How to use tile cutter

Tile cutter is a special tool that is designed for cutting ceramic tiles, porcelain tiles, glass. These building materials are very common: finishing work is rarely done without the use of tile, which revet the floors and walls of kitchens, bathrooms, hallways. At the same time, we constantly have to deal with the necessity of cutting the material to the required size, creating holes in it, for example, for sockets or switches, pipes. But cutting tiles with a tile cutter, like other materials, should be done correctly in order to reduce the number of scrap and get the best possible result. Technology workflow is determined by the type of equipment used.

Device and principle of operation of tile cutters

There are many models of tile cutters on the market of construction tools. All their diversity in the type of energy, due to which the work is performed, is divided into two main types:

• mechanical;
• electric.

Via mechanical variety carry out a straight or figured (curvilinear) cut tile, create holes in it. The thickness of the processed material is limited to 16 mm. Electric Cutters They are characterized by high productivity: they are able to cut tile material with a thickness of more than 16 mm.

The principle of cutting tiles with mechanical and electrical tools is different. But the models of equipment of both types are used both in everyday life and in professional activities in accordance with their functionality.

Mechanical Tool Design

The mechanical tool is divided into manual and stationary (desktop) models. Manual tile cutters There are two varieties:

• in the form of pliers, the design of which is presented in the photo below;

• in the form of a roller cutter having the device shown in the photo below.

The device of manual models is very simple, but with their help it is possible to work only with thin tile material.

Stationary products represented by a large number of different modifications. But in all cases, the desktop type tile cutter has the following structural elements:

• the carriage with the cutting roller and the handle moving on guides;
• the basis (still it is called a platform, a table or a bed);
• a lever with which to break the incised tile;
• tile fixing foot.

Guides mounted on racks. All the details are shown in detail in the following photo.

Some models have measuring rulersthat allows cutting without preliminary marking. If the mechanism has extras, such as ballet dancersit is possible to cut openings of different diameters with their help.

Manual torches and stationary models work is performed according to the following principle:

• roller make an incision in the sawn material;
• along the cut line break the tile.

With the help of tile cutters, small pieces are bitten off from the tile. This tool can work only on the edges.

Electric hob cutters

Electric slabs are similar in design to a circular saw. They are divided into two types:

• manual models;
• machine (stationary) electrical equipment.

The main nodes of any model are:

• electric motor;
• a head with a diamond disc fixed on it;
• lever;
• power button.

An electric motor at mains electrical equipment can be single-phase (powered from 220 V) or three-phase (rated at 380 V).

Equipment is found that is equipped with diamond band saws instead of discs.

Manual models have a support sole. Some products have special rollers on it to make it convenient to move the power tool along the surface of the material.

A part of electric cutters is equipped with stops, rulers, goniometers, as well as tanks under the water for cooling the cutting place. These structural elements are clearly visible in the photo below.

For dust removal, some modifications provide a dust collector.There are options for devices with the ability to connect a vacuum cleanerFor example, as in the photo below.

Manual electric hob cutters can work on batteries. Such models are supplied to the market by RYOBI (for example, LTS180 M) and Makita (4191 DWD, CC 300 DWE).

Machine electrical equipment, depending on where the electric motor with a saw head is installed, is the following modifications:

• with the lower placement of these nodes;

• cantilever (the table moves with the workpiece, and the disk is stationary) and the bridge (the cutting head moves relative to the material) with the upper location of the electric motor.

The detailed design of the bridge electric hob on the example of Elitech PE 1000 / 92P is shown in the following photo.

Electric The tile cutter works on the same principle as the circular saw.. When you press the power button, the electric motor starts to work, causing the diamond disc to rotate. He completely saws a tile laid on a table at angles of various sizes, and not just at 90 degrees.

Cooling is the supply of water to the cutting zone. At the same time the liquid prevents the formation of dust, cleans the disk from the tile particles.

Preparation for work

Before you start sawing porcelain, glass or tile, you need to prepare a working tool, and in some cases - set it up.

Any instrument is pre-inspected for external damage. For mechanical models check:

• roller condition - free rotation, presence of defects, sharpness, fixation reliability;
• smooth carriage stroke, the presence of backlash;
• frame for the presence of pollution, if necessary, removing them;
• defects on the handle;
• if there is an emphasis, then measure the angle between it and the axis of the cut.

Cutting roller should rotate freely, be clean and regular form (without gouges, dents). It should fit the size of the tile being sawn.

After pre-testing and cleaning, guides and cutter are applied small amount of grease (engine oil). Then with the help of a construction pencil, a marker or a felt-tip pen, marking lines are laid on the surface of tiled materials, along which the cutting will be carried out.

If the modification is equipped with an emphasis and measuring line, then the markup is not necessary.

Before cutting the tile with an electric hob, check the reliability of the fixing of the disc. Contaminated disc is cleaned of adhering particles of debris. If the power tool is equipped water cooling systemthen maintain the presence of fluid in the right amount. Dirty water is replaced completely, so that the cutting place is well cooled.

In electrical equipment, the power cord must be complete and dry: only in this form it is allowed to insert the plug into the socket. Also, during the operation of the device, the water circulating in the cooling system should not fall on the cable. After the electrical equipment is working, you need to ensure the continuity of the fluid supply.

Usually, the power tool is adjusted at the factory, but the settings may be disturbed during transportation. For this reason, it may be necessary setting the cutting angle and length of the working movement of the disk. Adjustment of each model has its own characteristics. The process of setting up the installation used is described in its operating instructions. To set the angles you will need to use a protractor, protractor or angle piece.

Cutting with a mechanical tile cutter and porcelain tile

In order to properly cut a tile with a tile cutter, it is recommended to hold it in water for a while beforehand - this makes it easier to cut it.

Via mechanical stationary tool cut tile material in the following way:

• a marking line is applied on the surface of the tile;
• laying the tile on the frame so that the marking coincides with the trajectories along which the cutting wheel (carriage) moves;

• lightly pressing on the carriage, it is carried out once through the incision line;

• the handle is installed in the working position, then it is lowered sharply, breaking the tile along the cut.

To the edges of the final pieces turned out neat, the cut line must be at least a centimeter from the tile edge.

Pressing on the carriage should be of such strength that the wheel cut through the tiled enamel, and the tile does not sell. Do not spend several times, because the edges of the fragments will be uneven. When the face turns out with irregularities and chips, it will need to be further polished. To cut porcelain tile with a tile cutter of a stationary type is possible only with a tile thickness of up to 15 mm.The algorithm of the process is completely similar to the above.

Manual roller cutters work the same way as stationary devices. Only tile of minimum thickness is suitable: such tools are not intended for professional use. Some newcomers quite often have a question about whether tile cutting cut glass. This can be done, but only with ordinary material. To cut the tempered versions, the special electric tool is required.

Tile cutting pliers work as follows:

• bring the tool to the edge of the tile, having its wide part on the front surface of the ceramic, and the central part of the pliers is located along the bend line directly above the groove;
• then gently break off pieces of material.

With the help of pliers, you can make round holes, but for high-quality work you need to have the appropriate skills and be careful.

Work as an electric hob

Electric tile cutters of different types work in the same way, therefore the technology of cutting tile materials with their help is similar.Work with an electric plitkorez does not differ in special complexity, it is only necessary to be accurate and attentive. It is more difficult to handle manual models: the evenness of the cut depends mainly on the skills of the worker.

In order to properly use the tile type electric type, you must adhere to these rules:

• before work it is necessary to turn on the cooling system;
• pre-apply marking on the surface of the workpiece;
• fix the tile on the desktop;
• after it is necessary to carefully move the tile to the disk or vice versa (depending on the model of the unit being operated), constantly monitoring the pressing force;

• Before the end of the cutting line, reduce the impact force to prevent the formation of irregularities or chipping.

In addition to straight-line cuts, various shapes are cut using electrolytic cutters. In this process occurs in the following sequence:

• mark up;
• make the slots with an electric hob, cutting off unnecessary fragments and breaking them off with pliers;

• process the edges of the workpieces, for example, a file.

The use of power tools allows you to cut the tile into thin strips a few millimeters wide,at the same time the cut turns out equal.

Possible errors when using the tool

Errors during the work both with mechanical, and with electric plitkorerez, allow not only beginners. Very rarely, but there are mistakes and professionals. An inexperienced worker needs time to master the operated device and to achieve high quality cutting tiles.

The most common are: common mistakes when using tile cutters.

1. Employees do not use personal protective equipment, the minimum set of which must necessarily include safety glasses with gloves.
2. After the end of work, the operated tool is not cleaned of various adhered debris, for example, from small pieces of ceramic tiles, porcelain stoneware or mortar. With subsequent use, this affects the quality, safety, and cutting efficiency.
3. The sawn tile material is poorly fixed: as a result of a random movement, the straightness of the cut is disrupted.

At operation of mechanical equipment additional errors are possible:

• for work, a device is used, the cutting element of which rotates non-free, which leads to the formation of various defects (for example, hollows) along the edges of the cut line;
• when cutting the workpiece have an uneven pressure on the cutter, which causes damage to the tiled enamel;
• in the presence of a special handle for breaking tiles, they do not use it, but they do everything manually, carelessly;
• spend several times cutting element on the surface of the material, which leads to damage to the decorative layer and the curve of the fracture line.

Work with electric cutting for inexperienced users it is also accompanied by errors, the main of which are the following:

• for machine models, coolant (water) is not replaced in time;
• the contact of the disk with a tiled surface is carried out not smoothly and easily, but abruptly;
• do not use headphones and a respirator;
• electric hobs with signs of external damage or with other faults are used;
• when sawing porcelain or ceramic, they exert excessive pressure on the working tool, overloading it with it;
• include electrical equipment at the contact of the disk with the surface of the material being cut.

Errors in the use of devices for cutting tile materials not only lead to premature wear of equipment and its failure, but are also associated with injury of varying severity.

To learn how to work well with an electric or mechanical tile cutter, especially with their manual models, it is necessary to train in practice, constantly improving their skills. Before using the equipment, please read the instructions for its use. It indicates the necessary measures for periodic maintenance of the model, preparing it for operation, and initial setup. Also, the operating manual contains the necessary recommendations, compliance with which allows you to safely perform the work. Ignoring these instructions leads to injury. It should be borne in mind that power tools are more dangerous than mechanical counterparts. When working with him you need to be very attentive.