I have done a bit of tiling and have a decent tile wet saw. All of the tile jobs I have done only required strait cuts. The bath I would like to renovate has an existing cast tub with a curved base/apron. Hopefully you can picture this. Where the tub meets the floor, the tile will need to be cut on a curve.
We have not selected tile yet but 8-12″ square is probable. So the question is: How to cut the tile to fit the curved tub apron? Can a standard tile saw cut this or is there another tool/technique?
Thanks in advance!
Replies
I have done curves with a wet saw by cutting a series of slots to make the tile look like a comb with teeth, and then you break the teeth out. Then you can smooth up what's left by holding the tile up and running it against the "sides" of the edge of the disc. Hard to explain, easier to show.
Thanks, I can picture that. Sort of nibble away and smooth out the ridges free hand. I have used this method cutting notches for forced hot water pipes but this area is very visible. If there is a better way, I am open to suggestions. Otherwise, I will take my time and plan on some extra scrap pieces.
You can probably do most of it as 3 stright cuts.First cut it to the widest width part.Then do a stopped cut on the narrowest up to the curve.Then cut the diagonal.And smooth out the transition.Don't forget that it is 5ft way when installed and covered with caulk..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
In the past i have had to use a 4" angle grinder w/dimond blade. little on the dusty side but i found that i can cut irregular shapes with it, plus the blade is cheap.
Thanks for the suggestion, I have an angle gringer and will try that technique.
Second that!
You can cut any irregular curve you like with a carbide rod saw. Looks like a coping saw, but uses a thin, carbide-coated rod in place of a blade. Just go slow and be patient.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not brought
low by this? For thine evil pales before that which
foolish men call Justice....
You can also get jigsaw blades with carbide grit.But the porcelain I was using was way too hard to be effective.A dry diamond in a grinder did cut them, the VERY, VERY slowly..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Yeah, porcelain's a cast-iron bitch to cut.
I've got some of those carbide-grit jigsaw blades, but I wouldn't want to try and use a jigsaw on even ceramic or terra-cotta tile: too much vibration. The hand saw works fine.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
Several times I have had to add GFCI's in kitchens where it was apparently done by the former HO's and the holes where not always cut wide enough for the GFCI's.The jigsaw blades have cut through those like butter..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
True, and for that situation I can't think of a better solution. No way to get a coping saw in a hole that small anyway.
But those tiles were already mounted to a substrate, and that's a horse of a different colour. The tile can't move and bang around as the blade pulls and pushes on it.
The OP's situation is different: he'd be cutting unmounted tile on a bench or work table.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
For cutting a curve on tile, I used a cement mixing trough filled with water to 3" deep. Then I put in 2x4 blocks of wood. I placed the tile on top of the wood and held them down with one hand to keep it from floating, then cut with a diamond bit jigsaw blade with the other. Jigsaw plugged into a GCFI, of course. Worked great!Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CAAlso a CRX fanatic!
Tu stultus es
Eeeek!
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
Damn!Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. [Theodore Roosevelt]
I've done what everyone has offered.
The fastest and easiest, to me, is the "teeth on a comb" method. I then move the tile laterally against the wet saw blade and get a perfectly smooth cut edge.
Mongo
The only thing I would add is to use a Sharpie when transferring your template to the tile. It will stand up to the wet saw and can be wiped off when your done.
Bing
Thanks all for the responses. I have most of the tools you mentioned so... I will try out most of the techniques on some scrap tile and report my results later next month.
Thanks again and next time I will try the spell check on the title (floor vs foor)
I use a rotozip for this situation. I used to do the "comb teeth" and break them off. angle the tile and get a nice edge. Nip as much as you can w/ tile nips too. Remember your going to caulk &/ or grout the joint anyway, so use a similar color to the tub or the tile. (both if you can)Let me know if you have a problem marking the cut.
How well does the Roto-Zip work for this?
I have one and have a project coming up that will involve some
difficult cuts.
I'm pretty good at getting the rotozip bits to glow a bright red then snap quickly.
I've never had a zip bit do any more than just tickle the edge of a floor rated tile.
I keey buying and trying each new version of bit ... and have snapped each one so far. Always back to the grinder and/or wet saw.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Welcome back.
Thanks, kind of what I was wondering.
Seams like every thing (other then drywall) I try to cut with that thing goes terribly wrong.
You guys must be doing something wrong, I just watched a tv commercial where they cut everything they could get their hands on, no problem.
To be perfectly honest- I can't cut drywall very well with it either.
It works good enough for me, but damn that stupid comercial. FYI a black crayon or black carpenter's filler pencil (wax) works second to none when making difficult cuts. better than a sharpie IMO. I suggest anyone having trouble with the rotozip tile bits check to make sure you have the right rotozip set at the right rpm.
Agreed. I use wax crayons (construction, not crayola) to mark cut lines on tile. Unlike a sharpie, wax works on tile and natural stone, no permanent residue.
Don't forget that there are a number of different types (hardness) of tile..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
VERY good point. Most of what I see is the latest sale at the local home center.
Good tip thanks. No television in my life, so I've been spared the commercial.
china pencil/marker.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Ditto on the china markers; Sharpie mark washes right off any glazed tile as soon as I turn on the wet saw. That's okay for a straight cut but not for a profile.
Only thing with china markers is the tile's gotta be clean and dry or it won't write on it.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
"tile's gotta be clean and dry or it won't write on it."
that's what yer shirt / shorts / jeans are for!
I always end up with a wet right outter thigh.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
The pants I wear when setting tile are so encrusted with old thinset they kneel by themselves when I take 'em off. I'm afraid to put 'em in the washing machine 'cause all the sand would peel the enamel right off the drum.
Next time I rent a cement mixer I'll run 'em through that with 20 pounds of Âľ" gravel for an hour or so. That oughta do it....
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
I think he sets tile wearing a speedo.
I was trying to think of the name "china marker". That's what I use. Same as the old "grease pencils" I used to use when I was flying jets to write all sorts of targeting info on the canopy of the jet when flying low-level, etc.Thought of you today as I sipped a Traquair while watching the Pats survive the Rams. See you on Week 13.
"as I sipped a Traquair "
certainly is a sippin' beer, that one.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
when I was flying jets to write all sorts of targeting info on the canopy of the jet when flying low-level, etc.I have this image of the inside of the canopy marked up with circles, arrows and scribbls saying "Bomb this" and "Shoot here" :)Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CAAlso a CRX fanatic!
Tu stultus es
Sorta kinda funny story but probably only in an "if you were there" type of way...Was flying cross country with another buddy, there's only do much fun you can have single-seat when you have to stay on a <I>real</I> navigation airway and fly nothing but straight and level...with no autopilot...so anyhow, my wingman and I decide to pass some time by playing battleship...the old 10-by-10 grid game.Not having any paper, but having a grease pencil and my trusty canopy, I drew my grids on the canopy, and we battled it out on our way from Point A to Point B.After landing at Point B and while walking away from the the jet, the crew chief came running across the ramp yelling "Sir, sir, I think you left some classified information written on the canopy!"Uh...yup...no worries.