Flooring Tile - Cutting Granite Tiles
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ddayton217
01-18-05, 09:20 AM
Is there a special blade or saw I should use to cut granite tiles? Or will a regular wet tile saw work? Any blade recommendations?
Dan
Dan
Tileguybob
01-19-05, 07:27 PM
A wet saw would be the best thing to use for cutting granite. The type of blade that usually comes with a wet saw will be adequate unless you are talking hundreds of sq ft. A new blade isn't cheap. One could run over $100 for a top of the line 10" diameter blade. There are on-line retailers with great prices for blades but I dont think I'm allowed to mention names on this forum. :rolleyes:
twelvepole
01-19-05, 07:35 PM
Most of the guys I know use a wet saw with a diamond blade. Granite is about 6-7 on the Mohs scale for hardness & diamonds are 10. So, you can see that is why they use a diamond blade for cutting granite.
square 1
01-24-05, 01:09 AM
FYI, choosing blades is more than just the fact that diamonds are harder than granite. Diamond blades vary in price and quality due to 2 main factors.
1, the quantity of diamonds in the blade.
2, the hardness of the brass ring those diamonds are set into.
Ideally the brass should wear down and expose new diamonds as quickly as diamonds are being lost. Very hard products like granites and porcelians tend to rip the diamonds out of cheaper blades quicker than the brass wears down, leaving the blade feeling "dull". You'll notice how much harder it gets to make a cut as your job continues. The hardness of the granite itself can also vary a lot. Some stones like "Juperanas" are very porous for a granite and are relatively easy to work with, others like "Blue Pearl" or "Black Galaxy" can tear up the wrong blade in just a few cuts.
If your going to work with granite, do NOT buy a $100 - $200 saw. Rent a 10" saw, they usually have much better blades (they don't make good blades for cheap saws) and you'll need the power. Also, buy a few red brick pavers, like you would use for landscaping, as you work with the saw, if you feel it get slow or dull, make about 20 cuts off of one of those bricks, just thin little slices, like your cutting cheese. Cutting this soft brick wears down the brass ring of the blade exposing new diamonds without removing the diamonds. This is called "blade dressing", and I'm constantly amazed at how many "pros" don't do this.
Good luck :)
1, the quantity of diamonds in the blade.
2, the hardness of the brass ring those diamonds are set into.
Ideally the brass should wear down and expose new diamonds as quickly as diamonds are being lost. Very hard products like granites and porcelians tend to rip the diamonds out of cheaper blades quicker than the brass wears down, leaving the blade feeling "dull". You'll notice how much harder it gets to make a cut as your job continues. The hardness of the granite itself can also vary a lot. Some stones like "Juperanas" are very porous for a granite and are relatively easy to work with, others like "Blue Pearl" or "Black Galaxy" can tear up the wrong blade in just a few cuts.
If your going to work with granite, do NOT buy a $100 - $200 saw. Rent a 10" saw, they usually have much better blades (they don't make good blades for cheap saws) and you'll need the power. Also, buy a few red brick pavers, like you would use for landscaping, as you work with the saw, if you feel it get slow or dull, make about 20 cuts off of one of those bricks, just thin little slices, like your cutting cheese. Cutting this soft brick wears down the brass ring of the blade exposing new diamonds without removing the diamonds. This is called "blade dressing", and I'm constantly amazed at how many "pros" don't do this.
Good luck :)