# Cutting Tiles



## doreme (Nov 7, 2010)

I am looking at cutting tiles and was wondering if I can cut tiles with a router on a router table and the right type of bit. Since it is versatile - I normally use an angle grinder.


----------



## doreme (Nov 7, 2010)

doreme said:


> I am looking at cutting tiles and was wondering if I can cut tiles with a router on a router table and the right type of bit. Since it is versatile - I normally use an angle grinder.


Let me elaborate a little bit more. Use the angle grinder for the 1st cut and then use the router for the precision.


----------



## gav (Oct 12, 2009)

Routers and tiles generally aren't 2 things that go together. Having said that, I once mounted a carbide tipped straight bit in my drill and used it to enlarge a hole in a tile once. It worked, but not very well.
I don't think it's a good idea to be breathing in the ceramic dust the router will produce, and standard bits won't last long.

Angle grinder with a proper ceramic blade does a decent job on most tiles. A metal file can be used to clean up the edges if needed.


----------



## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

gav said:


> Angle grinder with a proper ceramic blade does a decent job on most tiles. A metal file can be used to clean up the edges if needed.


Straight cuts are probably best done on something like a Rubi tile cutter. These won't do heavy quarry tiles for which a heavier cutter is required, or alternatively a tile saw. I've worked with quite a few tilers and I've rarely seen one resort to power tile saws except on the thickest, heaviest tiles because a manual tile cutter is generally a lot faster, is more portable and doesn't require power. For odd cuts I use either a carbide tile saw or a carbide blade in the jigsaw, although the jigsaw tends to be too rough for the thinner porcelain-type wall tiles. Holes I drill with diamond hole cutters rather than conventional drill bits or spear-point drills, neither of which work all that well on quarry tiles. Bigger cut outs can be drilled and scribed with a carbide scorer then knocked out and the edges nibbled to the line with a tile nibbler. Really large circilar cut-outs can be handled with a hole cutter, although I've never felt the need to buy one. Most of the cut-outs I've done in tiling have been to accommodate electrical switch boxes and the like where rough edges are hidden by the fitting, so absolute appearance isn't critical, but where I need a good finish I've found that a grit edge tile file works faster and is less likely to damage the glaze than a metalworking file.

Tiling is like woodworking in that it has its' own set of tools. The good thing is that most of them (except for a tile cutter, and Rubi is reckoned to be the the best) are really cheap, so why not invest in the right kit for the job?


----------

