rons
Diamond
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2009
- Location
- California, USA
Is renting better? Is Rigid a good one from Home Depot?
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OT: Recommend a wet tile saw. Above the quality of the walk-in stores?
- Thread starter rons
- Start date
- Replies 19
- Views 0
beege
Stainless
- Joined
- May 18, 2007
- Location
- Massachusetts
I've always rented from a local tool rental place. Tile cutter, power washer, drywall lift...
rons
Diamond
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2009
- Location
- California, USA
Would you believe this:
I asked somebody at work for a recommendation for a tile installer. Ok, this is the guy who did my kitchen. Came out great.
The guy comes over and starts talking about the tile saw he made from plywood. A contractor with a home-made tile saw?
I was thinking of making a saw with a couple of linear bearings. Metal of course. Wood only for modeling.
I asked somebody at work for a recommendation for a tile installer. Ok, this is the guy who did my kitchen. Came out great.
The guy comes over and starts talking about the tile saw he made from plywood. A contractor with a home-made tile saw?
I was thinking of making a saw with a couple of linear bearings. Metal of course. Wood only for modeling.
Booze Daily
Titanium
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2015
- Location
- Ohio
I bought this one from Harbor Freight. Every bit as good as any one that I've rented.
Joe Miranda
Titanium
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2004
- Location
- Elyria Ohio
I have the same one and have used it for cutting 2" pavers. Still works good after three years of pretty hard use.
Zeuserdoo
Aluminum
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2015
- Location
- The Moridor
Actually, for a harbor freight tool, that looks pretty good.
dcsipo
Diamond
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2014
- Location
- Baldwin, MD/USA
How often do you tile? How difficult is it for you to rent one and return it on time?
You can get a cheap one for under 150. that will cut most tiles up to a half-inch thick. Or you can rent a big one for 70 to 90 bucks daily from a place like Home Depot. Unless you are doing a lot of rooms, you only need the saw at the end to get all the cut pieces in. You can find used ones online for cheap; MK makes decent tile saws. If you do not mind the mess, an angle grinder with a diamond blade can do a pretty decent job.
Last edited:
BoxcarPete
Stainless
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2018
- Location
- Michigan, USA
Last time I cut any tile I used the little Rigid tile saw my Brother in Law had gotten for the job, it was like a mini tablesaw with a water reservoir under it. He told me it would crack tiles if you tried to cut them skinny, but that was just because he had managed to bend the blade some way or another. Sent him out for a new blade the next morning and I was able to make all the rest of the cuts needed, skinny as you please.
eKretz
Diamond; Mod Squad
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2005
- Location
- Northwest Indiana, USA
I've got the same Freight tile saw. Has been fine for everything I've used it for, and has a "sort of" linear guide bearing setup as I recall. I've used mine to cut tile, bricks, and even stone and it's worked fine for that, though it's a little underpowered for very thick stuff.
I have the same. It needs to be tuned as you set up each cut. If you tune it, it works well. Its still a pita. The saw on rails should be very nice and fast to set up and use.
I got Lowes mid grade about 4 years ago. It did everything I wanted, including some thin cuts and sketchy bevels. The nice thing about owning one is you can work on a flexible schedule since you're not thinking about getting it back to the rental place. I'd say a smoothly rolling table is a must have. The laser marking the cut line is nice too, even if it is off a little. You learn to adjust.
+1 for the harbor freight saw. I have used mine a lot, on everything from 1m long porcelain tiles (2 passes) to pavers. It cost less than renting one for a week. But it's not what you want. The bearings are unsealed, unshielded plain steel, and will rust if put away wet.
eKretz
Diamond; Mod Squad
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2005
- Location
- Northwest Indiana, USA
I just use compressed air to dry mine after use. I do that with most any tools that get wet, during use or otherwise.
Bill D
Diamond
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2004
- Location
- Modesto, CA USA
handheld or table top? Horrible fright no longer makes my little skilsaw type.
Bill D
rons
Diamond
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2009
- Location
- California, USA
Last time I did a tile job myself. The outlet for the tile let me come back any time to make cuts on their saw in the back.
Tight-wads didn't change the blade at all.
Tight-wads didn't change the blade at all.
dalmatiangirl61
Diamond
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2011
- Location
- BFE Nevada/San Marcos Tx
I re-tiled a bathroom a few years ago, used pretty large tiles, larger than most consumer grade saws could handle, rented a saw from HD.
Ultradog MN
Aluminum
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2020
Allow me to smirk a little
This place prides itself on being a bunch of professionals when it comes to machining but get them out of the shop and doing a Honey Do and they all belong on a johney homeowner board.
They forbid any talk of China machines and make sport of the hobby guys yet when it comes to trying another profession Harbor Fright is the first name out of their mouth.
I don't claim to be a machinist beyond the 4 years I spent at it in the Navy but I did build and remodel a couple hundred bathrooms in my life. And set a few acres of tile.
The "rule of the tool"is universal: If you want to do good, accurate work you have to use good tools. Especially when starting out.
Pretty much no wet saw from the usual suspects - HD, HF, etc are good. They don't cut a square or an angle and they won't cut straight for any length. You are better off renting one. They may get beat but will be a good brand and still serve.
Don't buy or rent a saw with direct drive. Too much vibration. Use a belt drive
The blades will be crap so buy or rent a upgraded blade.
No one is going to put your work on a test bench or use optics to measure up your job. But you guys with your machinist eye will see the difference in a job done with a good saw with a good blade and one done with a cheap one.
MK makes a decent South Bend quality machine. There are better ones in the biz but I had 2 MKs in my life - a 7" a 10".
Both of them made me a lot of money.
Oh, and I know I have a crappy disposition.
That's why I had to do bathrooms for 30 years.
This place prides itself on being a bunch of professionals when it comes to machining but get them out of the shop and doing a Honey Do and they all belong on a johney homeowner board.
They forbid any talk of China machines and make sport of the hobby guys yet when it comes to trying another profession Harbor Fright is the first name out of their mouth.
I don't claim to be a machinist beyond the 4 years I spent at it in the Navy but I did build and remodel a couple hundred bathrooms in my life. And set a few acres of tile.
The "rule of the tool"is universal: If you want to do good, accurate work you have to use good tools. Especially when starting out.
Pretty much no wet saw from the usual suspects - HD, HF, etc are good. They don't cut a square or an angle and they won't cut straight for any length. You are better off renting one. They may get beat but will be a good brand and still serve.
Don't buy or rent a saw with direct drive. Too much vibration. Use a belt drive
The blades will be crap so buy or rent a upgraded blade.
No one is going to put your work on a test bench or use optics to measure up your job. But you guys with your machinist eye will see the difference in a job done with a good saw with a good blade and one done with a cheap one.
MK makes a decent South Bend quality machine. There are better ones in the biz but I had 2 MKs in my life - a 7" a 10".
Both of them made me a lot of money.
Oh, and I know I have a crappy disposition.
That's why I had to do bathrooms for 30 years.
eKretz
Diamond; Mod Squad
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2005
- Location
- Northwest Indiana, USA
No, that's a load of duty. What this board professes is that those doing the work *for a living professionally* use pro grade tools. Home shop guys can use whatever they like. Same doesn't go for a tool I might use a few times a year for cutting up some rocks... Guess some guys might not be able to discern the difference there.
If I installed tiles and got paid to do it every day, you can bet I wouldn't be using a POS HF tile saw.
lazz
Stainless
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2012
- Location
- The warm desert of Phoenix Arizona
As usual I have a different method.I seldom have a project that I does not allow me to spend time preparing.
I usually search for a high quality tool and buy it. Do the project and sell the tool afterwards. The last couple cement mixers I bought in the hottest part of the summer . No DIYer wants to do a concrete project in the Arizona summer heat. If you wait till fall or spring to sell there is a robust DIYer community wanting to do projects.
Of course this means you will have to deal with people to both buy and sell. And it does take time.
After 2 tile saws , 3 cement mixers and a vibratory plate Im up on the money end.
No rental fees, no missed return times. no stress to return the tool. I have had to replace 2 cords and fix a flat tire...
There is a bad side of this... when the tool is hard to find and there is a slight chance you might need it again, it might not get sold. For example the theodolite taking space on a shelf.