Cutting tile close to edge

[Albumen]

Mmmm. It was all going so well too.

Tiling bathroom. For cuts have been using a B&Q manual cutter thing. Handle & wheel. So far have had almost 100% success rate with cuts. 20x20 7mm ceramic tiles. The cuts up to now have been lots of 150 mm ish or less.

Just now did a 154 fine. Tried to do a 156 and it took me 6 attempts, and it's still not perfect. Presumably because I'm getting close to the edge of a tile?

Think that worries me is the last course, all along the bath edge, will be lots of 170 mm ish cuts. Should I hire/buy an electric cutter now and have done with it?

I've got a decent jigsaw. What's cutting tiles like with a jigsaw + appropriate bit?

 

[jctilingservices]

if you cant do it using your maual cutter you have a few options available to you

1, wet cutter

2, score with your manual cutter then use a pair of nibblers to snap the tile

3, angle grinder with diamond tipped disc

Depending on how good/bad your cuts/snaps you may have to use a tile file to clean the edges up

 

[Albumen]

Thanks. Is the reason they're breaking because I'm getting closer to the edge?

I've got an angle grinder too. And a tile file and tile hacksaw and nibblers.

But to be honest I'll probably hire a table saw. They'll only be something like 15 tiles to cut, so I can get it for the minimum time. I can just seem me skidding all over the place with an angle grinder. I think I've only got a tile or two spare without buying another box and I'd rather get the accuracy of a table saw (presumably).

 

[Richard C]

Hire or buy a budget diamond wet cutter, it's the only way you’ll trim tiles that close & have them look any good. TBH, you may find buying a budget wet tile cutter is a better option; it is probably not much more expensive than a hire job & at least you have the benefit of knowing it’s a brand new diamond blade you will be using which will cut perfectly; not always the case with a hire cutter. A budget cutter may not last that long if used in anger but it will be perfectly good enough for what you need.

 

[ajrobb]

You could try placing an old offcut over the narrow part before pushing down. I've happily been trimming 15mm off 4mm tiles.

 

[Albumen]

Thanks Richard.

Any you'd reccomend?

The £35 titan job at Screwfix gets one bad review.:http://www.screwfix.com/prods/89494/Power-Tools/Tile-Saws/Titan-TTB179TCB-300W-Radial-Tile-Saw-230V

Topps has a £30 jobbie: http://www.toppstiles.co.uk/tprod574/section38/Geared-Diamond-Wheel-Cutter.html

By the way, do tile saws take the same blades as angle grinders? Just that I've got cutting disc for my angle grinder. If it's the same that might almost swing it to hiring.

I know what you mean about buying/hiring. And usually I buy. But tile saws are such specific things, and i've nearly finished this job and haven't got any other big tiling jobs to do.

 

[jctilingservices]

save yourself the money mate, you said you have a pair of nipplers, scribe your cut line on your manual cutter, then use your nippers to snap the tile, it should snap off at the score line just like all your previous cuts and leave a decent edge which i am assuming is into a corner or into trim, in which case the jobs a good un

 

[Albumen]

Well whaddya know.

As an experiment, on one of the (now many) wasted cuts, I tried getting 25mm off one edge of a tile. But instead of using the built in nippers on the tile cutter, I used a pair of plier style nippers. No problem.

I suspect that the cheap B&Q thing I've got isn't putting even pressure on the tile. Or something.

The instructions on the cutter say 'score once, lightly'. Is that right?

 

[jctilingservices]

Well whaddya know.

As an experiment, on one of the (now many) wasted cuts, I tried getting 25mm off one edge of a tile. But instead of using the built in nippers on the tile cutter, I used a pair of plier style nippers. No problem.

I suspect that the cheap B&Q thing I've got isn't putting even pressure on the tile. Or something.

The instructions on the cutter say 'score once, lightly'. Is that right?

if its a half decent cutter, or should i say has a half decent cutting wheel, you only need to score the tile once then snap it, although it says lightly you do have to exert a small bit of pressure, you will know if you are using enough as you will see/hear the wheel cutting through the glaze of the tile


P.S.
i guess you will be using this way to finish your cuts now