# Wooden dam for cutting ceramic tile



## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Me smart ,well I haven’t tried so we’re not exactly sure yet .
I’m working on tiling my tub/shower alcove ,and I’ve never cut a hole before.
I watched a few YouTube videos where the guy was angling in the diamond bit with a cordless drill to get it started ,and then straightened it out as it dug in .

I’m sure water would have helped ,but in my case I have no one around here dependable enough to hold a hose on it while I drill , so I concocted this device , a water table for the drill press .
I need to drill a large 4” hole for the mixing valve , and bought a cheap set of diamond bits off of Amazon. 
So I took my scraps and built this dam and put a piece of Kerdi board on the bottom , this way I won’t drill into the wood once I get threw the ceramic tile .

My idea is to fill it up with water , just enough to cover the tile , and use my drill press to guide the bit . 
I used tight bond glue around the sides to seal the wood from getting wet . Just added another layer to the corners , so the glues still wet, so I can’t do a test yet 

Not sure if it’s going to work,but will report back later


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

Where there's a will..... there's a way. (or in my case, usually 7 failed attempts and then a success)


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

kp91 said:


> Where there's a will..... there's a way. (or in my case, usually 7 failed attempts and then a success)


I’ve got two four inch holes to cut ,plus another three for the tub spout etc. Otherwise I wouldn’t have bothered I guess .

I’m thinking I better change belt positions and get the press running faster . I’m assuming anyways .


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

kp91 said:


> Where there's a will..... there's a way. (or in my case, usually 7 failed attempts and then a success)



That's about my average also...:grin:


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## mimac (Dec 13, 2009)

I just squirt a circular dam of latex caulk around the area to be drilled. I've done hundreds of holes like this. Drill slow with the drill press and don't put a lot of pressure on the tile. Some tiles are soft and easy others are hard and brittle. You can drill cups and teapots like this as well. My wife likes to make tea cup and pot totems as yard art. I cot cups in half for her to stick on some of her wall murals as well. some shots of one in our kitchen. A 1/2 cup as well as some family photos glued on to the backs of tumbled and polished glass, The Scotties and Geckos I cut out of tile with a Ring saw.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Wow ,those are really sharp Brian


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Brian, I wish I had a cnc router table right now . Not sure if it’s possible, but I’d like to have these mosaic tile blend in with the main tile . But I’d say this is an impossible cut for tile , but if I had the tile in a water dam system with a small diameter tile bit , I think it might work .
Then there’s making the vector


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

I also think a slow speed, low pressure approach would work better.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

DesertRatTom said:


> I also think a slow speed, low pressure approach would work better.


firm pressure..
low pressure generates heat and wears out the diamond faster...


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## Biagio (Mar 2, 2013)

Hi Rick,
I have cut many small holes without bothering with a water dam. Have used carbide hole saws and diamond core type bits - the former start easier, as there is a pilot drill bit, like with a regular hole saw.
As Brian says, it depends on the composition of the tile body, and the hardness of the surface layer. If you do not use water, and the bit starts smoking, you are overdoing it. Keep overdoing it, and the bit and the tile start glowing.
The only time I have made a 4-inch hole was for a toilet waste pipe - drilled a series of 6mm holes around the perimeter, then used a 4inch carbide-tipped core cutter with a centre pilot. The tile was already adhered to the wall- no problems(but we have solid masonry walls in this part of the world.

Your blending exercise looks ambitious regardless of technology. However, if you simplify the ends of the mosaics a bit (fewer separate endings, no very thin tongues), it is doable with a diamond saw - cutting slits in from the edge like for a featherboard, then scoring between the slits with a carbide or diamond tile scorer, and snapping off the waste bits. Oil up your patience, and be prepared to waste a couple of tiles- typically on the last cut or snap. Leave relatively wide tongues at the outside edges of the tiles - they tend to break there when you are seating the tile.


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## ger21 (Feb 10, 2019)

RainMan 2.0 said:


> Brian, I wish I had a cnc router table right now . Not sure if it’s possible, but I’d like to have these mosaic tile blend in with the main tile . But I’d say this is an impossible cut for tile , but if I had the tile in a water dam system with a small diameter tile bit , I think it might work .
> Then there’s making the vector



You could do that easier with a tile saw. You just make all of the parallel cuts, and snap off the "fingers".


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

ger21 said:


> You could do that easier with a tile saw. You just make all of the parallel cuts, and snap off the "fingers".


I have a dewalt wet saw . You know I may just experiment, and just try making several parallel lines . May be a bit meticulous, but I’ll give it a try . 
Great idea Gerry


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

A ring of plumbers putty makes a good dam too. Some diamond bits can be used without water but it depends on what ways used to bond the diamonds with. With wall tiles a Rotozip with carbide tile bit works slick but it won’t work on floor tiles which are much harder.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

I've seen Brian and his wife's mosaic's first hand; they've done a LOT of them! Pretty amazing; i wouldn't have the patience.
(Did I mention that they're _big_?)


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> A ring of plumbers putty makes a good dam too. Some diamond bits can be used without water but it depends on what ways used to bond the diamonds with. With wall tiles a Rotozip with carbide tile bit works slick but it won’t work on floor tiles which are much harder.


I’m just assuming you’d get a better life out of the cutter as opposed to dry ? 
The set I bought were pretty cheap, so I thought it may be a good idea to help them along . I need to cut two 2-3/4” holes , and possibly more if I screw up . I have this feeling they get you threw once and that’s it . 
Ok I just read the info on amazon , and it says to use water . So I guess I’ve got the right idea , but perhaps overkill 
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B017AVIXZU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## gmercer_48083 (Jul 18, 2012)

Just use a wax ring (toilet seal) for a doughnut seal, fill with water when using diamond core bit.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

gmercer_48083 said:


> Just use a wax ring (toilet seal) for a doughnut seal, fill with water when using diamond core bit.


window putty is better/easier...
not nearly the mess either...


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## mimac (Dec 13, 2009)

Latex Caulk is real easy. Takes a second to install, sticks well, no rolling in the hand to form a bead, holds enough water for drilling. and wipes off with a rag with a swipe. The water drains away when the cut is through and the caulk is wet and wipes of easily.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

I have duct seal also, it’s very similar to plasticine. I could have easily rolled it into a dam and stuck it on there . Maybe this was a dumb idea lol

Actually I have to cut an outside section off one tile , so my contraption will work good for that


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

Press-seal, duct-seal, monkey-poo.... call it what you want, that stuff has 10,000 uses


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

RainMan 2.0 said:


> I’m just assuming you’d get a better life out of the cutter as opposed to dry ?
> The set I bought were pretty cheap, so I thought it may be a good idea to help them along . I need to cut two 2-3/4” holes , and possibly more if I screw up . I have this feeling they get you threw once and that’s it .
> Ok I just read the info on amazon , and it says to use water . So I guess I’ve got the right idea , but perhaps overkill
> https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B017AVIXZU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


I have a 4 1/2” diamond disc for an angle grinder that was advertised as wet or dry. It would be pretty hard to use wet. I can’t believe how much stucco, brick, block, and rock it’s cut so far and it’s still going. I think it mostly depends on what the diamonds are brazed on with and how high a temperature it can stand. Diamonds can get red hot and that doesn’t seem to affect them. If the instructions say use water then do it. If the bits are made to cut glass then the water may be to keep the glass from shattering due to uneven heating.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

" If the bits are made to cut glass then the water may be to keep the glass from shattering due to uneven heating."
-Charles 
Maybe keep the silica dust under better control as well. Don't need to be breathing that stuff!


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## TenGees (Sep 12, 2012)

In the sign business I saw several people cutting mirror, glass and tile using the method Brian mentioned. They put a donut of what looked like plumbers putty around the hole and filled it with water.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

TenGees said:


> In the sign business I saw several people cutting mirror, glass and tile using the method Brian mentioned. They put a donut of what looked like plumbers putty around the hole and filled it with water.


That would work great ,with one exception, mosaics . I just thought about this,and it would be tough to seal all the small cracks between the little tiles .
I think my idea should work great for that application


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## Biagio (Mar 2, 2013)

RainMan 2.0 said:


> I’m just assuming you’d get a better life out of the cutter as opposed to dry ?
> The set I bought were pretty cheap, so I thought it may be a good idea to help them along . I need to cut two 2-3/4” holes , and possibly more if I screw up . I have this feeling they get you threw once and that’s it .
> Ok I just read the info on amazon , and it says to use water . So I guess I’ve got the right idea , but perhaps overkill
> https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B017AVIXZU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


For a one-off, cut a piece of foam rubber (sponge) to fit inside the cutter, then soak it in water and cut away.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Well I tried it yesterday and it worked awesome . Actually better than anticipated,as I had to line the bit up with the felt marker line I traced ,so I could see it clearly.
Also I cut kerdi board templates , and I’m going to tape them to the tule as a guide and see how that works , as opposed to guiding the hole saw to the felt marks.

I should have taken video, as it certainly has no shortage of water cooling as it’s swirling around the bit


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## TenGees (Sep 12, 2012)

Looking good, Rick.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

mimac said:


> Latex Caulk is real easy.
> .


Butyl rubber works better than latex...
but putty is still the least mess and waste...


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## Williamrush (Apr 19, 2021)

Personally, after I made repairs in my house I had problems with tiles and cleaning so I decided to resort to tiles and grout cleaning because I really needed help because I was not able to handle so much work on my own. For three consecutive days, employees from this company came to me, and to my surprise, everything was done extremely quickly and beautifully. What I liked the more was the fact that they had with them specialized cleaning devices and detergents that I had not heard about before and it was clear that they are professionals in the field.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Williamrush said:


> I just needed it. Thanks for sharing.


Welcome to the forum


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## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

Welcome to the forum @Williamrush


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## mgmine (Jan 16, 2012)

What size are the tiles? If they are the ones pictured you would simply pull them off the backing and cut each little tile to size. If it is a big tile then the angle grinder would work. It doesn't have to be a round hole the valve just needs to be able to fit. The outside cover of the valve will have a seal on it and you can also caulk around the inside. Normally it's the cement board underneath that has the large hole in it and not the tile. The valve is placed so that it just sticks out enough to be flush with the outside tile. That hole that the stem fits through can be cut with a bit or just a little of each side of the tile cut off. Try not to overthink it. It's really a simple cut that should take any set out and should able to be done in a few minutes.


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## Roland Johnson (Oct 27, 2015)

RainMan 2.0 said:


> Me smart ,well I haven’t tried so we’re not exactly sure yet .
> I’m working on tiling my tub/shower alcove ,and I’ve never cut a hole before.
> I watched a few YouTube videos where the guy was angling in the diamond bit with a cordless drill to get it started ,and then straightened it out as it dug in .
> 
> ...


I drill holes in glass bottles all the time and use a dam of either plumbers putty or window glazing putty, drill press is best because you can control pressure better.
Do it like cast iron low and slow 
My diamond hole saws are from e-bay


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