tilesetters I need help Detailed cuts
jimatgreatwhite
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
Hey guys here’s the situation. Backsplash with 3×6 inch tiles with leaf shaped tiles set randomly in pattern. Some of the leaves will intersect four tiles. Is there a way to cut the outlines of the leaves out of the field tiles other than nibbing away with a tile saw or a set of nibblers. Someone suggested diamond blade in a jig saw, seems like a good idea if you could brace the tile to keep vibration down.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
JIm
Replies
Try a rotozip or similar with a carbide bit. If you have trouble with breakage, I would submerge the tile in cool water just below the surface while making cuts. Also, it would probably help a lot to figure out a way to clamp down the tile to keep it from moving. Post us a picture when it's all done!
Good luck
Oooh, sounds like a challenge, Jim! Please post your results. I would think you will need a few practice tiles to see which method works best. I bet the final job will be beautiful. I've been out of the biz so long I don't have a clue, but would there be a laser that could trace the leaf overlayed on the tiles (plus room for grout), then make those sections pop away?
There is a machine that uses a water jet and some abrasives at 100,000 psi in a fine stream to cut all kinds of matrial . Ingersal-Rand makes the one I saw . thay had pictures of the tings that it cut rangeing from a sandwich to a stack of cloth to glass tile and metal in a very fine pattern. If you know of a place that has one ,maybe thay would do some cutting for you.
Don- that sounds like a cool idea. The hardest part with this type of cutting is keeping the tile cool enough so it doesn't chip or break.
Stained glass people have diamond blade bandsaws, which I'm sure
would work, but might be unacceptably slow.
Jim:
Never heard of a diamond blade in a Jig saw. I just don't think it is that big of a deal, because you will have a grout joint anyway.
Trace pattern on cardboard; tape cardboard on tile with double stick tape; outline pattern with grease pencil. Use nibblers (the easiest) close to final line. Use 4" grinder or Rub Block to get as close as you can. 1/8" Grout Line will take up a lot of slack and will mask many imperfections.
Boris
"Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1927
Borrow your dentist's high speed turbine with a diamond bur.
Tom
try a grit blade in a hacksaw. Don't even know thw real name....but I got one out in the van if yer close by! Looks like a round piece of gritty carbide......or a black frayed rope. OK....go to the tile stote and take a look in the tool cabinets...you'll see it.
Have no idea if this will work....can't ya get a section of patterned tile.......pattern already on the tiles....just lay the 4 or 6 tiles right in? Jeff "That's like hypnotizing chickens........."
It is called a tungsten carbide rod saw. It works great on soft tiles, even marble, can be tiring if you have to do more than a few. Jeff, I agree. If they make a leaf shaped tile, it should come in a pattern section, unless you want to place the leaves randomly. Like to see the finished picture. How about cast bronze leaves set into tiles? Seen it done?
Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. My favorite was the laser, not sure of the cost factor on that though. Next was Don's water cutter, where do you think I might find one of those, again though sounds expensive. I know a crane can't help with this one. I guess we'll try the other more practical (cheaper) methods. If you've got any other ideas I'll listen. Will try to get and poost a photo of the finished product.
jim
Jim ,
the only thing I know would be to get a hold of Ingersall-Rand .Thay would or should be able to tell you who has one of there machines.
don
email me when you have a finished photo, looking forward to seeing it.
Jim, A few?? issues back there was an article where a guy was cutting pavers with a wire saw. Had to be automated with the amount he was doing. Maybe someone nearbuy has one.
Watercooled diamond bladed band-saw. A great tool. Ridiculously slow though. Is it possible to mount a rod saw in a scroll saw? (don't own a scroll saw, don't know if possible) I do have the band saw, and it does work.
You might go to a local stained glass man. That's where I bought the band saw from. He might have better ideas, or tools.
Can't I go 1 day without spilling my coffee?
Remington makes a carbide blade for a saber saw similar to the rod saw. I've used them with pretty good sucess on slate tile and CBU (takes awhile and you use alot of blades (12" per blade in slate)). Vermont also makes one but they do not seem to last as long (6" per blade).
Jim: I do glass etching, and have had occasions to have glass & granite floor tiles waterjet cut. Waterjets are relatively scarce and the cutting is not cheap. Machine does not freehand - jet is at 50,000 psi, takes about 4 ft of water in a pool under the target to stop the jet from cutting its way through the floor to China. It has to be programmed, and it is tough to cut relatively small items because they have to be held securely while the jet slices through them. Programming takes a CAD format drawing for input to the machine's system. Best way to find the owners of the machines is on the web. Look up waterjet on Google - it will show you a ton of them. There are also the machine mfgrs - IR and Flow Max and at least one other. Find their rep - they can tell you who owns the equipment in your area.
Don
Just had another thought after stopping at the tile shop this morning. Check your local tile shops.....maybe they'll cut it for you. I know mine does standard cuts for a price. A high price! Jeff "That's like hypnotizing chickens........."
I went to the annual stone fabricators show two years ago in Orlando and someone was demonstrating a "ring" bladed tilesaw. It was a 8 or 10 inch ring shaped diamond blade with a very small kerf ie 1/16" or so. It could cut all kinds of crazy shapes freehand.
I think my local material supplier even had one or two in stock but they seemed like such a special purpose tool they didn't sell much or for some reason I haven't seen one lately. It is definitely the tool for the type of cuts you describe. It would allow you to change directions of the cut effortlessly and cut all kinds of scroll shapes.
Good luck, karl
Jim/Karl: It is a Taurus. It is basically a glass working saw, heavily marketed in stained glass circles. I never thought of it for tiles, but it would work. Didn't know they were trying the stone market. Realize that stained glass flat stock is about 1/8 inch thick, and tiles are at least 1/4 inch. Try any big (or small) stained glass store. There are a bunch of them that sell on line. Warner-Crivello out in the PA-NJ border is one, and I think they have a web site.
If you are interested, send me a note, and I will dig through a glass mag and send you a list of the folks that claim to have web sites.
We have gone to two of the "Coverings" shows in Orlando, and are going this yr. See lots of interesting "Stuff," and have a ball. Came away from last Orlando show w/ enough expensive Italian porcelain tile to do our bathroom. Tore apart a display room (With permission and a property pass) overnight to make it well worthwhile. Also bought an M-K big tile saw from the floor at a good price. For anyone interested in tile/stone, it's the place to go - cheap, too. Admission is FREE to see more high end stuff than the imagination can conjure.
DonThe GlassMasterworks - If it scratches, I etch it!
Don-
Having been in the art glass business for 25 yrs. I do remember the Taurus Ring Saw. Never used it and as you say thickness may be an issue. There is (was?) a band saw marketed to the art glass trade called a GRYPHON. I beleive the spelling is correct.
Ken Hill
Ken: I own an early model of the Gryphon. Does well what it does, but definately not a high rate production item!
DonThe GlassMasterworks - If it scratches, I etch it!
Me again-
Just did a google search with 'Gryphon Saw'. Plenty to look at. It didn't occur to me that lapidary would also be in the ballpark of tile cutting.
Ken Hill
Try this link
http://www.kingsleynorth.com/bandsaws.html
I think the one I saw and described in the previous post is the model they call a "taurus"
Karl