Floor tiling

[Terry D]

I've just bought a Challenge 600W electric tile cutter from Argos. It's made in China (what isn't these days?) and the construction seems OK - for a start it's all metal unlike PlasPlugs. At £29.99 it's much more powerful than the PlasPlugs version at a similar price, and has a much greater cutting depth (35mm). The helpline is [e-mail] who have so far not replied to my queries. The blade catches on the base of the water container which doesn't seem right. Also, is it possible to cut small angles using this type of machine. I've dry laid my tiles to achieve the best layout, but because no walls are perfectly square, I may need to cut some tiles at 1 - 3 degrees from a right angle. How can I do this? What is the minimum I can cut from a tile using this type of machine? The tiles are

33 x 33cm and about 10mm thick. Thanks in advance.

Terry D.

[Grunff]

Slight design flaw there ;-)

I personally wouldn't (and indeed didn't) bother. Such tiny differences will magically disappear when you grout.

[Lurch]

On Wed, 9 Jun 2004 15:12:40 +0100, "Terry D" strung together this:

Make something that holds the tile at 1 - 3 degrees of of a right angle. Wedge a piece of cheese behind one corner of the tile, stick your finger in there. Be inventive, use your initiative.

[Terry D]

What cheese would you recommend? I reckon Wensleydale would be too crumbly, so would a nice Cheshire be best for the the job or even a Emmental. Perhaps I should organise a cheese, wine & tile party. Interestingly, a Google search for floor tiling + angled cuts + cheese produced 294 hits, so maybe there's method in your madness :-)

Terry D.

[Nibbles]

You really need to get out more! :-)

Lee

produced 294 hits, so

[Terry D]

I'm really trying hard to get out more - went out in the garden this evening and saw a hedgehog. I also actually saw Venus transiting the sun the other day - a fantastic sight - I bet you missed it. How much more excitement could anyone possibly want? BTW, the cheese idea didn't really work with my angled cuts, but I did manage to decapitate a couple of mice. Got to get to bed now as I have a very early appointment with my psychiatrist :-) Anyway, lacking any really worthwhile suggestions, I'm going to play it by ear and trust my own inherent skills and judgement. Now I'll get back to the last part of Jurassic Park III.

Terry D.

[Lurch]

On Wed, 9 Jun 2004 18:24:43 +0100, "Terry D" strung together this:

I was thinking some standard pattern cheddar, although I think red leicester would do if that wasn't available.

[David]

far

This sounds dodgy and worth returning it to Argos. I bought the Plasplugs model some time ago, but had to return the first one for a similar reason... these things are pretty cheap so there is little quality control

Also, is it possible to cut small

I had no problem cutting small angle just by marking the line on the tile in pencil and then carefully following it by eye. When doing this it helps not to have too much water in the reservoir, but obviously enough to still wet the cutting area

David

[BigWallop]

But you always did have expensive taste. :-))

[MBQ]

On my cheap cutter (PP Pro)the tile guide can be locked in place at a slight angle. I don't think it was a design feature! I can cut down to virtually zero on mine, ie just shave off the thickness of the blade. If you actually want to use a thin off-cut then I would say a few mm minimum but be prepared to break a few.

MBQ

MBQ