DIY tile cutter from an angle grinder

Making a tile cutter table

To smoothly feed tiles under the rotating disc of the grinder, the table surface must be flat and smooth. In addition, to securely attach the angle grinder, the worktop material must be strong. Therefore, the best solution would be to manufacture a rigid steel table frame from corners or rectangular profiles on electrically welded joints. Then, according to the size of the frame, you need to make and mount a table cover made of sheet steel with a thickness of 5-6 mm with a slot made with a cutter for the thickness of the disc of an angle grinder with a margin of 2-3 mm.

For safety reasons, the grinder disc should not protrude from the slot above the table surface by more than half its radius.

Pieces of a steel profile of a rectangular section measuring 40 x 60 mm or a steel strip 4-5 mm thick are welded onto the table top in the continuation of the slot or parallel to it, to which Grinder will be attached in the future.

Making a timeline with your own hands

On the table of the tile cutter, a movable bar should be installed parallel to the cutting disc for a strictly rectilinear supply of tiles under the cutting edge. To do this, to the left of the disc (if you look at the cutting edge), perpendicular to it, you need to make two parallel slots at a distance of the length of the bar between each other, along which the ends of the guide bar will move, fastened in the desired position with a bolt-nut through the slot.

Assessment of the degree of need for the manufacture of a homemade electric cutter

If for the high-quality performance of a small amount of tile laying work there is a need for an electric tool, then, having read the recommendations below, you can make such a tile cutter with your own hands.

Before you start making a homemade electric cutter, you should critically evaluate your design and installation abilities and capabilities, since even minor mistakes in the manufacture of such a device can lead to injury.

If you are not confident in your abilities, then the assembly of this tool should at least be entrusted to an experienced performer, ideally, you should rent a factory-made electric cutter.

How to make an electric tile cutter from an angle grinder

It is difficult to imagine laying ceramic tiles without a tile cutter, manual or electric. The choice of tool depends on the amount of work that the master has to perform. For tiling small areas at home, it is enough to have a hand tool, professional craftsmen prefer an electric tile cutter, which increases productivity and performs better tile cuts with a high-speed rotating disc equipped with water cooling.

Craftsmen who know how to handle a manual tile cutter, having seen the results of using an electric machine by a professional finisher, in order to improve their skills, strive to acquire, master also this tool, which is more perfect and productive. The best solution to this issue is to buy a factory-made electric tile cutter. But a high-quality and durable tool is expensive, and a machine at an affordable price quickly wears out and breaks down.

Choosing an electric motor for a tile cutter

To make a do-it-yourself tile cutter using an independent electric motor, selection and installation of a gearbox is required to be able to manually set the required disk rotation speed. Technically, it is not easy to do this, so another solution is common. the use of a small angle grinder (grinder for discs with a diameter of 115-125 mm) with the option of manual adjustment of the rotation speed.

Designing a Electric Tile Cutter

First of all, you need to decide what will be the location of the angle grinder when cutting tiles:

Плиткорез из болгарки. Крупный формат. Tile cutter from angle grinder.

Ceramic is fed along a guide bar under the Grinder, fixed from the bottom of the table.

• relative simplicity of the technical solution, which consists in securely fixing the angle grinder on the underside of the table and installing the guide bar on top with the possibility of its adjustment;
• the ability to install a container with water under the table to partially trap dust and cool the disc.
• strong dust formation due to the need to cut the entire thickness of the tile, without the ability to perform only an incision;
• inconvenience of turning on / off the angle grinder due to its location under the table;

On the tile fixed with a manual clamp, a cut is made with a grinder, fixed on top of the table on rectilinear slide rails.

• Less dust generation due to the ability to cut tiles without cutting through;
• Service availability of the angle grinder;
• technical complexity of rigid mounting of an angle grinder on a movable slide and water cooling;
• the need for additional manual processing of ceramic fracture surfaces along the cut.

Obviously, a do-it-yourself tile cutter from an angle grinder, made according to the first design option, is simpler and more functional, so in the future we will consider this type of home-made device.

How to Make Angle Grinder Stand. Angle Grinder Attachment.

Installing an angle grinder

The methods of attaching the grinder to the underside of the table may vary. The rigidity and reliability of the installation is important in order to make impossible any displacement of the angle grinder from the design position in the device, fraught with jamming of the disc in the table slot. You should also take into account the need for the availability of the on / off button of the tool, the speed controller and the possibility of changing the grinder disc.

For rigid attachment to the table, use a threaded hole for a handle in the body of an angle grinder, which can be used to threaded the grinder with a bolt with a bracket welded to the table.

To prevent the bolt from everting out, a Grover spring washer is placed under its head.

In addition to this connection, the tool is secured to the table by means of clamping clamps made of strip steel, made in accordance with the design of the table. As spacers between the plastic case of the angle grinder and the steel of the table, use wooden blocks, in which you need to make grooves in the shape of the case.

Cooling a homemade tile cutter from a grinder

Prefabricated electric tile cutters are equipped with a water cooling system, the design of which depends on the position of the cutting blade. above or below the table. It is unrealistic to design this option on a home-made home-made tile cutter, and there is no need. in everyday life, the intensity of cutting ceramic tiles is low, and air blowing at idle speed is enough to cool the diamond disc.

In addition, do not forget that the angle grinder must not be used at ambient humidity above 85%, which means that the tool is not designed for contact with pure water during operation.

Mechanical homemade tile cutter

It does not take a lot of time and detail to make it, as it has a manual format.

• handle from an old punch or drill;
• metal corner 30×30 with holes 8 mm;
• 2 nuts 8 mm;
• 1 self-locking nut 6 mm with nylon ring;
• washer 6 mm;
• bolt 6 mm, length 30 mm;
• bolt 8 mm, length 60 mm;
• cutting roller from the tile cutter (new or used);
• wrenches of the correct size.
• Insert the 8 mm bolt from the inside of the corner into the hole and tighten with a nut on the other side.
• Screw the nut on the thread 2-3 cm from the edge of the bolt.
• Screw the bolt into the handle from the punch to the level of the nut and tighten.
• Outside the second side of the corner, insert a 6 mm bolt into the hole.
• From the inside, put the cutting roller on the bolt, then the washer.
• Screw a nut with a nylon ring onto the bolt and tighten so that the cutter wheel rotates without play.

A hand-made homemade tile cutter cuts tiles up to 1 cm thick. The ergonomic handle allows you to apply great effort when working and get a high-quality cut. The size of the tile cutter is small. it is convenient to use it in a limited space. During operation, it is necessary to observe precautions. the roller can sharply change the line of the cut and cause injury. Protective equipment. gloves and goggles. will come in handy. When using a tile cutter, the nylon ring of the clamping nut will gradually wear out. The nut must be retightened regularly and replaced after the nylon is worn out.

Electric homemade tile cutter

A do-it-yourself tile cutter from an angle grinder is a rather complex but practical product. An angle grinder is often used to cut tiles, but it is difficult to get a straight cut with it. Sawing is uncomfortable. a lot of dust is generated. There is a great risk of injury. The proposed modernization eliminates the listed disadvantages of the tool.

Making an electric tile cutter does not require any special technical knowledge and skills. Some stages require welding, but their volume is small.

• angle grinder. It is necessary to use the tool without damage to the case, traces of electrical short circuits, etc.
• Metal plates 5 mm thick, measuring approximately 15 by 6 cm.
• Metal ring 2 cm wide with an inner diameter equal to the diameter of the angle grinder support flange. It can be cut from a suitable pipe.
• PCB sheet 30×20 cm 2-3 cm thick for the base of the tile cutter.
• 3 bolts 10 mm, 4 nuts 10 mm, self-tapping screws (size is selected during manufacture).
• Metal processing tools (files, grinder, etc.)
• Electric drill, electric screwdriver drills for metal of various diameters.
• Electric welding machine.

The task of modernization is to create a rocker mechanism, on one arm of which an angle grinder is fixed. The angle grinder moves around a part of a circle centered on the rocker axis. The range of motion is limited to 3 cm above the base and 3 cm below the base. This is enough to cut tiles of any thickness.

• Parts are cut from metal plates (with a hacksaw or an angle grinder):
• 3 pcs. size 40×45 mm. One of the sides of 40 mm is grinded in the form of a semicircle so that after installation the corners do not interfere with the rotation of the rocker around the axis. A 10 mm hole is drilled in the center of the plates;
• 1 PC. size 40×100 mm. the lower part of the rocker mechanism, which will be bolted to the textolite base of the tile cutter. For this, two holes with a diameter of 10 mm are made;
• 1 PC. size 40×80 mm. the top of the swinging mechanism;
• 1 PC. irregular L-shaped. This is the rocker arm. An angle grinder will be attached to the elongated part. The opposite side will slide through the drilled hole onto the center axis.
• A section of about 1 cm is cut out in the metal ring, which will be put on the support flange. Outside the ring, at both ends of the remote section, a 10 mm nut is welded so that a bolt can be screwed through them. Tip: It is easier to weld on the nuts with the bolt already screwed in. As a result, a clamp is obtained. when the bolt is tightened, the ring contracts.
• The clamp is welded to the edge of the long side of the L-shaped piece.
• Metal parts are put on the central axis (bolt 10 mm), tightened with a nut and welded so that the rocker arm with a collar ring can rotate around the axis.
• The rocker mechanism is screwed to the textolite base through the holes of the lower part.
• The ring clamp is slid onto the angle grinder support flange. The most convenient position of the angle grinder is selected. The clamp is tightened to secure the tool. At the same time, the abrasive wheel should not touch the edge of the textolite base. A protective shield is installed on top and tacked by welding.
• A small hook or corner with a hole is welded to the upper cover of the rocker mechanism. A spring about 5 cm long in a compressed state is attached to it. It is tensioned so that the angle grinder takes a position in which the bottom of the cutting wheel is above the base. The second end of the spring is also fixed in the hole of a small corner, which is fixed with a screw on the PCB.

The electric tile cutter is ready. Saw them by moving the tool along the cut mowing line.

Types of tile cutters

There are two main types of tile cutters:

• Mechanical devices. They are a structure of two parallel pipes along which the cutting element moves (a hard alloy roller, diamond-coated rings, etc.). Rolling with force on the surface, the roller cuts the tile along its entire length, and it breaks easily when pressed. The result depends on the sharpness of the video and the experience of the master. Poor for cutting marble or granite tiles.
• Electrical devices that cut tiles with special saw or abrasive discs. Allows you to get an even cut even in hard tile grades. The quality of the cut depends on the material of the cutting wheel, the speed of its rotation, the cooling of the saw site.

DIY tile cutter: mechanical and electrical from an angle grinder

When laying ceramic tiles, it is often necessary to cut them to obtain pieces of the desired size. Professional installers use tile cutters for this purpose at a price of several thousand rubles. If the apartment is being repaired on its own, it is unprofitable to purchase an expensive device for cutting 15-20 tiles. The article will tell you how to make a do-it-yourself tile cutter from common parts and mechanisms.

Additional upgrade

The tool can be supplemented with a dust collector. To do this, on the underside of the textolite base, a strobe is made about 4 cm wide and 1 cm deep. It starts near the edge of the cutting wheel, ends on the opposite side of the base, a few centimeters to the edge. A hole with a diameter of 3-4 cm is drilled in this place. A metal plate with a hole is fixed on top of it using screws, to which an adapter 4-5 cm long is welded, cut off from the metal pipe. The pipe diameter is equal to the inner diameter of the vacuum cleaner duct, which is put on the adapter. Now when you turn on the vacuum cleaner, all dust will be sucked out of the work area.

You can make the simplest guide device for a tile cutter, thanks to which the accuracy and quality of the cut obtained will significantly increase. For this, a metal plastering rule of the required length is used. It is fixed with clamps on the tile (double-sided construction tape is also suitable) at the desired distance to the cutting line of the cut. Resting on the even edge of the rule, the tile cutter moves along it and makes a perfectly straight cut.

We make the tile cutter ourselves

As you already understood, the manual tile cutter will be the most demanded solution. It was his design that we highlighted in more detail than the others, and it is he who we will try to assemble with our own hands. In this case, the master will make a tile cutter that is capable of cutting 120 cm tiles.You can make a more compact version.

Table. Step-by-step instructions for making a manual tile cutter.

The work on making such a tile cutter is not easy and requires certain turning skills from the performer, however, if you have all this, as well as free time, you can make a very high-quality working tool. There is perhaps one drawback of such a handsome man. it will be very difficult.

What tool can you work with

You can assemble a homemade tile cutter, but this is not always required, because the process of assembling it itself will take you a lot of time and also require a certain tool. For example, to make a strong bed, you will not be able to do without a welding machine, which already imposes certain difficulties.

When working with tiles made of ceramics, you need to understand that you cannot avoid cutting it.

Therefore, to begin with, we will tell you what you can work with when laying tiles without having expensive equipment, and what you still cannot do without.

One of the simplest tools is a classic glass cutter. He only copes with thin ceramic wall tiles. Alternatively, you can use it, but there is a more interesting and convenient solution for the same money. Glass cutter can be used to cut tiles Types of manual glass cutters

Glass cutter for cutting tiles
This metal pencil or scribe will perfectly cut through the glazed surface of ceramic tiles. In addition to it, you need a good metal guide (ruler) and a tile breaking device.

Metal scribe with a victorious tip
Tongs for breaking tiles are taken in the kit to the previous tools. They easily and conveniently split the tiles along the made mowing line. Tile breaking pliers

Tile cutting scheme using a glass cutter, a match and tongs

Angle Grinder fitted to a sliding tile cutter

Even if you can build a homemade tile cutter, tile installation is nearly impossible without electric abrasive cutting.

• Firstly, when passing through window and door openings at the corners, it is necessary to make L-shaped notches.
• Secondly, today, sockets, hoods and other equipment are installed in bathrooms, for which you need to make holes in the tiles. You can perform them with an angle grinder or use an electric drill with ceramic crown bits.
• Thirdly, today porcelain stoneware is mainly placed on the floor, and it is very difficult to cut it with a manual tile cutter, even a professional one.

Electric abrasive cutting is essential when laying tiles How to cut tiles with an angle grinder?

Types of tile cutters

Now that we know about a possible alternative, let’s see what kind of tile cutters there are in general, in order to decide what we can make on our own.

The most commonly used option is the manual tile cutter. It copes well with ceramic and clinker tiles. Allows you to quickly cut through the surface of the material and break it right there. The average cost of such a device is 1500-6000 rubles, ranging from the most low-quality Chinese (disposable) models to a good tool from renowned manufacturers.

Factory-made manual tile cutter

Diagram of the structure of a manual tile cutter

• The frame is the base of the tile cutter, ensuring its stability. All other parts are attached to it. It is very important that this part is strong and rigid (not the same as in the photo above), otherwise, if the tile breaks, it will bend, which can lead to damage to the material.
• Fracture. a convex strip in the center of the bed, through which the tile breaks when pressed.
• Anti-slip pads. glued to the frame, ensure reliable contact of the tile, and also prevent it from being damaged on hard metal.
• Guide. one or two tubes along which the carriage moves with a cutting element and a handle.
• The lever and the breaking sole are the parts with which we control the tile cutter and break the ceramics.
• Cutting wheel. connected to a lever, cuts through the glaze of the tile as it is pulled over its surface.
• Stop system. consists of a front strip with applied graduation and a side element that allows you to set the position of the tile at the desired angle.

Cutting tiles with a manual tile cutter The main features of a working glass cutter

It is not for nothing that we dwelt in such detail on the design of a manual tile cutter, since today we will be making it.

A handheld electric tile cutter is a lot like a circular saw. We see a comfortable handle with a start button, a system for adjusting the angle of inclination of the cutting blade relative to the sole and an electric motor. Individual designs can be equipped with water cooling for wet cutting. It is a very convenient and compact tool, but it is quite expensive. Can effectively cut all kinds of tiles, including natural stone.

Interesting to know! Without the proper stop, the cut quality will be no better than a simple angle grinder.

Under-motor electric tile cutter. These tools are inexpensive, but the cut quality is also poor. Can cut at angles (varying platform incline).

Under-motor electric tile cutter

A good result can only be achieved by using a tile sized within the desktop to be able to abut it against the guide rail. This rail moves along the working surface and is fixed by two screws. an extremely inconvenient solution due to the simple design of the tool. These cutters are also used for wet cutting. At the bottom there is a tray into which water is poured to a level so that the lower edge of the disc is immersed in it.

From the author! As the owner of such a machine, the author of the article tried not to do this, since as a result, water from the disk flies to the operator sitting in front of the machine. In one pass, you will have all your pants wet if you do not lower the top guard. And if you lower it, you cannot see the disc’s progress through the tile.

Another drawback is the clogging of ceramic dust under the casing and the need for periodic disassembly and cleaning.

You can also make a similar machine yourself. At the same time, we recommend that instead of a tray with water, fit a vacuum cleaner to collect dust.

The electric overhead tile cutter is the best tool for any task. Due to its precise fixation and a powerful motor, it cuts any tile without chips. With a wet cut, water is also supplied from the top, which eliminates the disadvantage of the previous tile cutter.

Overhead Electric Tile Cutter

Such units cost a lot of money, and they are mainly used by professionals. You can also assemble it yourself, which we will also talk about today.

Crafts from craftsmen

Everyone remembers the proverb about gol, which is cunning in invention, but our people also love to tinker by their creative nature. Here are some photos showing the original solutions:

• the simplest device made of a piece of plywood and strips. We see an analogue of a tool with a lower engine location. Its role is played by a fixed angle grinder. The frame is assembled from wooden elements, everything is sheathed on the outside with plywood;

Simple tile cutter from a piece of plywood and slats

Comment! Honestly, a very dubious decision, since just an angle grinder can be cut with exactly the same result. Chips won’t disappear without guides.

• but this solution looks much more impressive. From the same angle grinder, the craftsman managed to create a real machine with an upper cutting disc;

Tile Cutting Angle Grinder

• a stainless steel guide system allows you to move it both back and forth and up and down;
• the whole thing is fixed on a bed of chipboard. Any system of stops and clamps can be easily fixed on this material;
• the angle grinder itself is held on a carriage made of the same chipboard.

An old angle grinder is perfect for making a tile cutter Homemade tile cutter from an angle grinder Homemade tile cutter-wet cutter

This concludes our material. We considered only three options, but there are, in fact, the same number of types of tile cutters. If you are aiming at creating something like this, then you will find useful information in our article. We hope it was interesting and informative with us!