How to cut tiles for table upcycle?

[mmryan]

im upcycling this table and need to cut some tiles to fit around the edges. I am very inexperienced- what is the best tool to use to cut them? I need to cut about 20

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @mmryan 

Nice  project I like your  fish scale tiles.

Now to help  you  ummmm.  You will need to most likly gain some simpler skills here but I am confident you can manage this I will let you decide if this  suits you too.

Ok  the simplest way I feel to finish your  project is to finish gluing all the tiles on with a  good tile glue allowing the tiles to over hang the  edges.

Wrap several  layers of tape  any tape around under the lip of the base.  

The  idea is to now slowly  cut the over hanging tiles flush with the cylinder  base the glue will hold them in  place. (if it dosnt just re glue them.)

I would  then use tile nibbling pincers (old school ) or  100mm angle grinder  with an abrasive masionary off cut wheel or  diamond (masionary off cut cheaper disks for a 1 off  job)

Cut  from underneath of the tiles on top of a soft timber board  or on the grass etc so angle grinder blade not obstructed. This way  you can see the cylinder wall  cut about 1mm out from the cylinder wall through the tiles .  Take  care take your  time.

Later you can use a sander to smooth the tiles into a  matching nice round edge all going well.

Traditionally tiles are cut first then  glued on using nibbling tools or angle grinder.

If those tiles not glued on consider.

Laying the tiles like a flat mat on a flat surface put the cylinder on top and draw in texta a cutting circle or a nibbling tool circle and pre cut the tiles before gluing.

Do use a dust proof face mask and eye protection when  grinding / cutting . As your  new at this wear leather gloves too as  even experienced  people have accidents. You can buy in expensive ozito  angle  grinder  at bunnings and  masinary abrasive disks in store  can  help there

Love to see finished  results hope this  helps.

[JacobZ]

Hi @mmryan,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community and thank you for your question.

It's great to see the fantastic @Jewelleryrescue has already jumped in with some advice.

An angle grinder with a diamond tile cutting disc like this Flexovit 125 Continuous Rim Diamond Blade Tile Cutter is going to be your best option. Cutting tiles, especially with a curve is not an easy task. If you don't have any experience with it, you should expect to crack a few in the process.

It's also worth noting that angle grinders are commonly used power tools, but they are not easy to use and can cause injuries if used incorrectly. If you are planning on using an angle grinder, please wear long protective clothing, eye protection, hearing protection and gloves and ensure all protective guards on the grinder are in place. It would also be worth practising before moving on to your tiles.

While it may be easier to get the shape, it's probably best not to glue them on before cutting them. I'd suggest laying them out and marking them like Jewelleryrescue has mentioned. This way, if you crack a couple here and there, you won't have to remove them to replace them which can be tedious.

Alternatively, you could try scoring the tiles with a Glass Cutter and then use Crescent End Cutting Nippers to crack off pieces of the tiles. Scoring the tile will give it a weak point to break at.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob