Time to get a tile saw

[Kilgore Trout]

Just bought a new house and I have a bunch of tile projects ahead of me. Within the next year I expect to do a kitchen backsplash and two bathroom floors. Got another two bathroom floors coming up in the year or two after that. Given all of that I figured it would be good to get a tile saw.

I have done (a lot of) mosaic tile in the past with nippers and a tile cutter. it worked, but the edges weren't always nice and straight. Floors will almost certainly be large format rectangle tiles (9x 18 or similar). I plan to start the backsplash in the next month or so.

It appears that the Dewalt is the go to saw, but I'd like to spend less than that if possible. If it is truly that much better, I will bit the bullet and get it (the amount that I save in labor doing it myself will pay for the saw in spades). But if there is a good lower cost option, I am all for it.

So.... suggestions?

 

[txvwnut]

I bought one of the Harbor Freight bridge tile saws when I had some tile work to do and it worked quite well.

 

[jrsulo]

I have the 10 inch dewalt and its a great saw,,,,,,but find myself using my old 7 inch husky way more !!!!!!

 

[RTM]

Find out if you have a good rental yard nearby, so you can rent a REALLY nice one, and not have to store it in between jobs. The one I rented many years ago cost 50x the daily rental I seem to recall.

 

[tarmy]

We bought an MK saw 35 years ago with our first house...that saw has helped completely redo 15 bathrooms and 4 kitchens over the years.

Get a good one that can also be used to cut brick, stone and granite...one of the best tools I ever owned...

 

[driz]

I just cut mine on an old cheap table saw and a 4” grinder with a cutoff wheel[emoji2373], works for me


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mike93lx]

I like my little non sliding 7" wet ridgid a lot. Very useful. That said, for any straight cut, a score and snap cutter is faster, cleaner, more accurate and just better. No question. IMO, you should have both if you have big jobs to do

 

[Banana Man]

I have and highly recommend the Husqvarna Tilematic TS 250 X3.

 

[ddawg16]

Find out if you have a good rental yard nearby, so you can rent a REALLY nice one, and not have to store it in between jobs. The one I rented many years ago cost 50x the daily rental I seem to recall.

From personal experience.....bad advice.

I'd be surprised if you were paying less than $30-40/day. At $30/day....comparing to the one you bought.....then you must have paid $1500 for it

Most home projects are not just weekend projects. When I was doing the floor in the master bath, it took about a week.

I have a small table top that works fine for small jobs. When I was doing my addition, I borrowed a 'slider' from a neighbor. I ended up keeping it for 2 years. I used it so much I put a new blade on it....and used the dog **** out of that blade. Neighbor called one day "So and So wants to borrow it". She came and got it....So and So is happy with how it works....oh yeah, I also fixed the power switch.

To the OP....take into consideration the size of tile you want to cut. The 'in thing' now days is large tile....like 24" x 24" or long planks.

I much prefer the sliding bed vs the table saw type.

 

[16again]

Just bought this yesterday morning. 7” for $129.00


Was able to do this without issue.



Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

 

[signcrafter]

I have a pro grade tile saw I bought new around 15 years ago. About 5 years ago I bought a GOOD snap cutter and now my tile saw has sat in the shop since. A snap cutter and a grinder can do the majority of tile jobs. No water mess, no heavy saw to set up, can take cutter to work area and do your cuts right there, just much faster and easier. There are some tile formats that a snap cutter isn't good at and a tile saw is needed but the majority of tile can be cut with a good snap cutter. Keep in mind these snap cutters costs probably half of the price of your dewalt saw, not the cheap 100 dollar ones from the box stores.

 

[ddawg16]

Snap cutters are great for small tiles....especially the small square or rectangular tiles. And FAST.

But they don't work on those long planks....or the mosaic style.

I have a snap cutter as well....use it when I can. So much easier and cleaner....

 

[engineer2]

If you can budget $200-$300 you can get a nice tile saw from Craigslist and then resell it when your projects are done. Just stay away from the worn-out contractor's saws. Look for one a homeowner or even a rental place is selling. My TileMatic was a hardware store rental and was clean, well-maintained, and came with all the accessories.
The Tilematic is a big 10" saw, but it will cut bricks too.
A Felker TM75 is a good portable saw if you can find one.
The Ridgid and DeWalt seem to get good reviews too.
Be aware those cheap tabletop saws spray a lot of water, but they are fine for smaller jobs like a backsplash.

 

[RTM]

From personal experience.....bad advice.

I'd be surprised if you were paying less than $30-40/day. At $30/day....comparing to the one you bought.....then you must have paid $1500 for it

Could be bad in the current era.

This was in ~1992, so my memory is a "bit foggy". What I recall is I got it for $20/day, and prior to renting I looked up the cost in one of our industrial catalogs at work, and it was close to $1000. I only needed it for two days, one for each room, as I did the field first, then did all my perimeter cuts on the second day.

Side note, my neighbor had a handyman doing tile on their stairs, and once he saw my rented saw, he came over and tried to show me why his score and and snap method was better. Broke two of my expensive tiles on 2 consecutive tries, and I chased him away. I went and looked at his job afterward, and he put all the cut pieces on the leading edge of the stairs, full tiles against the wall. Within 1 year, they almost all broke or came loose. And they kept using him for other work.

 

[dogdog]

The HF ones is not bad, just change out the new name brand blade and you are good to go.

I have the 10" old orange one from them, works fine up to 16" size tiles I think, it is pretty much industrial duty.. and have a smaller blue one 7" one forgot the brand (but it's a name brand)... both works fine with good blade...

the dewalt one I have is the hand held 4.5" tile saw with hose attachments, it cuts tiles and super duty compare to the no name Chinese 4.5" one....

 

[jar944]

The 24" Hf bridge saw works well. The same saw is available from a bunch of other retailers at double the price. I was able to do 30"+ rips with it with some work arounds

 

[Handyandy23]

I've got the 7" Ridgid sliding wet saw and I like it quite a bit. It cuts up to 24" tiles, and it sits on a folding stand, so it's at a comfortable working height.

I previously had a cheap table top style one. It worked, but wasn't suitable for larger tiles, and the fence was very inaccurate.

The Ridgid I would say is a good compromise between "cheap" and "pro" level saws. I used mine for similar tasks, a couple bathrooms with 12x24 floor tiles, a shower, couple back splashes, etc. I find the sliding table is easier and more accurate than a fence.

 

[ddurrett896]

I got this and it's a beast.

Didn't come with a blade (most stock are junk anyway) and bought like a $60 Dewalt blade.

So far done:
(2) kitchens
(1) living room
(2) master baths
(2) backsplashes

and going strong.

https://www.harborfreight.com/10-in-25-hp-tilebrick-saw-69275.html

 

[mike93lx]

I have a pro grade tile saw I bought new around 15 years ago. About 5 years ago I bought a GOOD snap cutter and now my tile saw has sat in the shop since. A snap cutter and a grinder can do the majority of tile jobs. No water mess, no heavy saw to set up, can take cutter to work area and do your cuts right there, just much faster and easier. There are some tile formats that a snap cutter isn't good at and a tile saw is needed but the majority of tile can be cut with a good snap cutter. Keep in mind these snap cutters costs probably half of the price of your dewalt saw, not the cheap 100 dollar ones from the box stores.

Which snap cutter? Mine works but kind of *****

 

[Desertskyy]

If you can budget $200-$300 you can get a nice tile saw from Craigslist and then resell it when your projects are done. Just stay away from the worn-out contractor's saws. Look for one a homeowner or even a rental place is selling. My TileMatic was a hardware store rental and was clean, well-maintained, and came with all the accessories.
The Tilematic is a big 10" saw, but it will cut bricks too.
A Felker TM75 is a good portable saw if you can find one.
The Ridgid and DeWalt seem to get good reviews too.
Be aware those cheap tabletop saws spray a lot of water, but they are fine for smaller jobs like a backsplash.

I have a Felker TM75 with the stand. It is a great saw. I have cut a lot of tile with it when doing a few bathroom remodels with it

Good saw if you can find one. No plans to let mine go. Uses an 8 inch blade