[CarpenterSFO]

Does anyone have any experience with the Bosch diamond jigsaw blades, for cutting ceramic tile? Or any feedback about the advantages of an adjustable speed angle grinder with a diamond blade, compared to my single-speed Ryobi? The Ryobi runs at 11,000 RPM, and we usually get some breakage. But these are 13x40 Porcelanosa Ona, and I don't have that many spares for this job. The low speed of most of the adjustables is around 2500 RPM. I have a Makita adjustable grinder/polisher that goes down to something like 400 rpm, but the geometry of the tool doesn't work well for cutting receptacle holes and the like.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[GO Remodeling]

Just curious. Why can't you cut a receptical with a grinder. I do it all the time. My grinder takes a 4" blade.

No experience w diamond jigsaw blade. But you would need a hole in the tile to use jigsaw.

On difficult tile that breaks seemingly on its own, I've made two side by side holes then cleaned up the middle. The curved end cut reduces the tile stress and breakage.

 

[BlueRidgeGreen]

My limited experience with diamond jigsaw blades is that it is like climbing a telephone pole greased up with Crisco......which is why my experience is "limited".

 

[hdavis]

I use 4" continuous rim, non-turbo. I set the RPMs so I have lower vibration - this actually also depends on how tightly you hold the angle grinder. Lower RPMs is not always better. Drilling holes as above is a good tip - I've only done that with glass.

I've never used a diamond jigsaw blade for tile or glass. I'd imagine it would break glass pretty easily, so I'd have the same concern with tile.

 

[Exlud]

I've had success marking out the box, starting the cuts in the middle with a tile saw (much easier since I got the DeWalt saw that plunges), and finishing to the corners with the jigsaw. The blades cut pretty well on some tile, no so well on others, and really well on none that I know of.

 

[BlueRidgeGreen]

DeWalt plunge:thumbsup:......muy facil!

 

[CarpenterSFO]

Thanks for the answers, everyone. I'll make it work.

Bob

 

[CarpenterSFO]

Just curious. Why can't you cut a receptical with a grinder. I do it all the time. My grinder takes a 4" blade.

No experience w diamond jigsaw blade. But you would need a hole in the tile to use jigsaw.

On difficult tile that breaks seemingly on its own, I've made two side by side holes then cleaned up the middle. The curved end cut reduces the tile stress and breakage.

I do it all the time, too. This job is 13x40 tiles, a total of 16 of them in the backsplash. Every tile gets cut. I have some spares, but I need to be careful. I was hoping for the magical solution ("Bob, those diamond jigsaw blades cut porcelain like butter.")

 

[CarpenterSFO]

I've had success marking out the box, starting the cuts in the middle with a tile saw (much easier since I got the DeWalt saw that plunges), and finishing to the corners with the jigsaw. The blades cut pretty well on some tile, no so well on others, and really well on none that I know of.

I might try this with the grinder and jigsaw.

 

[CarpenterSFO]

DeWalt plunge:thumbsup:......muy facil!

I can't take my tile saw on site. Long cuts get taken back to the shop. That's a 90-minute round trip. I'd cut the holes in the desired place, and adjust the receptacles as needed on site, but the wiring is EMT and the boxes and rings aren't going to move more than about a millimeter, so I really need to do it on-site, with grinder and the like.

I'm just whining, I know. It's not rocket science.

 

[tjbnwi]

There is a diamond bit for the Roto Zip. I've used it and it works very well on porcelain tile. The diamonds wrap around the nose no need to drill a starter hole.

Did the bay winds blow your hat away?

Tom

 

[CarpenterSFO]

There is a diamond bit for the Roto Zip. I've used it and it works very well on porcelain tile. The diamonds wrap around the nose no need to drill a starter hole.

Did the bay winds blow your hat away?

Tom

Couldn't find the diamond roto zip blade in stock anywhere locally, from big box to pro tile suppliers.

Yes, new picture. One of my sons didn't like the old one. He likes this one less, because it makes me "look bald". He doesn't like it when I tell him it's a peek into his own future.

No winds today. Cold (for us) and still. No-woodburning rule in effect.

 

[tjbnwi]

Have it shipped to you? They have a buy it now tab on their website.

http://www.rotozip.com/en-us/Pages/CategoryDetail.aspx?pid=5040_5039

I don't see how a picture can make you look bald, unless………..

A balmy 21º here.

Tom

 

[CarpenterSFO]

Have it shipped to you? They have a buy it now tab on their website....
Tom

Maybe I'd rather whine some more, first.

 

[CarpenterSFO]

I just went and grabbed a better, variable speed angle grinder and a couple of the diamond jigsaw blades. Came back and cut a few holes in a cutoff. The lower speed (or maybe just better than the cheapo) grinder vibrates less. And yes, at least in these tiles, the diamond jig-saw blade cuts slowly, but very cleanly.

Me doing this is marginally rude to my tile guy, but I need this to start happening, correctly, at 8:00 AM tomorrow.

 

[CarpenterSFO]

Have it shipped to you? They have a buy it now tab on their website.

http://www.rotozip.com/en-us/Pages/CategoryDetail.aspx?pid=5040_5039

I don't see how a picture can make you look bald, unless………..

A balmy 21º here.

Tom

Tom:

Thanks for the recommendation.

I just ordered one. It might even get used on this project. 1/4" shank, so it can go in a router with a little more stability, control, and speed control than the rotozip.

- Bob

 

[hdavis]

1/4" shank, so it can go in a router with a little more stability, control, and speed control than the rotozip.

FWIW, before the Rotozip, you'd just chuck a bit in a trim router. The specialized bits are what really make the Rotozip.

 

[CarpenterSFO]

FWIW, before the Rotozip, you'd just chuck a bit in a trim router. The specialized bits are what really make the Rotozip.

I agree, for the drywall bits especially. But I'd rather have a lower speed on a diamond bit. Any kind of overheating wrecks a diamond tool pronto. Maybe if I had a newer RotoZip I wouldn't be thinking about the trim router - mine isn't variable speed.

 

[tjbnwi]

Bob, you mentioned you can't bring/set up a tile saw. I gotta ask why not?
I got the TS 60 3 months ago I can set it up in a finished room with no fear if a mess.

Tom

 

[charimon]

I do it all the time, too. This job is 13x40 tiles, a total of 16 of them in the backsplash. Every tile gets cut. I have some spares, but I need to be careful. I was hoping for the magical solution ("Bob, those diamond jigsaw blades cut porcelain like butter.")

I would recommend a 2" diamond hole saw and then clip the corners with a grinder