When tiling walls or floors with ceramic tiles, you often have to cut them. Cutting tiles can be done with a tile jigsaw. When carrying out renovations in the bathroom and kitchen, tiles are an irreplaceable material. With its help you can decorate walls or floors, as there is a wide range of design solutions allows you to achieve an attractive appearance of the premises in this way.
This material is durable, its shine remains for many years. Its laying can be done by the apartment owners themselves; even a novice master can handle this work. When laying outer elements or laying tiles in the form of a mosaic, you will definitely need to cut them. To do this, you can use various tools:
- cutter;
- grinder;
- tile cutter;
- jigsaw
A jigsaw is convenient to use for those craftsmen who do not lay tiles professionally, and therefore do not purchase professional tool to process it. In this case, you only need to purchase special files that are suitable for this purpose. The peculiarity and main advantage of a jigsaw is that it can be used to cut almost any material if you choose the right files.
Cutting ceramic tiles using devices for straight cutting to size (a) and for cutting at an angle (b): 1 - cut tiles, 2 - ruler, 3 - cutter, 4 - square.
For processing ceramic tiles It is necessary to use files designed specifically for tiles. With their help, you can easily make straight or shaped cuts. When cutting tiles with a jigsaw, you need to wet the edges. This will help avoid chipping and the formation of excessive dust. It is especially important to take this into account when processing glazed material.
Ceramic tiles are cut using abrasive saws. With their help, you can not only cut off the required size piece from the tile, but also perform in it required holes, for example, to output a socket. Other tools do not provide this option.
Do not use a jigsaw to cut tiles intended for laying on the floor. Floor tiles are much thicker. Cutting it with a jigsaw will quickly dull the file and render it unusable. Flooring this kind of thing is best cut with a grinder with diamond blade or a tile cutter.
If a curved cut is required in any area, it is recommended to use a manual jigsaw.
An electric tool will not provide sufficient maneuverability. For this purpose, you will need to insert a diamond wire into a hand jigsaw. In this case, the cutting process will be longer.
Thus, we know how to cut tiles using a jigsaw. When working, it is very important to perform all actions carefully. The cut line needs to be slightly moistened. It is recommended to use personal protective equipment throughout the entire process. To obtain a quality result, the most important thing is to choose the right file.
In the process of laying ceramic tiles, it often becomes necessary to make through hole non-standard shape. Ceramics is a durable but at the same time fragile material that can be cut regular jigsaw, but you cannot use ordinary wood or metal files. After reading the article, you can learn how to cut ceramics with a jigsaw and what blades to use.
Is it possible to cut ceramic tiles with a jigsaw?
Regular users who do not do styling tile material professionally, questions are often asked about whether it can be cut using a regular electric jigsaw. The question is relevant, since every skilled owner has this tool.
It is possible to work with ceramics, but for this you need to use special attachments and devices that allow you to do this as comfortably and efficiently as possible.
Important: Ceramic tiles, porcelain stoneware and other types of these materials chip easily, forming small fragments, so when working with them it is necessary to use personal protective equipment. At a minimum, glasses and gloves.
Basic operating principles
The principle of working with porcelain stoneware is slightly different from how metal or wood is cut. It is important to consider the following points.
- Tile ceramics are easily scratched, so when sawing it, a plastic pad should be installed on the sole of the tool.
- Before starting work, it is better to soak the tiles in water. This will make the material more pliable and reduce the amount of dust generated during the process.
- During cutting, the material must be securely fixed using several clamps with rubber pads.
- When working with any types of ceramic tiles, the pendulum function of the jigsaw must be disabled. When performing a straight cut, the switch can be set to the minimum position.
- When making a closed cut, the material must be drilled using a ceramic drill, the diameter of which is slightly larger than the width of the blade used for cutting.
Work order
Before you start cutting porcelain stoneware or ceramic tiles, you need to install a saw blade in the jigsaw.
Important: Instructions for correct installation The blades can be found in the user manual that came with the jigsaw.
Then the tiles must be soaked for 5–10 minutes.
On next stage The cutting line is marked, after which the material is securely fixed on a special stand made of bars. At home, you can use a regular one for fixation. kitchen table. It is important to fix it in such a way that the cut site is suspended.
If a stand made of bars is used for fastening, then its thickness should be greater than the length of the saw blade. This is necessary so that during operation the file does not stick into the base on which the stand is installed.
Cloths for ceramic tiles and porcelain stoneware
Porcelain tile is a derivative of ceramic tiles, but in its manufacture more heat and pressure. For this reason, porcelain tiles are much denser and cannot be cut with carbide saws designed for ceramics. Conversely, diamond blades for porcelain stoneware can be used for ordinary materials.
A special feature of jigsaw files made from such materials is spraying. The harder the spraying, the higher the quality of the cut, and the cutting part will last longer. Spraying has such a parameter as grain size. The quality of edges and cutting speed directly depend on the grain size. The higher the indicator, the higher the quality of the edges and the lower the speed of work.
Important: The packaging of saw blades indicates the grain size, width of the blade, and the material from which it is made. If there is no information on the packaging other than the model designation, then the characteristics can be found on the manufacturer’s website.
For straight-line cutting of ceramics, it is better to use wide blades with carbide tipped, for curved - canvas with a minimum width. This rule applies to any materials that can be cut with an electric jigsaw.
Conclusion
Use electric jigsaw for cutting porcelain stoneware - not the best and quick way. Ceramic blades are necessary when you need to make curved cuts. When choosing, the main requirement is the presence of a hard alloy coating.
For those who have in their household jigsaw, from time to time you should buy files for it. There are quite a lot of varieties and manufacturers. The most common types of files are, of course, for wood; in addition to them, there are blades for metal and tiles. In order not to get too confused in the choice, let’s look at the most popular files in everyday life, from Bosch. In terms of price/quality ratio – a good choice. The letter “T” in the marking indicates the type of shank - T-shaped. The most common type of files.
Wood files. There are several types, it all depends on the nature of the work being carried out.
For example, if you need to quickly saw a bunch of boards, then a saw with a large tooth is best. The larger the tooth, the faster the cut will be, but the less accurate, the cut is not very smooth, but if you are making a fence or building a shed, then in principle, accuracy is not needed.
For these purposes, you can take a file marked T101D. It is suitable for boards up to 75mm thick.
If the board or block is up to 100mm, you will need a 244D file.
For boards up to 200mm - long file 344D.
It's obvious what higher figure in the marking, the thicker the board the saw is intended for.
It is necessary to take into account that for a thick board you will need.
For a clean cut, you will need a file, for example, T101B.
File for clean cutting T101B
Her tooth is noticeably smaller, which means the cut is smoother. This is suitable for assembling furniture, where you need an accurate and even cut, without chips.
It is often used for cutting fiberboard, plywood, and chipboard.
It can also cut thick boards, of course (up to 75mm), but it will take longer than saws with large teeth.
Laminate file.
It has reverse tooth, directed in the opposite direction compared to other files. This is done to prevent chipping from front side laminate, do not spoil appearance. Fine tooth – for a clean cut. It is marked T101BR.
The letter “R” means reverse (reverse). And this is no different from the simple T101B made of wood.
Shape cutting files.
Their teeth are always small, they are used for cutting out radii, circles, and are used in furniture production. They are noticeably narrower in shape than all the others, this is done so that the file does not get pinched when turning the jigsaw.
From personal experience I can say that I cut a circle in a fiberboard slab for a sink, and the cut turned out to be very accurate and even.
The marking for such files with the letter “O” in the name is T119BO.
They always have small teeth, to make them easier to recognize, they have a shank of blue color. If you are sawing metal up to 3mm, a T118A file is suitable; it can also cut plastic, for metal up to 6mm - T123X, for aluminum - T227D, it has a larger tooth.
The jigsaw is a universal cutting tool, with which you can cut the most different materials from wood and plastic to metals, glass and ceramics. This is true with only one caveat: the jigsaw blade must match the material, both for manual and electric. This especially applies to such a hard and brittle material as ceramics in all its forms (ceramic tiles or tiles, floor tiles, tiles, porcelain tiles and others).
Only special ceramic files will make it possible to make a clean, neat cut with virtually no chips or other unwanted damage to the edge. By the way, using a jigsaw with a specialized file to cut ceramics expands the possibilities, as it allows for curved cuts, as well as cutting on internal surfaces.
Many craftsmen, faced with the need to cut ceramic tiles, prefer files produced under the brands and. These files provide precise and uniform cuts when high performance and a relatively large workforce. We should not forget that jigsaw files can be classified as consumables.
The blade blade for a jigsaw for ceramics can have a length from 70 to 132 mm. The choice of length when purchasing and using is determined by the expected thickness of the material being cut. Don't give too much length.
Ceramic files, as a rule, are devoid of teeth, and the role of the cutting edge is performed by an abrasive coating applied to the blade. WITH practical point vision best results gives a coating with diamond chips. Sputtering can only be present on cutting edge or spread by taps various shapes on side surfaces blades, which increases the width of the cut, but virtually eliminates the possibility of the file getting pinched in the material being cut.
There are special saw attachments for jigsaws for cutting out tiles.
The designation used to mark files for ceramics and other high-hardness materials is DIA. However, it must be taken into account that different manufacturers may use their own markings and to select the necessary cutting tool, you will have to familiarize yourself with the manufacturer’s specifications. Or simply contact a consultant, having previously selected one or two brands that are trustworthy.
As with other types of jigsaw blades, you need to pay attention to the shape of the shank so that it fits into the clamp of your jigsaw. For example, the Kinzo company supplies its tools with universal clamps that can securely hold all types of shanks on the market.
A correctly selected file is the key to efficient and accurate cutting of ceramic tiles.
Since its inception tiles, its installation, in most cases, implies mandatory trimming. Behind long years work with this material, many have been invented useful tools And tricky ways its neat division. One of the devices that can accurately process the fragile structure of tiles is a jigsaw. Moreover, both electric and manual analogues of this device can perform cutting. Next, we will tell you which saw blades to use for sawing tiles and what nuances you should know about this process and material.
Saw blade selection
As you know, an electric jigsaw has a very rich arsenal of files according to various materials. Each blade has certain features, metal of manufacture and tooth size. Among such diversity, tile sawing is considered one of the most popular and widespread. You can find it in almost any store that sells components for construction tools.In terms of its structure, the tile blade departs from the classical understanding of a file that is familiar to us. She has no teeth, but the role cutting element Performs hard abrasive or diamond spraying. The quality and speed of cutting with such an attachment depend on its grain size. The higher this indicator, the slower the cut, but the better the cut line. A low grit value, on the contrary, increases the sawing speed, but creates more chips in the material. Grit is measured in micrometers (µm) and is usually indicated on the blade packaging.
If you disassemble the manual analogue of the tool regarding the question: is it possible to cut ceramic tiles with a jigsaw, the answer will definitely be positive. IN in this case, You will need a diamond-coated string or file. Is it worth clarifying that a manual jigsaw allows you to perform figured cut Very complex shape, but the process proceeds tens of times slower in comparison with the electric one. This device can be used only in the most critical areas that require the most precise and accurate cutting.
Note. Can only be cut with a jigsaw wall tiles low density. Floor tiles many times stronger and its use similar method cutting will only lead to wear on the saw blade without giving any practical results.
Preparing the tiles
The hard and at the same time fragile structure of the tile, like glass, is susceptible to splitting and requires high precision and care when processing. Accelerating the stroke rate or increasing pressure can easily deform the product, ruining the material and negating the effort expended. To make cutting tiles with a jigsaw most convenient, you need to soak them for a couple of hours in ordinary water at room temperature.
Wet tiles are much easier to saw, wear out the blade less and practically do not generate dust. To maximize efficiency, when cutting, the file can be additionally moistened so that water gets into the groove, while simultaneously cooling and cleaning off the coating of the blade.
Features of sawing tiles with a jigsaw
Workplace should be stable with as smooth a surface as possible, and most of the tiles should be pressed tightly against it. The smallest segment should be located on the weight, even if it is precisely this that is necessary for installation. To reduce vibrations, it is better to fix the tiles with a couple of clamps with rubberized clamps. To avoid scratches, you can glue a piece of cardboard or plastic to the metal sole of the jigsaw using double-sided tape.
When the special saw blade is prepared and the tile is sufficiently moistened, you can safely begin processing it. Cutting tiles with a jigsaw has certain features and is somewhat different from the wood, metal, plastic and other elastic materials we are used to. First of all, you should not rush and try to speed up the slow cutting process by pressing on the jigsaw or increasing its speed, which should range from minimum to medium values. This approach will lead to the formation of serious chips, and strong pressing of a working tool can even crack the tile. It’s not pleasant to waste valuable material, time and saw blade resources.
Cutting tiles with a hand jigsaw
A fast jigsaw with relatively massive saw blades, it is not always possible to perform particularly delicate work or cuts with internal contour. When you need to make a neat, jewelry cut with a complex pattern, a reliable one comes to the rescue hand tool. Of course, for these purposes you can use jigsaw machine, which works with the same thin files, but this equipment is quite expensive and it is not practical to purchase it for a small amount of work.
As you might guess, ordinary wood and metal files for a hand jigsaw will not be able to cut tiles. To perform such an operation, you will need a special tungsten carbide string or a diamond-coated file.
Inflow cutting process with a hand jigsaw, is completely identical to its electric counterpart, except that it takes many times more time and effort. The tiles are soaked for a couple of hours, then fixed on a flat surface with clamps and, while cutting, periodically moistened with water. We repeat once again that the speed self made very slow, and it will take a lot of time even for a small figure. Before starting work, you should understand this and be patient in advance. To understand how to cut tiles with a jigsaw and estimate the pace of work, we recommend watching the following video.
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