The
Modern Tile Saw Has Helped Tile Revival
The
modern tile saw and changes in the way tile
is made has brought about a revival of ceramic
tile as a building material. There have been
changes in cutting techniques, including
dry cutting. There have been advances in tile
saw blades and having better saws has made
cutting ceramic tiles easier, resulting in
more economical tile installations.
There are two basic techniques for cutting tile,
stone and brick. One is dry cutting and the other
is wet cutting, or irrigating the blade of the
saw with fluid during the cutting process. The
process is much like glass cutting, the surface
of the tile is scored, which allows the tile
to be broken along the score line. A tile saw
consists of circular saw mounted in a stationary
position above a moveable saw table. The tile
is clamped to the table and moved into the spinning
saw blade to make the desired cut.
Two
Basic Types Of Tile Saw Blades
Circular
tile saw blades come in two basic types. One
is made from or coated from an extremely hard
abrasive material that grinds through the
tile. The other is made of hard steel that
is tipped with tungsten carbide or diamond
tips. Among the companies producing these blades
is MK Diamond, which evolved from a stone cutting
business into a stone, brick and tile cutting
tool manufacturer.
Cutting ceramic tiles, before the development
of the tile cutting saw, was a hand operation.
It was difficult and time consuming, making the
cost of installation expensive. The high cost
of tile production and the cost of tile installation
made the cost of tile prohibitive for many building
applications. Advancements in tile kilns and
tile cutting equipment have reduced the cost
of tile and revived interest in this centuries
old building material.
A
power tile saw makes it much faster and easier
to use than the old hand tile cutters. These
saws make the desired cut in tile with greater
precision, resulting less breakage and waste.
The power tile saw comes in two basic configurations,
a stationary model used in contractor workshops
and industrial applications. For use at job sites
contractors and home hobbyists rely on the portable
tile saw.
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