How to Cut Tiles Angle Grinders Without Chips

When conducting independent repair work, an angle grinder is often used to cut tiles, as a rule, it is used when working with durable facing material or simply because of the lack of a tile cutter. However, making a cut with such a tool without chips is not so simple. In order for the tile surface to remain smooth, you need to know some of the subtleties of this work. So, let’s take a closer look at how to cut a tile angle grinder.

Tile cutting angle grinder has certain features that must be considered so as not to spoil the material

Features of working with the tool

In the process of performing the facing work, you will inevitably be faced with the need to adjust the size of the tile. In order to make an incision, tile cutters in various variations are usually used, as well as improvised tools. If a glass cutter is enough for a wall tile, it is much more difficult to break a thick floor material. Is it possible to cut such ceramic tiles with an angle grinder?

An angle grinder is one of the most popular tools that, in addition to its direct task in the form of grinding surfaces, can also perform other functions. With its help, metal, ceramic tile, stone and other durable materials are cut.

Thanks to a special nozzle, even a thick durable porcelain tile can be cut using an angle grinder

As for the tile itself, working with an angle grinder has its own characteristics. In order to complete the task you will need a special nozzle and clamp for tiles. The tool will do the rest for you.

For additional protection, you should put a cap on the angle grinder, of course, it will reduce the usability of the tool, but will protect you from fragments and the disc itself.

Used nozzles

Tile cutting angle grinder is performed using a diamond grinding wheel. This nozzle can be made in several variations. Basically, for this type of work, a small diamond-coated wheel is used for dry cutting. Of course, there will be a lot of dust, but this way you can make a neat cut.

If you plan to work for a long time, in order to prevent overheating of the tool, you can use a wet cutting circle. In this case, you will need to additionally equip the water supply. This can be done manually, using a spray bottle, or simply dip the disc in water.

To protect against possible nozzle breakdown, before starting work, you need to carefully inspect the tool and securely fix all its parts. In addition to the protective cap for the angle grinder, also use glasses, a mask and gloves to protect against dust and sharp circles.

Diamond wheel for angle grinder can be used both in dry and wet cutting

How to cut a tile

Now we will go directly to the process itself and consider how to work with the tool to make an incision without chips and with a minimum amount of dust. With regard to this nuance, three directions can be distinguished:

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• Straight cut. This type of work is the simplest. In order to cut the ceramic tile, the angle grinder in a straight line, first of all, it is necessary to fix it on a flat surface so that the edge remains weighted along the notch line. You need to hold the tool so that you see the direction of cutting, that is, the circle will move “towards you”. It is important to comply with safety regulations.
• At an angle of 45 degrees. Tile cutting at an angle is somewhat more complicated. In order to perform an oblique angle grinder, you first need to saw the tile at a right angle. Then the diamond wheel is guided so that it can be used to remove excess material at an angle. You can bring the edges to the ideal with sandpaper.
• The hole in the tile. This type of work is only suitable for making large diameter holes. In order to cut it off the angle grinder, you must first apply the contours of the circle on the front side with a marker. Then, with straight fishing lines located crosswise at right angles to each other, designate the center point. Then proceed to sawing. The angle grinder must be angled so that the circle makes a small indentation around the circumference of the hole on the inside of the basting line. Gradually shift, evenly sawing tiles. When you go deep enough, file straight lines. It is necessary to carefully extract alternately 4 sectors of the circle.

Options for cutting tiles using an angle grinder

A prerequisite for preventing chips: you need to work exclusively on the front side of the tile. So you will damage the top layer less, and defects on the back side will be hidden by the solution during installation. After the file is filed, the edges of the tile are processed with an emery cloth filled on a bar, so foresee the possibility of grinding some amount of facing material in advance.

How to turn an angle grinder into a tile cutter

It is far from always convenient to hold the angle grinder on weight and to do all the work exclusively by hand. In order to improve the quality of cut you need an assistant. However, it will be much more rational to turn a conventional grinding machine into an analogue of an electric tile cutter.

We figured out how to cut ceramic tiles with an angle grinder. The same operating principles apply to the tile cutter, but you still have both hands free. Consider what needs to be done to improve this tool.

First of all, select a suitable location for the location of the machine. The base of the future tile cutter can be made of sheet metal, in which a groove will be cut to deepen the disk. All work will be carried out along this line, moreover, using such a mark will make it much easier to navigate.

The most important step is fixing the angle grinder. In order to fix the tool in the desired position, special clamps must be used. Their analogue can be made independently, but at the same time there is a risk that the fixing bolts will break during the work.

For frequent use and convenience, the angle grinder can be fixed by making a tile cutter from it

This version of a homemade electric tile cutter can be improved by adding to it a water tank and a nozzle for wet cutting. This will help to avoid dust and cool the tool.

After fixing the angle grinder, you can conduct a test cut. The principle of operation is as follows: the tile is laid according to the marks, the angle grinder is turned on and the disk is slowly lowered. The tile will be sawn on the front side, while you need to submit it on your own.

If the work is done correctly, you will get cut into two ceramic tiles with neat edges, without chips, cracks and nicks. The final look of the tile can be given with fine sandpaper.