If you have ever tried to make a smooth curved cut in a super-hard porcelain floor tile, you probably gave up. I almost did. I needed to make very accurate semi-circle cut at a side of a tile that goes around shower drain. No tools allowed performing this task. All professional tiling specialists (I asked at least 5 of them) suggested nipping the tile, saying that that was the only way to do it.
All rotary cutters, INCLUDING THIS ONE, would say "Do not use on floor tile". Well, you would not be able to do the job using ONLY this diamond cutter, but wait, there is a solution that worked unexpectedly fine for me.
Follow these steps:
1. Draw a cut-off line on the front side of you tile with a pencil.
2. Using a rotary tool with variable speed capability and this cutter, work along the line making superficial groove (1/16 of an inch is enough). IMPORTANT: use low speed setting (up to 8000 RPM), otherwise the cutter will overheat momentarily; work for no longer than 3 seconds at a time, then just let it idle for another 3 - 5 seconds to cool off.
3. When you are done with the groove, set you rotary tool aside - you won't need it anymore - and use a wet saw to make parallel cuts every 1/4 of an inch. Cut it all the way up to you groove. When you're done, you can snap off cuts strip by strip at the place where your groove is, which will result in ideally precise cut on the face of your tile.
THE BOTTOM LINE: no other tool can be used to make a precise inner curved cut in a floor tile.
Smart, isn't it? :-) And I'm not even a pro!
Thanks Dremel! Dremel 545 Diamond Wheel
I bought one of these on a whim and I have been very happy with it. I doubt I will buy any more regular cut off wheels.
I have so far on my first blade done the following with out any noticable wear.
Custom cut 25 tiles.
Cut glass Jars in half the long way.
Cut a lock open.
Cut a Peach Pit in half
Cut open 2 Quartz Geodes
Made cuts in Shale, Slate and Limestone.
The only thing I noticed is that a variable speed Dremel is best. Depending on the material the blade will slow down and spark if it is spinning too fast.
I've been trying to find a way to cut plaster neatly, and without creating a lot of dust. I've tried various bits in my RotoZip (with vacuum attachment), various bits and wheels in my Dremel, a masonry wheel in my drill, and even a circular saw. All of these failed, either because the cutter wore out too quickly, or too much dust was created. This little diamond wheel, however, has worked well. It is so thin; it creates little debris. I can hold my vac nozzle right up next to it while I'm cutting, and I capture most of the dust. I've cut about twenty feet of plaster thus far, and there is no noticeable wear (reduction in diameter of the wheel). So far, I am very pleased.
As one reviewer already said this is the best tool for cutting plaster walls. You can easily replace sections of the wall with drywall or cut openings for outlets/switches by using this tool to cut the plaster. Once the outline is cut you can remove the paster in the section to be replaced without chipping or cracking the rest of the wall. Then you remove the lathe and fill the hole with drywall. I was able to cut about 25 feet before I wore out the bit. Well worth the money. Use a vacuum when cutting to suck up the dust. Can't go wrong with this on plaster.
We had a problem when replacing our ceramic tiled dining room floor, with hardwood. I wanted the transition between the dining room & kitchen to be at a certain point (as we were not going to replace the tiles in the kitchen), but that point was part way across 3 already laid tiles. All of the contractors said you couldn't do it without pulling up the tiles to cut them, then re-lay them. To save this hassle I bought one of these attachments to give it a try and it worked brilliantly. I pencilled in my line, then slowly went along the tiles with the Dremel set at 8000rpm, making sure I was going down to a depth of about 3/16". Then I made small grooves at right angles to the original cut about every 1" on the section of tile to be discarded. I then used these grooves to put a chisel in to hammer down & crack the tile. This process worked perfectly and I got a precision cut all along the tiles with no chipping. I was very impressed with the cutting ability of the attachment, but have only given it a 4 out of 5 since, in my opinion, it became blunt too quickly. I only managed to cut across two 12" tiles, before I had to replace the attachment.
I was very happy to find this cutting wheel and use it now in place of the original cut off wheels that came with my Dremel. For a ten spot give or take, you have a wheel that cuts through nearly anything and allows for precision work when needed.
I have cut through metal piping, sheered screw heads that were stripped, and cut some locks open when we couldn't find the keys. I have yet to be disappointed. My Dremel and accessories such as the 545 Diamond Wheel are invaluable. - Rotary Tool Accessories - Cheap - Metal Cutting - Cheaply Made'
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