Cutting Brick with a 7" tile saw

[Ron Citerone]

Can I cut brick with a 7" tile saw? I have a small tile saw that I used for a tile back splash, but now have a small brick job to repair a small retaining wall. If possible, do I need a special blade?

Thanks, Ron

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Yes. Some bricks won't fit under. I flip them and come from both sides. I go very slowly and use water.

[Jim Becker]

The same type of blade would likely be fine, but can your saw handle the height of the brick compared to tile. My tile saw can't for sure.

[Frank Pratt]

I've done it & it worked well.

[Lawrence Duckworth]

If your 7" saw looks something like a table saw and not a radial arm saw, then try to cut into the face of the brick about an inch or so. this can can be a bit risky, so hang on tight to the brick ....then tap the backside of the brick with a hammer. The blade should work okay.

[Lawrence Duckworth]

I tried to delete my post after thinking about it a bit more. the 7 inch blade is probably not segmented and will heat up and warp if you don't "saw" with it. you can't push the brick into the blade like you do a tile. be careful not to bind the blade .....good luck!

[Ron Citerone]

My saw is at my cottage, so I will have to take a look at the blade for segmentation when I get down there. It is the table saw type with water bath (Rigid) I will have to look at the height of the blade too. Thanks for the input everybody.

[Tom M King]

I've cut hundreds with a tile blade. No need to use the really fine cutting tile blades though. My tile saw is a 10", and a brick will go right under. Almost any brick is a lot softer than ceramic tile.

When I rebuilt this chimney, every course in the stack had to have bricks cut to work out to the right size going around the stack. We used old bricks from three different sources.

When I rebuilt the part up to the shoulder, I had the saw up on the scaffolding.

We did some brick staining, to blend in the Washington Monument effect, but I can't find a picture since then.

[Tom M King]

It's a lot easier to take time to set up a guide system than having to handle a level so much. If you click on the picture, and then magnify it, you can see the lines pulled. Never let a brick (or block) touch the line. Leave a hair of daylight. If anything pushes the line, you might as well not use them.

[Lawrence Duckworth]

It's a lot easier to take time to set up a guide system than having to handle a level so much.

I'll take BrickLaying for 400 Alex

1. a Jack line is?
2. a speed lead is?
3. a line block is?

and the daily double is... in bricklaying, what's the difference between a " Frog" and a "Hog".



That's quite a project Tom, looks good.

[Frank Pratt]

I tried to delete my post after thinking about it a bit more. the 7 inch blade is probably not segmented and will heat up and warp if you don't "saw" with it. you can't push the brick into the blade like you do a tile. be careful not to bind the blade .....good luck!

Lawrence, that won't matter a bit if the saw is water cooled. The blade won't even get remotely warm. If you're not using water, you should be.

I have a 10 Dewalt tile saw (which is a real gem) and I've cut lots of brick with it. Brick probably cuts faster than good porcelain tile.

[Tom M King]

I made the corner guides for the stack. If I did bricklaying every day, I'd get some commercial, lightweight ones. These were made from scrap steel. The plywood form holds them in place. It helps to combine woodworking with welding sometimes, for masonry work.

[Tom M King]

I made a thing we called the "suitcase" to size the bricks for a course in the stack. It was also used to raise that course up to where I was laying them, with a multipurchase block and tackle (sailboat mainsheet system with tree work rope).

[Alex Zeller]

It was cheaper to buy a 10" tile saw from Harbor Freight than to rent a saw for the few rooms that got tiled in my house. I've cut bricks (including fire bricks) and stone with it as well as tile. But if you have just one to cut you can get a diamond wheel for either a circular saw or 4 1/2" grinder. It'll be dusty so a small trickle of water is needed. I even have a diamond wheel for a dremel that cuts tile and brick. Worked well for cutting curves in the tiles for around things like toilets.

[Tom M King]

I buy cheap 4-1/2" grinders, and use a water hose for cutting some rough masonry jobs, knowing that the grinder will be disposable. No sense at all in making dust.

I don't need to cut such masonry jobs often enough to own an expensive dedicated saw, and the disposable grinders are cheaper than the time it would take for me to go rent one and take it back, not to mention the rental cost.