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Thread: mail surprises and tile saw question

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
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    mail surprises and tile saw question

    I got the mail today and in it was the DRO from Wixey AND the Grizzly catalog. Boy am I a happy guy now.

    But to the question: I got a small kitchen and bath remodel to do in a rental and it will require some tile work. The realtor just wants regular 4x4 tile from the BORG and such...real simple little job of about 50 square feet. (There is other work like more cabinets and stuff but not relevant here). I will just need a tile saw for a few cuts and happened to be by my local Harbor Freight and saw their little 7" tile saw on sale for $60. Chicago Electric I think. To rent a regular tile saw for two different days (I have to do the 6 sq. ft. bath counter on a seperate day) would cost over $100. With a 20% off coupon kindly provided by a member, would anyone else get this little saw? I'm not a real big fan of HF stuff but not entirely opposed to it. I just don't usually buy throw away tools. Anyone have any experience to throw my way? Thanks very much.
    Mark Rios

    Anything worth taking seriously is worth making fun of.

    "All roads lead to a terrestrial planet finder telescope"

    We arrive at this moment...by the unswerving punctuality...of chance.

  2. #2
    I actually have that saw. I bought it for a small job - similar to yours - because it's cheaper than renting. Surprisingly, it's lasted through that job and two more after that, and is still going strong.

    It does a good job on the tile, although the tilting table - if you even need to use it - takes a bit of getting used to. 99% of my cuts have been flat, at 90°, though, so no problem.

    BTW, if you've never used a tile saw before, they're very messy. Spray water & tile dust/mud everywhere around them. Be sure to use it outside, on in an area you don't want to have to refinish afterward. DAMHIKT!

  3. #3
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    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    Mark...PM me. I have an almost new tile saw that I'll work a deal with you on for about what you'd pay for your rental. And it's a quality Machine. (Do a search in the SMC classifieds...I had it listed awhile back with pics)
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  4. #4
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    But will you honor the HF 20% coupon? lol Just kidding. PM on the way.
    Mark Rios

    Anything worth taking seriously is worth making fun of.

    "All roads lead to a terrestrial planet finder telescope"

    We arrive at this moment...by the unswerving punctuality...of chance.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    St. Ignatius, MT
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    149
    One tip about these type of tile saws. I put the pump into a 5 gallon bucket of clean water and then periodically dump the waste water out of the tray the saw sits on. I try to set up to cut where making a mess isn't a problem, but I've also used a childs wading pool to set the saw up in, to contain the mess. Keeping the pump out of the reservoir below the saw will make it last indefinately. If you keep the pump in the reservoir under the saw, they will wear out pretty fast. Put it in a five gallon bucket of clean water and they'll run forever.
    Alan & Lynette Mikkelsen, Mountain View Farm Gardens & Fine Woodworking, St. Ignatius, MT. Visitors Welcome!

  6. #6
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    Dec 2004
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    Mark - I just finished a master bath remodel. I did a lot of tile cutting. I bought a $50 saw from Lowes and it actually worked out pretty good. The fence wqas not nearly as nice as my b-meyer but for $50 what do you expect?

    I'd definately buy a cheap saw for ceramic tile. Renting will ultimately cost more since you will alsways need to do that one last cut! Also a nice set of tile nippers come in handy for curves and such.

    Mike

  7. #7
    mark, i`m a cry only once kind of fellow. i went with the 2hp mk diamond saw several years ago and each time i use it i`m glad i bucked up.......02 tod

  8. #8

    tile saw

    I bought one probably about the same at hd for 80.- about 3-4 years ago I was going to put a tile back splash in my kitchen, I procrastinated and instead we decided to redo the whole kitchen. Well last year I decided to put in a brick walkway in the front of my house to my front door from salvaged bricks. The saw worked like a charm, I cut probably 100+ bricks the blade cut those bricks like butter, a top of the line rental probably could not have done a better job.

  9. #9
    I used mine in the house. I put it in a black cement mixing tub with a plastic splash board on the splash end. Worked great and the rest of the room stayed clean. Got mine from Amazon for $69 or so.
    Scott

  10. #10
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    Feb 2005
    Location
    Mont. Co. MD
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    I just bought the $88 Workforce 7" tile saw from HD. I was skeptical but a coworker bought one and was satisfied with it. I suspect they are very similar to the HF version, if not the same. I didn't think to look there. My wife has bee using it and it has been working fine, we are cutting porcelin (sp?) tile with it too, which is much harder than ceramic. In fact ceramic can be scored and snapped, but I don't like doing that. It doesn't always snap where you want it to.

    Jim, had I only known I might have bought yours. Just to have the chance to drive up an pick it up in person. That is a nicer saw. The over head blades sling less water than the "table saw" style and you can see what you are cutting a bit better.

  11. #11
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    Southern MD
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    I bought a cheapo $89 tile saw from the borg (?pasplug? brand) and it has been fantastic. I was fearful that I'd regret it, but not at all. I've done a couple small rooms and lent it out for a couple more. I had to make a "jig" for it to cut 45* on large tiles because of the small table. My jig wound up being a plastic speed square screwed to a strip of wood. If I had plans to tile for a living, it wouldn't be my first choice. But, for a couple bathrooms, it's a heck of a deal. Also, use it someplace where you can make a mess. The water bath sprays liquid tile dust everywhere.

    Jay
    Jay St. Peter

  12. #12
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    Feb 2003
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    Olathe, Kansas (Kansas City)
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    Ditto on the borg cheapy mentioned above. I bought one many years ago, Ok not actually bought but a long story noe the less. Anyways, it was when they were essentially all plastic. Anyways, I have cut marble, tile, etc with it and it does a good job. Not as fast as a pro model, but for the dozen or so jobs done with it, totally paid for itself times over. I've leant it out to several folks and they have also been happy. Maybe I need to start charging a nominal fee, but then again it was cheap.
    Scott C. in KC
    Befco Designs

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by tod evans
    mark, i`m a cry only once kind of fellow. i went with the 2hp mk diamond saw several years ago and each time i use it i`m glad i bucked up.......02 tod
    Mark,
    Go with the best you can afford, as once you play with tile you will want more.
    DAMHIKT
    Regards,
    Frank

  14. #14
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    Modesto, CA
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    Quote Originally Posted by Frank Chaffee
    Mark,
    Go with the best you can afford, as once you play with tile you will want more.
    DAMHIKT
    Regards,
    Frank

    Thanks for all the replies. I really don't WANT to purchase one but if I was in the market I would indeed get one of the 10" beefier models. This job is just a barebones little kitchen and bath using cheapie HD 4x4 tile. I need to finish the vanity counter before I even start the remodel on the kitchen so I would need to rent on to different days but would only need the saw for approximately 20 minutes in the bath and an hour in the kitchen. The HF saw for around $50 will be less than half as much as a rental. If it lasts for longer than this job then great but if not then I'm not really out any money. Thanks again for all the helpful answers and thanks to Jim B. for his offer.
    Mark Rios

    Anything worth taking seriously is worth making fun of.

    "All roads lead to a terrestrial planet finder telescope"

    We arrive at this moment...by the unswerving punctuality...of chance.

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