Ceramic tile saw suggestion?

[Bryan Rocker]

Good evening folks, the time has come for me to remove the old counter top and put down fresh 3/4" plywood and install the 12" square granite tiles. I have been looked at the BORGs and they both carry a reasonable tile saw with HD having what appears on the surface a slightly better saw. It is a Husky 7 amp 590L ceramic tile saw for $300. I fully understand this is not even close to the quality of a tile saw my dad used when he did it for a living. But then again those are more than twice the cost and I can't justify that much money. I won't be earning a living off it, strictly for DIY projects. Yes I will use it on more projects than just the kitchen, both baths, and the entry way have tile in their future. I am just wondering if anybody has purchased this particular unit and what are their thoughts on it. The Lowes unit similar to this one only had a 4.25 am motor nad was made by Electrolux in Olathe Kansas.

[Steven Evans]

I am not sure what your budget is but I Found the MK brand great and you will get good support and parts later on. When I was looking Lowes and HD both carried them. I went with the MK 101 I think with the floor stand it came to about 800.00 but that was about 3 yrs ago. It is a great model with belt drive shaft for the blade. I know they make other models maybe you can find one in your range.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Bryan..........depending on how much use you plan for the tile saw.....You don't have to spend that much. I've seen people spend less than that at the BORGs and they did some great work! I bought one for about $200 at HF a number of years ago. It's served me well numerous times...is still going and it's served several of my friends as well. I've seen better quality ones at the BORGs for a lot less money!

[Joe Spear]

About five or six years ago I bought a little wet-tub tile saw at Home Depot for about $80. It has a 4-inch diameter blade and throws a lot of water on the operator. But I used it to tile a back porch and a basement hallway. I plan to do an office room later this year. It does an adequate job. If you're not in the tiling business and just have an occasional project, it's hard to justify buying an $300 saw.

[Charlie Hans]

Bryan You might check Harbor Freight, they have a good tile wet saw for $149.95 I have used mine for three different tile jobs and I am very satisfied with the way it has held up. I would recommend it for the home improvement jobs.
Charlie

[Jeff Horton]

I bought at one of the BORG's a Workforce (http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS/EN_US/jsearch/product.jsp?pn=163849) tile saw for around $80. I used it building this house. Four rooms, a shower and a tile surround on the fireplace. Couldn't be happier for the money.

http://www.homedepot.com/cmc_upload/HDUS/EN_US/asset/images/eplus/163849_3.jpg

And FWIW, put down cement board over the plywood. Much less chance of having problems down the road.

[Bryan Rocker]

I concur on HF. I hadn't thought of them until after I posted. I plan on dropping by HF in the morning and seeing what they have on hand.

On a side note, would you put down the cement board down on 1 layer of plywood?

[frank shic]

bryan, the THD550 RULES! i started out my tiling career with the "master tiler" for approximately $200 and found that the splitter was out of alignment with the main blade. i returned that and bought the $300 QEP tile saw with the slider only to find out that the slider rails gum up really quickly and makes for a progressively painful experience. finally decided to go low-end - how can you lose with an $88 tile saw i figured? well, i've cut porcelain and granite with it so far and i must say that it works extremely well. now, keep in mind that this little engine is not designed to give you razor sharp chip-free edges, ok? most of the cuts are going to be hidden by base modling anyways.

good luck!

[Mark Rios]

Check with Jim Becker. He's got one that he wanted to sell a little while ago.

[Bob Childress]

Bryan,

Felker TM-75. About $300 or a little less. I did a LOT of research before buying a tile saw several months ago and the consensus among professional tile folks is that Felker/Target makes the best saws on the market. I ended up buying the more expensive FT-150 but the TM-75 gets great reviews.:D

Tile saw is also driven by the kinds of cuts you will make. 12" tiles are obviously about 12 inches, but if you cut on the diagonal, much longer. Make sure the saw can accomodate what you plan to do.

As for your countertop, you will need to use two layers of 3/4 ply, glued and screwed together. Or, at a minimum, one 3/4" and one 5/8" glued and screwed. Cement backer board adds NO structural strength,:eek: just makes a flat bed to lay the tile on and is waterproof. Single layer of ply will not work well, especially for granite. (BTW, Schluter Ditra is a lightweight, waterproof underlayment for tile which IMHO is much easier to work with than cement backer.)

If you are interested in the Felker PM me and I'll send you a link to a reputable on-line dealer with free shipping for $299.95.

Insert disclaimer here: I am not affiliated with Felker/Target in any way. Just a happy user.:)

[Paul Canaris]

I think it is made by workforce, cost around what your looking at. Two bathrooms so far, works very well with it's slding table (nylon bushings). Surprisingly, the diamond blade is still sharp.

[Jeff Horton]

On a side note, would you put down the cement board down on 1 layer of plywood?

Plywood expands, contracts and in generally just moves. Masonry ie your grout, doesn't. Neither does cement board. Most and probably all tile companies recommend using a masonry base.

I am a Home Inspector and Appraiser and I have been in brand new homes where the grout was cracking because they cut corners and just used plywood base.

[Bryan Rocker]

I just got back from HF. They have a good sale going on right now. I bought the $299 saw for $199. It is belt driven as opposed to some of the direct drive units. Supposedly it has 2 1/2 HP, couldn't find the amp ratings but it doesn't really matter. It is a heavy hog too.

Thanks fellow creekers for all your help....

[Bryan Rocker]

I put the saw through its paces today as I started putting the granite on my counter top. The saw works like a champ. Very smooth cuts. I did opt for an MK-225 blade. I would recommend this saw to anybody who has any amount of cutting to do, especially at the $200 price.

[Chuck Trisdale]

About five or six years ago I bought a little wet-tub tile saw at Home Depot for about $80. It has a 4-inch diameter blade and throws a lot of water on the operator. But I used it to tile a back porch and a basement hallway. I plan to do an office room later this year. It does an adequate job. If you're not in the tiling business and just have an occasional project, it's hard to justify buying an $300 saw.

I did the same. I did build an extension table out of scrap bc larger tiles wont fit on the table, but it was easy. I bought the little 80-90 dollar job at the BORG (all I remember is that the saw is yellow). I tiled 3 bathrooms with it. It does throw some water on you, but this time of year that can be a good thing.

This is one time when buying a cheap tool didnt come back to bite me in the ...