DIY Chip free wet saw

[TilingPeter]

You may well be pushing too hard on both machines.

I think you're probably right. With the scriber, it doesn't even scratch the tile if I don't push as hard, I do need to push quite firmly.

With the machine I think the friction could be the problem. It needs quite a bit of force to slide along the table. Any ideas how this friction could be reduced? At the moment I spray water over the back of the tile and table, but it doesn't help much. I suspect that oil/grease would soak into the tile and cause problems with adhesive.

 

[Dumbo]

If you are still using the fence that will add to friction.

 

[TilingPeter]

If you are still using the fence that will add to friction.

Just tried without it and still similar. Although the friction isn't ideal it's probably not that that's causing the real problem.

I've attached a picture to give an idea of what it looks like. They aren't as big as I thought but certainly visible in the right light. Most of them are probably no more than 0.5mm, but some are around 1mm.

 

[Old Mod]

They’re your chipped cuts, yes?
They can be rectified very easily with a rubbing block.

 

[TilingPeter]

They’re your chipped cuts, yes?
They can be rectified very easily with a rubbing block.

Yes, is this quite normal for a wet saw? I've seen videos of cutters online and although the video quality is rarely good enough to see chips I do sometimes see similar chips. Is my angle grinder (with a good blade) likely to give a better finish?

I've been really struggling to rectify these with rubbing blocks. I find that the blocks create chips so I end up rubbing it forever.

 

[Old Mod]

In my honest opinion, if you’re unable to cope with cuts of that standard, (although it’s still hard to comment without knowing or seeing the full scenario) I’d suggest you mark your cuts and get them water jet cut.
That is the only way to ensure perfection without a reasonable amount of practicle experience.
Extreme it may seem to be, but at the moment, so does your determination for perfection as a diy tiler. You must expect compromise with your experience level.
Although, I don’t think you’ve actually stated it’s diy, just not a one off job, referencing the rest of your home.

 

[TilingPeter]

In my honest opinion, if you’re unable to cope with cuts of that standard, (although it’s still hard to comment without knowing or seeing the full scenario) I’d suggest you mark your cuts and get them water jet cut.
That is the only way to ensure perfection without a reasonable amount of practicle experience.
Extreme it may seem to be, but at the moment, so does your determination for perfection as a diy tiler. You must expect compromise with your experience level.
Although, I don’t think you’ve actually stated it’s diy, just not a one off job, referencing the rest of your home.

Water jet cutting sounds like a good idea. If I had known before then I would have probably done that, but it would be very costly and time consuming, especially if I need multiple trips. The nearest water jet cutter seems quite far away and it seems a bit extreme to cut a normal tile.

Once the tiles are on the wall they will be very hard to replace and I certainly don't want to be replacing anything for many years. I want a professional looking job.

I've come to the conclusion that the wet saw can't do completely chip free cuts for my particular tiles. If I wanted perfection, what would I need to do? Would I need to look at and/or experiment with the rubbing blocks?

I have managed to rub a small piece (about 1-2 inches) which is almost perfect but I suspect I would struggle to do it for 300-600mm.

 

[WetSaw]

A colour matched grout rather than contrasting can help hide any small chips. Some tiles are almost impossible to cut without the glaze chipping.

 

[Wolfie9878]

You could always try cutting the tiles slightly over sized and then using diamond or carbide pads on a grinder to reduce to the size you want that way you will get a factory finish on the edges.

 

[JerryB]

You mention the fence a lot. Worth checking its perfectly aligned with the blade, otherwise the result can feel like a lot of friction as the upward-moving part of the blade is rubbing against the tile. To set up, I use a long straight edge on the blade and align my tile cut line with that, then fix the fence against the edge of the tile. Doesnt work if cut line and edge are not parallel of course.