Re: cutting hole in ceramic tile

[Dave Liquorice]

now have to cut a complete oblong hole in a single tile to

> accomodate the next socket and i have no idea how to do it.

If you are careful and don't mind the spray take the guards of your plasplugs and lower(*) the tile onto the top of the blade. Indeed ISTR that this is in TFM.

Be careful to accurately mark both sides of the tile and cut from underneath. Two sets of marks, the bottom ones so you know where to start and the top ones so you know where to stop.

(*) Probably best to retain the fence to keep things square and as a fence when the tile is flat and to "hinge" the tile down onto the blade.

[Dave Plowman]

To add to the other suggestions, you can get a ceramic cutting blade for a jigsaw, but you need one which can run at a slow speed.

[Frank]

why spend £50 when he allready has a tool that will do for rectangular holes

[JimM]

"why spend £50 when he allready has a tool that will do for rectangular holes"

because it's a case of using the right tool for the job. The wheel cutter may be able to do it, but you run the risk of breaking tiles (or fingers) etc The Rotozip is ideally designed for what he wants and the tool can be used on other projects afterwards. The OP didn't mention anything about being on a budget

[e-mail]

[Tony Collins]

I've just done this. Rectangular hole in single tile, and through plaster board underneath.

Drill hole in each corner of the rectangle (DO NOT USE HAMMER ACTION). Apply moderate pressure useing a masonry drill bit (I was using SDS bits) until the glaze is removed from the tile. It is then possible to increase the pressure a little.

Use ceramic cutting blade in jigsaw.

The trick - hot melt glue corrugated cardboard to the base plate of your jigsaw to protect the tile. It comes off easily afterward.

Cut from one corner to the next.

Total took about 20 minutes. (including preparation)

-- Tony Collins

[John Stumbles]

First time I used one of these blades it was in a rubbish old single-speed jigsaw and (to my surprise) worked OK

-- John Stumbles

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-+ Cannibalize Legalists

[Woodspoiler]

is perfect

of the cut

intricate

horses for

Actually, you can do a good job of moderately intricate shapes with a table saw type cutter.

Draw the shape on the tile surface. Run a scribe over the line. Cut at 90 degrees to the line, dividing the waste into a series of fingers cut just short (about 0.5 - 1mm) of the line. Keep dividing the fingers so they get thinner and thinner. Eventually they either snap off or you can take them off near the base with a slight sideways movement of the tile. You can then tidy to within a hairsbreadth of the line using the cutter to nibble off the high points.

The final step is to use abrasive paper, rolled into a tight cylinder if necessary.

It ain't fast, but it's fast enough for a few tiles. It takes fine control and close observation (wear safety specs) but it's do-able and the results are good, especially when you've done a few.

No help to the OP though.

W.

[Dave Plowman]

It will work, but will wear out fast. Not good at the price. If you can use water as a lubricant *safely* then this should help.

[IMM]

See my post on the new PP Pro.

[IMM]

Do you mean they were profitable, and a competitor decided to get them out of the way?

[geoff]

In message , IMM writes

Something like that I presume

[Andrew]

No, Rotozip set up a UK operation, bought out Minicraft and then closed down both Minicraft and the UK rotozip operation. Rotozip (the original US company) is still in business and hasn't been bought out. Maybe there just wasn't the demand for a UK voltage version.

Search the archive for "Rotozip" and read my previous posts with quotes from Rotozip.

Andrew

[Parish]

Just spotted in the latest Argos catalogue, the Rotozip Rebel (550W,

33,000rpm).

circle cutter, straight guide, and 10-pce bit pack, are also available, but only from Argos Extra stores (the machine itself is available from all).

[Dave Plowman]

There's one on eBay with a 'buy it now' price of 10 quid.