, Swamaster wrote:
Your blade probably isn't straight turn on your saw and leave it running for
about 30 min it will straighten your blade

--
posted from
http://www.homeownershub.com/maintenance/wet-saw-breaks-tile-at-end-of-cut-198524-.htm

[DerbyDad03]

On Friday, June 10, 2016 at 1:44:05 PM UTC-4, Swamaster wrote:
> replying to Big_Jake, Swamaster wrote:
> Your blade probably isn't straight turn on your saw and leave it running for
> about 30 min it will straighten your blade
>
> --

It's been almost a decade since the question was asked. I assume he's done with
his tile job by now.

[Uncle Monster]

Jack was killed in a freak accident 5 years ago. The tile saw he was using malfunctioned slinging the saw blade at him and slicing his head in half vertically. It was awful. o_O

[8~{} Uncle Sad Monster

[DerbyDad03]

What kind of grout do you use in a head wound?

Cousin Splitting-Headache Monster

[Uncle Monster]

I think it's collagen based. Made from cow bones. ^_^

[8~{} Uncle Bovine Monster

[DerbyDad03]

Speaking of substances from animals...

I just found out about an interesting property of the blue blood from the
Horseshoe Crab. The show I was watching says that it is worth $15,000/liter.

Apparently a substance is extracted from the blood which turns into a gel
almost instantaneously when in the presence of the most minuscule amounts
of bacteria. Pharmaceutical and food companies use the substance because
it is the fastest and most sensitive test for the bacteria that there is.

The "rack" used for the extraction process is pretty cool.

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/02/the-blood-harvest/284078/

Cousin Blood-Letting Monster

[Uncle Monster]

I read about it before and those guys collecting crabs can make a lot of money. Money for crabs. ^_^

[8~{} Uncle Crabby Monster

[DerbyDad03]

At $15K per liter, they bloody well better get their share.

Cousin Punny Monster

[Lynn Burton]

replying to Cactus Jack, Lynn Burton wrote:
Feed your tile through upside down. Or start right side up and cut 1/2 way
through, flip your rule over and finish the cut.

--
for full context, visit http://www.homeownershub.com/maintenance/wet-saw-breaks-tile-at-end-of-cut-198524-.htm

[Sam Hill]

Lynn Burton wrote:

> replying to Cactus Jack, Lynn Burton wrote:
> Feed your tile through upside down. Or start right side up and cut 1/2
> way through, flip your rule over and finish the cut.

Do you really think Cactus Jack has been sitting in front of his saw for
*NINE YEARS* waiting for your untimely reply?

You Home Moaners Nubs need to read DATES.

[Oren]

On Sun, 2 Oct 2016 19:22:43 -0000 (UTC), Sam Hill <s...@example.com>
wrote:

Like the ant told the elephant: "If it don't fit, don't force it."

[Lynn Burton]

replying to Sam Hill, Lynn Burton wrote:
No, but others who are having the same problem now tend to do a Google search
and read old forums. So thanks for being a jerk!

[Sidders3lee]

replying to Lynn Burton, Sidders3lee wrote:
Rite on man. I didn't read the date but I read the entire post. Thanks for
leaving it up. Nine days or nine years this post saved my ass. Thanks to all.

[laf]

replying to Lynn Burton, laf wrote:
Truth. Thanks for your help, Lynn.

[Jack P]

replying to Sam Hill, Jack P wrote:
No, but I am here facing the same issue in December 2016 :-) so the late
comments are helpful.

[dadiOH]

"Jack P" <caedfaa9ed1216d60ef...@example.com> wrote in
message news:218f$58641602$a2d350aa$17...@news.flashnewsgroups.com..
.

> replying to Sam Hill, Jack P wrote:
> No, but I am here facing the same issue in December 2016 :-) so the late
> comments are helpful.

You need to cut slowly and gently at the end. Better is to back up the
final edge with something else, a piece of wood will do, so the blade
doesn't blow out the tile. Another way is to stop the cut an inch or so
from the end, turn it 180 degrees and finish the cut. If you were getting
wedge shaped blowouts, try cutting it bottom up; that can leave the top of
the tile good, blowing out the bottom of the edge which won't show and which
will just get filled with grout.

Finally, if your tile can be cut via score and snap, dump the wet saw and do
that, It is faster and you get better edges.

[Mh]

replying to Lynn Burton, Mh wrote:
It's 2017 and I'm just reading this for my project

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/maintenance/wet-saw-breaks-tile-at-end-of-cut-198524-.htm

[Terry Coombs]

On 11/15/2017 1:14 PM, Mh wrote:
> replying to Lynn Burton, Mh wrote:
> It's 2017 and I'm just reading this for my project
>

If your saw is breaking the tile you need to ease off pushing as you
reach the end of your cut .

  --

  Snag

[Oren]

On Wed, 15 Nov 2017 13:32:34 -0600, Terry Coombs <snag...@msn.com>
wrote:

Gold star to Snag. Relax at the end and ease into the final part of
the cut.

[Tekkie®]

Mh posted for all of us...

Thank you for this information. What is your project? Have you investigated
news readers?

--
Tekkie

[Michael Biese]

replying to Lynn Burton, Michael Biese wrote:
I was thinking the same thing Lynn...now its been over 10 years since the
original question,
and I got the answer I was looking for.

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/maintenance/wet-saw-breaks-tile-at-end-of-cut-198524-.htm

[LMAO]

replying to Lynn Burton, LMAO wrote:
Good point...

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/maintenance/wet-saw-breaks-tile-at-end-of-cut-198524-.htm

[Gtbread]

replying to Jack P, Gtbread wrote:
Thank you for the information it is timeless .i will try it when I start
cutting tile for my project again .

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/maintenance/wet-saw-breaks-tile-at-end-of-cut-198524-.htm

[CactussJack]

replying to Sam Hill, CactussJack wrote:
Hi Guys, Cactus Jack here. Thanks for the suggestions, now I can finally
finish my tile job!

[Hiram1999]

replying to DerbyDad03, Hiram1999 wrote:
Best response quote I've seen. :)

[Caleb Stephens]

replying to Sam Hill, Caleb Stephens wrote:
Maybe he wasn't but I had the same problem today and was looking for a
solution. Thanks everyone!

[Cactus Jack]

Hello, all. I recently bought a 7" wet tile saw. Nothing fancy, just an inexpensive Home Depot saw.
The saw does a great job of cutting; however, on some types of tile, at the end of the cut it tends to chip or break a corner off the tile.
Does anyone know a way to prevent this from happening? \
The only thing I've found that seems to help is to slow down the tile feed to a creep as I approach the edge of the tile, but this does not always prevent the chipping.
Thanks, Jack

[Terry Coombs]

Push the tile thru with a scrap piece . That way the trailing edge will
be supported as it clears the blade .

--
Snag
Yes , I'm old
and crochety .
Get off my lawn !

[TimR]

I don't know how much tiling you do.

Last time, I just did one room.

I broke some tiles cutting them too. I had spare tiles, of course, but rather than break them all! I got smart.

I marked the tiles I needed cut. I took them back to the store where I bought them. For ten cents each, they cut them perfectly. That ten cents saved a $100 worth of frustration.

If you were doing a huge project maybe that ten cents would add up. Not for most of us though.

[Terry Coombs]

  Who are you talking to ? You have removed all attributions from the
post ... FWIW I made a living from tile (and other home repair)work for
several years , and the technique I described works very well .

[Roger J. Bos]

replying to Sam Hill, Roger J. Bos wrote:
Ok, but don't the replies still help other people with the same questions? I
am reading this.

[B...@weiser.com]

On Mon, 20 Aug 2018 07:47:09 -0500, Terry Coombs <snag...@msn.com>
wrote:

I have never cut tile myself, but i once watched a guy doing it and he
put masking tape on the cut mark. He put the mark on the tape and cut
thru the tape. I think the purpose was to reinforce the tile, but I'm
not sure. Maybe he was just making it easier to see the mark. But why
not try it. Grab some scrap tiles and give it a shot. The blade will cut
thru the tape easily. so it cant hurt to try.

[Yme]

replying to Sam Hill, Yme wrote:
Information here has been very helpful and its 2018 approaching 2019. Thank you

[Solitarytaco]

replying to Sam Hill, Solitarytaco wrote:
Other people read this to get tips 12 years later. Chill the %&@# out

[devnull]

On 11/6/2019 11:14 PM, Solitarytaco wrote:
> replying to Sam Hill, Solitarytaco wrote:
> Other people read this to get tips 12 years later.   Chill the %&@# out
>

thank you for participating in the home-owners-hub.com click-bait program.

[Leonet]

Thank all for taking the time to post advice! Still helpful in 2021.

--
For full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/maintenance/wet-saw-breaks-tile-at-end-of-cut-198524-.htm

[Abigail]

I actually just found this post, FIFTEEN YEARS after the question was asked and the solutions were helpful and I’m going to try them out! However, the thought of someone sitting in front of a tile saw, for a decade, waiting for a proper response… for some reason that amuses me beyond comprehension 😂

[Mark]

Thank you I am one of those people who did a search who is having the same issue right now with chipping, and I am here reading your posts, so thank you

[Clare Snyder]

On Mon, 01 Jan 2024 03:03:29 +0000, Mark
<05adf9d3c80bf311...@example.com> wrote:

>Thank you I am one of those people who did a search who is having the same issue right now with chipping, and I am here reading your posts, so thank you

Make a short cut - more like a notch - where the cut will end then
make the cut back to that point - no break!!!

[Kathstew]

Your reply is spot on--in all respects. I am seeing this 7years later and yes, Sam Hill is a jerk :-).