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- Overview and Preparation
- Step-by-Step Pictures and Instructions: How to Cut with a Diamond Tile Saw
- See More Tools Projects
Set the saw up outside or in your garage or workshop. If a finished room is more convenient, cover the floor and wall behind the saw with plastic dropcloths. Then fill the tub with water.
Even though the tile saw looks scary, the blade is abrasive rather than toothed and therefore safer than wood-cutting saws. You’ll still want to take precautions, as you would with any other saw.
Basic Cuts
Photo 1 shows the basic technique for making straight cuts. Wait for a stream of water to cover the blade before you start cutting. Watch the line as you cut and slightly adjust the position of the tile to keep the blade on the line. Move the tile slowly through the blade for the best-quality cut. If you hear the saw slow down, you’re cutting too fast. Harder materials require slower feed rates. When you finish the cut, keep both hands on the tile and slide the table back and clear of the blade before you reach to switch off the saw.
Special Techniques
Photo 2 shows how to make a freehand diagonal cut. Use this technique to cut any angle marked on tile. The key is to sight down the cutting line and align the blade with the line. If your tile is too large to fit between the fence and blade, lay the tile on top of the fence.
Cutting Curves Is No Problem
You can even use your saw to cut inside curves (Photos 5 – 7). After breaking out the tile fingers (Photo 6), use the abrasive diamond blade to grind away excess tile and smooth the curve. Be careful, though; too much sideways pressure could damage the $100 blade. Move the tile slowly across the blade, pressing lightly and nibbling off a fraction of an inch with each pass (Photo 7). Grip the tile firmly with both hands and tilt the edge closest to the blade up and off the bed to get a perpendicular cut.
There’s a Trick to Slicing Off Slivers
Removing a tiny sliver of tile is tough because the blade tends to wander off the edge of the tile. The solution is to trap the blade between the tile you want to trim and a scrap (Photo 8). You may have to make several passes to shave away enough material.
Tip
If you have just a few cuts to make, mark your tiles and bring them to a tile store that will cut them for you. It usually costs about $1 per tile.
Cut Miters on Stone As Easily As Wood
Fancy borders or stripes, called “listellos” in tile lingo, are a popular decorative feature that often requires miter cuts to fit around corners. A diamond wet saw makes these cuts effortlessly with the technique shown in Photo 9.
Saw Safety
- Plug the saw into a GFCI-protected outlet.
- Don’t wear jewelry or loose-fitting clothes. Tie back long hair.
- Wear safety glasses and hearing protection.
- Use both hands to guide the tile through the blade.
Keep your fingers away from the blade.
Tips for Common Problems
With a little practice, cutting tile on a wet saw is almost trouble free. But there are a few common problems that are easy to avoid or fix with the right techniques.
Some types of tile tend to break when the cut is almost complete. Photo 10 shows the solution. Straying from the line is another common problem, especially when you’re cutting without a fence or guide. You can’t force the blade back to the line by twisting the tile. Instead, back up and recut the tile, slicing off a small amount of tile until blade is back on track.
Tip
Place a strip of masking tape on shiny, hard-to-mark tiles and mark on it instead.
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