How to cut porcelain stoneware at home: methods and necessary tools. How to cut a tile with a grinder: without chips and dust A circle for a grinder on ceramic tiles

When making repairs, many homeowners need to cut ceramic tiles, which can be done using a grinder. This tool allows you to do this work at a high level, with minimal risk of chips or cracks. In this article we will talk about how to use a grinder to cut ceramic tiles.

Required tools and materials

Cutting ceramic tiles is a time-consuming process that requires maximum concentration. The complexity is largely due to the fact that the tile consists of a durable material. Without dust, tiles can be cut and sawed down with a tile cutter, but such a tool is not cheap. With ordinary cutters and saws, this is almost impossible to do, and the cut will certainly be uneven and unattractive. An ordinary grinder is best suited, the cutting wheel of which allows you to carefully cut the tiles even at home.

Although this process is relatively difficult, if you get the hang of it, it will not take much time and will not require much effort. An ordinary homeowner who has not dealt with such work is able to cope with this task and will be able to cut even a “boar” without the help of a tile cutter.

You can cut tiles using the following tools:

special tile cutter;
diamond tools;
Bulgarian.

To do the job in question, you do not need to purchase any special equipment. A household grinder and grinder are ideal for creating a high-quality cut. You can buy these tools at any hardware store at an affordable cost. The main thing you need to pay attention to when choosing is the quality of the disc.

For cutting ceramic tiles, those that have a diamond coating are suitable. Their use minimizes the formation of cracks and chips. It is forbidden to use discs used for working on metal, since with them you will only damage the tile. Even if you manage to make a cut using such a circle, it will be uneven and of poor quality. This is due to the sliding of the disk on the tile, which is why the presence of small cracks is inevitable. At the same time, when it comes to home surface finishing, then these damages can be ignored, since they will certainly disappear during subsequent processing.

When cutting using a grinder, be sure to take protective measures. It is important to wear safety glasses, because when working, you can damage your eyes due to sparks or tile particles getting into them. You can buy them at any hardware store.

In no case should you neglect security measures, since the risk of harm is quite high.

Be sure to have the following items with you:

glasses;
mask;
tight gloves.

Please note that the selected angle grinder or grinder must have a speed controller, since many modern inexpensive tools lack this function. Such models operate at the highest speed, which is why it is impossible to cut tiles with their help.

Cutting tiles the right way

When using tiles to finish walls, there will definitely be a situation when you need to cut off part of the slab so that it fits into the remaining space. In this case, a similar procedure will be required regardless of which type of tile you choose. Cutting is required most often in cases where unique patterns are created on the walls or various decorative objects are formed using tiles.

If you have already prepared all the attributes you need to work, you can consider how the tiles should be cut correctly. The grinder is an excellent assistant in this matter, since with its help you can create not only straight cuts, but also curly ones. Next, we will look at how to cut tiles in various ways.

A straight cut is as simple as possible:

First you need to fix the tile on the plane so that it does not slip and does not ride on it.
The part of the tile that needs to be cut off should remain in weight. The surface line will be the guideline for the notch line;
It is necessary to take the grinder so that you can see the cut line. If you hide it from yourself, you will not be able to make an even cut.
You need to direct and move the blade towards you, and not away from you. This is the mistake many beginners make. Hold the tool firmly and evenly, so that it does not go in different directions, otherwise the cut will be ugly. Holding the angle grinder crookedly, you can ruin the disc, because it can fly off because of this.

The round hole is made as follows:

Initially, you need to use a marker to draw the desired hole. You need to draw on the glossy side of the tile.
Then you need to determine the center of the circle. This can be done using straight lines drawn crosswise.
Gently file the tile with a grinder from the inside in a circle until we go deeper.
It is necessary to turn the grinder so that the blade gradually fits into the outlined circle.
When the cut is deep enough, you need to cut the drawn cross along the drawn lines, after which you carefully take out the resulting 4 sectors of the circle.

You need to cut the tile only on the front side, since this is the only way to get a cut without various defects. Therefore, all possible damage will be concentrated on the back of the tile, which will be hidden with tile adhesive.

It is best to measure and mark the tiles to be cut from the very beginning.

To cut at a 45 degree angle, follow the instructions below:

It is important to note that cutting tiles diagonally is more difficult than making a straight cut. However, this is much easier than creating curly elements. You need to start by doing it.
The grinder must be rotated so that the disk is located at the angle you need, while you must carefully drive the blade, removing excess, so that an even angular cut is obtained at the end.
You can achieve perfection by using ordinary sandpaper, which is best fixed on a bar.

Abrasive paper should be used on each element as this will help improve the appearance of the cut.

Important nuances

The grinder needs to be set at a low speed so that you can control and correct its actions. If you have the option to secure the tool, be sure to do so as this will make the job easier. Having fixed the grinder, you will only need to move the tile along the desired path.

If there is no possibility of fixing, then the floor will be the best place to work. Be sure to put bars or lumber under the slab. It is important to note that a low speed should also be set due to the fact that this will prevent the blade or disk from being thrown away upon contact with the surface.

Turning on the maximum speed will certainly simplify the cutting process, but this increases the risk of damage to the tile, which can simply shatter into pieces. The simplest way to cut is the option in a straight line, since even a beginner can handle this job. When it comes to rounding, then more effort will be required here. If you have not previously encountered such work, then we recommend that you first try your skills on defective material.

You can protect the tile from chipping by using a special grinder or sandpaper. This work is not difficult, but it will significantly improve the quality of the cut. Thus, you can get rid of existing defects.

When facing, situations arise when ceramic tiles cannot be cut with a mechanical tile cutter. Then you have to use the grinder turbine. This is not a very good way. The fact is that along the edge of the cut, the enamel on the tile is chipped.

How to cut ceramic tiles.

For cutting tiles, it is necessary to use specially designed diamond wheels for dry cutting on tiles. Usually, on such a circle there is a corresponding inscription. It also shows the direction of rotation during installation with an arrow. It is difficult to say what this requirement is connected with.

Expensive and high-quality circles for cutting tiles with a grinder

The quality of the circle, as always, is associated with the price. Good circles cost over $20. As always, the Chinese distinguished themselves and released an inexpensive circle on tiles within $ 5. Surprisingly tolerable quality.

The quality of the cut depends on the quality of the circle. The more diamond inclusions the circle contains, the cleaner, without chips, the cut-off area on the tile will be.

It also depends on whether the tile will burst when cutting or not. Often when cutting with an inexpensive circle, there are moments when hot metal appears at the end of the cutting disc. Manufacturers call this metal licking and recommend cutting a little plaster or concrete. Grains of plaster grind metal shavings until diamond inclusions reappear on the surface.

When cutting porcelain stoneware, at this moment, there is a strong heating of the tile in one place. Often this leads to splitting of the tile.

The best cutting wheel for cutting ceramic tiles for 2013.

"Best" is not in comparison price - quality. But simply the “best” in terms of quality and cutting speed. At one time, this place was occupied by BOSCH circles. But, at present, their price is almost twice as high as similar products of the Di-Star Corporation and the quality of the cut is worse. Maybe their quality has remained at the same level, but simply better products have appeared.

cutting diamond wheel DiStar

The products of the company "Di-Star" appeared on the Ukrainian market long ago (1998) - these were cutting wheels of the subsidiary company "Ukr-Diamant". It was possible to work in such a circle for more than a year. But the prices were high and other manufacturers were more popular. Currently, a 125 mm grinder cut-off wheel costs about $20, and cuts ceramic tiles with almost no chips.

The first reviews about the "Dee-star" circles appeared:

Safety precautions when cutting tiles with a grinder.

The first is work in goggles. Fragments of ceramics fly out at high speed and often get stuck in the eye. It is difficult to pull out such a fragment on your own.

Second. During cutting, it is necessary to cut the lower third of the circle, without deepening more than half of the circle below the cut. If this is not observed, often the impeller jumps. The consequences are different, from damaged tiles to hand injuries.

More about the correct cutting of tiles without chips, and creating holes in it, using a grinder more details in the book.

You can download without any "troubles" by clicking on the picture.

The disadvantages of the "grinder" when cutting tiles.

The first disadvantage is the increased injury rate.

The second drawback is the dust that is generated during operation. This can be considered the main disadvantage. If the finishing work is being completed in the room (pasting wallpaper and painting), then it is impossible to cut the tiles with a turbine.

Although, recently I saw a simple solution to such a problem - a cardboard box + a vacuum cleaner:

Questions and Skype consultations;

1. From which side to cut the tile with a grinder?

From the front. This way there will be fewer chips. When marking and cutting a hole (for example, for a socket) on the reverse side, the chips will be significant and the cut line will be different. There is a danger that the case will not close the damage to the enamel at the edges of the hole.

2. What is the power of the grinder for cutting tiles?

For cutting tiles, power is not the main indicator. A turbine with a minimum power is suitable for this. I already talked about this

For cutting tiles, the main thing is speed. The higher the rpm, the cleaner the cut. And, most importantly, how well the rotating shaft is made and the quality of the bearings on it. If the alignment is incorrect or the bearing is of poor quality, vibration begins:

You won't get a clean cut. There will be chips on the tiles.
Vibration will build up (especially at high speeds), which leads to the destruction of the bearing.

A tool of this quality can only be made on expensive equipment. And a reputable company can afford it. But these are not necessarily only brands that are well-known. Confirmation of this is the experience of working with a modest firm "Fiolent"

3. How to cut a tile with a grinder so that there are no chips?

It is difficult to cut ceramic tiles with one grinder without chipping. This can be done if, first, using the tile cutter roller, draw a line along which the cut must be made. The wheel cuts through the top layer of the tile - enamel, and chips do not form.

But the tile cutter does not break the narrow strip on the tile to the end (or does not break it off at all). The rest has to be cut off with a grinder. At the same time, it is necessary to cut so that the cutting wheel almost does not touch the line drawn by the cutting roller.

Also, the circle of the impeller should cut at a slight slope (and without touching the cut line).

Further, the cut edge of the tile needs to be finished with a bar wrapped fine sandpaper. A large “sandpaper” will make chips on the enamel, and a small one will take a long time to process and it wears out quickly. Therefore, the edge of the tile cut at an angle is easier to process.

The number (grain size) of the paper is selected empirically. The paper is fastened on a flat wooden block with a stapler or small nails. What is the best bar from an emery stone? The bar is longer. He not only grinds off the edge, but thanks to an extended even plane, he levels the cut piece.

Such a bar is enough for half a year of work.

Below is a short video How to cut off with a grinder and clean the edge of the tile with “sandpaper”:

Well, and one more opinion on how to process the end face of the cut off tile:

Tile work cannot do without pruning. Trimming is needed to bypass pipes, counters, put a small strip at the end of a row, and the like.

A professional tile cutter will speed up the cutting process, but there are times when only a grinder will help. The question of how to cut tiles with a grinder is the subject of our article.

Choosing a grinder and nozzles

Surprisingly, the grinder was originally conceived as a grinder. That is why in the store you will see such an incomprehensible name as angle grinder next to the grinder.

LBM stands for angle cipher machine. In our case, an ordinary angle grinder with the ability to install 125 mm and a power of up to 1 kW is suitable for cutting tiles, this is quite enough.

You should not take a powerful two-handed angle grinder, since the extra weight and dimensions of the tool will interfere with making an accurate cut. And indeed, a grinder can grind metal, clean various kinds of surfaces. In addition, you can cut ceramics, wood or metal. For this, special nozzles are needed.

Cut off abrasive wheel

Cheaper than other types of wheels, but it wears out quickly. It is difficult to make a neat cut in such a circle, because the seam turns out to be wide. Professionals rarely use an abrasive wheel to cut ceramic tiles, especially expensive ones.

Diamond coated steel wheels

For cutting tiles and porcelain stoneware, steel circles are used, which are called "dry cutters". This name was obtained due to the specifics of the work: the tile is cut dry, and as a result a lot of dust and noise is obtained.

On such circles there is a coating in the form of diamond chips. Thanks to this coating, the tile is cut, if the coating is worn out, you will not be able to cut anything.
In turn, steel circles are divided into solid and segmented.

Overview of diamond blades for cutting tiles

Solid ones are distinguished by greater speed and accuracy of cutting, the absence of detonation allows you to create the most even and beautiful cut. But such circles quickly heat up, they need to be cooled at idle.

Segmented circles are distinguished by the fact that the disk has slots directed towards the center of the circle. They conditionally divide the circle into segments, hence the name. During operation, the circle detonates a little, but cools more slowly.

You can cut the tiles without dust using special wet cutting wheels. It will be necessary to organize the supply of water to the circle, but it will never heat up, and there will be no dust.

Learn more about discs suitable for cutting tiles and porcelain stoneware in this video.

Safety

In no case should safety precautions be neglected, because even experienced craftsmen get injured and injured due to inaccurate work.

Use personal protective equipment: goggles, respirator, suitable clothing. Glasses will protect your eyes from accidental contact with a piece of ceramic that may break off during cutting.
And you don't have to wear gloves. With bare hands you can feel the tool better, there is a risk that the glove will get on the rotating element, which will lead to injury.
Work in a well-ventilated area, dust will clog your lungs.
A protective cover must be installed on the angle grinder.
Cutting is carried out "from oneself", while cutting the tile adheres.
Do not work at maximum speed: the tile may crack.
The translational movements of the grinder and the rotation of the cutting disc must occur in the same direction.

Straight cutting grinder

Direct cutting is most often carried out with a tile cutter, but if it is not available or only one tile needs to be cut, a grinder is also used. Also, the tile cutter will not cut a strip less than 2 cm wide.

But the grinder to cope with any tasks.

Markings are made on the front side of the ceramics. The pencil or pen will be hard to see, so an alcohol marker is used. You need to cut through only from the front side, but not from the back. Otherwise, the glaze will be damaged, and the tile will lose its visual appeal.
note
To make the cut line even, make marks on both sides of the tile, and then draw a strip between them along the level.
Before starting work, make sure that the grinder is plugged in and the circle is securely fastened. The circle is fixed manually or with a special key.
The tile is laid on a flat base so that it does not crack during cutting. The easiest way is to lay the tile on a wooden base and hold it with your hand or foot.

If you hold the tile with your hand or foot, avoid sudden movements. Be careful. It is better to put on special closed shoes.

Start at low speeds and then accelerate. Cut through the ceramics to a depth of at least 0.5 cm. It is better to cut the tile completely, if this did not work out, you need to put the tile at the cut point above the edge of the table, for example, and carefully break it off.
note
Under the tile at the cut point, you can put a screw at the beginning of the tile and from the other end. After that, lightly press on the ceramic, it should crack at the cutting point.
If burrs form during the trimming process, they can be bitten off with wire cutters or gently sanded with a grinder.
Some make the first cut to mark a line and go through a layer of glaze. After that, they cut several more times until the parts of the ceramics are separated.

After cutting, it is better to wear gloves, because the cut ceramic is very sharp and you can easily get hurt.

If you need to cut a hole in ceramic

Cutting tiles with a grinder will help in many cases. For example, if you need to cut holes.

For holes of small diameter, special crowns are used. So in the tile you can cut holes for pipes, a socket or a switch.

But large diameter holes need to be cut in a different way.

Mark the center of the circle on the tile. Then the contour of the circle is applied: the principle of drawing circles with a compass.
Carefully drill a hole with a drill. At first, work at low speeds so that the tile does not crack. For drilling tiles, a special nozzle is used, which is called a "feather" in the common people.
Make cuts in different directions from the center to the outline of the circle. Do not try to cut through the tile, just make notches so that the tile is easier to bite off.
With nippers inside the circle, bite off small fragments.
Chips and burrs form inside the cut out circle, which can be removed with coarse sandpaper or wire cutters.

Curly cutting

If you need to cut off a figured fragment, for example, a semicircle for pipes, also use a grinder. With short cuts along the outer contour of the desired figure, remove the excess part of the ceramic. An even hole can be made using nippers or sandpaper, which refine the hole.

How to cut paving slabs?

Separately, consider the issue of cutting paving slabs. Paving slabs are different from ceramics, so no tile cutter will help here. Only a grinder with diamond-coated discs.

Cutting paving slabs with a two-handed grinder

You need to cut paving slabs if you plan to equip paths or non-standard-shaped areas. Here are a few highlights of the job:

It is worth thinking not only about safety glasses, but also about protective headphones. There will be a lot of noise during cutting, so you need to protect your ears.
You will need a grinder with more power, because the paving stones will require more effort, and more power will be required.
Paving stones must be laid on a flat base and held with your foot. It is better to fix it, because holding it with your hands will definitely not work. The grinder for cutting paving stones will weigh enough, so you need to hold it with two hands.
Make sure that dust does not fall on the already completed lining, because it will spoil the color and appearance of the paving stones.

Outcome
The grinder is perfect for cutting tiles at home. By following simple rules, you can easily cut off the desired strip or perform curly cutting. You can learn more about this from our article.

When laying tiles, it is impossible to do without trimming them.

For this, various tools are used, including an angle grinder (grinder).

How to cut tiles with a grinder - read more about this below.

Consider the technology of cutting tiles in more detail.

there is a special tool - a tile cutter. But even its manual version, not to mention the mechanized one, is relatively expensive, so it is not advisable to purchase a tile cutter for one-time work.

Bulgarian, on the contrary, is a universal tool used to solve many problems, because it is available in almost every household.

And if the tiling is done by the homeowner himself, it is more logical to use this particular tool.

In addition, a grinder, unlike a tile cutter, can make round holes if there is no appropriate equipment for a drill - a cylindrical drill (crown) or a ballerina.

Which disc to cut ceramic tiles grinder

Different discs for the grinder are focused on working with one or another material. Several types can also be used for cutting tiles. Let's consider them in detail.

stone discs

This variety has the lowest cost, but it has two drawbacks: the discs wear out quickly and have a significant thickness, as a result of which the cut is wide.

For this reason, the use of stone discs is relatively rare.

Steel discs

Cutting discs made of steel are thinner and more durable. The most expensive varieties are diamond-coated. Such disks cut the most durable type of tile - porcelain stoneware.

Three methods of applying diamond grit are used:

Soldering with silver solder. These diamond discs are the least expensive and are usually used in everyday life. Disadvantage: when heated, silver solder loses its strength and diamond coating wears out quickly. Therefore, the service life is relatively short.
Geometric closure. The edge of the disk is strongly heated by electricity and diamond powder is introduced into it. With this method of spraying, the service life is significantly increased. The price of the disc, in comparison with the previous version, is higher, but for use in everyday life it is quite acceptable.
Soldering with a laser. Expensive heavy-duty wheels that can cut materials of any hardness for a long time. Cost - from 9 to 25 thousand rubles. Used in industry.

thickness - no more than 2 mm: then the cut will be even;
the width of the cutting edge (diamond coating) - more than the thickness of the tile;
The recommended rotational speed indicated on the disk corresponds to the rotational speed of the angle grinder.

Steel discs are divided into three types: dry cutters, solid (for wet cutting) and combined.

Segmented cutters

Segmented discs are commonly called "dry cutters", for the ability to cut the material dry, that is, without cooling with water. The circle is divided into segments by radial cutouts, which provide efficient heat removal and free expansion of the metal when heated. Due to this, the time of continuous operation reaches 1 minute, after which they pause for 20 - 30 seconds. The grinder is not turned off for this time - the disk rotates at idle for the purpose of cooling.

Diamond dry cutter

The disadvantage is the low quality of the cut, a large number of chips. If the cut edge of the tile remains visible, cutting is carried out with a margin of 3 - 5 mm and then the edge is trimmed with a grinding wheel.

Solid cutters

A wet or solid cutting blade has no thermal relief slots and therefore requires water supply to the working area for cooling. Without this, the continuous operation time is only 10 - 15 seconds, after which the disk is left to rotate for 20 - 30 seconds. at idle. Otherwise, the silver solder will weaken and the diamond coating will be erased. Also, overheating leads to deformation of the disk.

When water is supplied, tiles can be cut continuously.

A solid disc cuts tiles better than a segmented one.

Water is supplied to the cutting zone in three ways:

The easiest solution is to ask an assistant to pour it from a plastic bottle.
A special device is attached to the casing of the angle grinder (sold in hardware stores).
Screw the reinforced hose connected to the water supply with clamps to the casing.

It is not allowed to get water on the body of the angle grinder - this is fraught with electric shock.

Combined discs

Combination discs allow both dry and wet cutting.

This is the average:

cut quality - lower than that of a continuous cut, but higher than that of a segmented one;
the time of continuous operation is less than that of a segmental one, but more than that of a continuous one.

Combined discs are easier to clog with dust than others. And if it is enough to rotate the segmented and solid disks for cleaning by 180 degrees, then this is not allowed with the combined one. For cleaning, they cut concrete or silicate brick.

When cutting dry, the disc cannot be cooled by lowering it into water: this will lead to an uneven distribution of temperatures with the subsequent formation of cracks, the circle will immediately fly apart. This applies to segmented, solid, and combined discs.

How to cut tiles with a grinder without chips and dust

In order to reduce the number of chips, the following rules are followed:

Cutting starts from the front side. Most chips are formed when the cutting disc leaves the material.
At the beginning and at the end of the passage, the disk rotation speed is reduced.
The cutting is done in one pass. With each additional pass, the number of chips increases.

Tile cutter from grinder

The amount of dust is minimized as follows:

Only a shallow groove is cut, then the tile is broken. When cutting the glazed coating, little dust is generated, almost all of it is released when cutting the main body of the tile.
Water is supplied to the cutting zone as described above.
Use a construction vacuum cleaner. You will need an assistant to manage it.

Straight cutting

The easiest way is to cut in a straight line. Operating procedure:

Based on the results of measurements, a line is drawn on the tile with a marker. It is impossible to make a perfectly even cut with a grinder, so they leave an allowance for trimming with a cylindrical grinding nozzle. If the edge is hidden by the plinth, the cut correction is not required.
The tile is fixed face up on the workbench, so that the part to be cut hangs down. A clamp is used; in the absence of such, the module is stepped on with a foot.
Holding the grinder so that the disc cuts away from the user, draw the tool along the line also away from you, trying to complete the cut in one pass. If the rotation speed is adjustable, it is reset at the beginning and end of the passage.

The speed of rotation of the angle grinder should not exceed the value indicated on the disk.

Straight cutting

The tile is cut easier if it is pre-soaked for 40 - 50 minutes. Porcelain stoneware is not subjected to soaking.

Helpful Hints:

It is advisable to fix a steel ruler along the cutting line with a clamp - the edge will be smoother.
To perform a perfectly even cut, the grinder can be turned into a tile cutter. The tool is bolted with metal clamps to a steel sheet with a slot for the disc. The tile is served on the disk with two hands.
If it is required to cut tiles at an angle to join the cladding on mutually perpendicular walls, it is better for an inexperienced craftsman to first make an even cut, then cut off the excess with a grinding nozzle.

It is necessary to wear safety glasses: fragments of a tile or disk can get into your eyes when it is split.

Curly cutting

When cutting tiles along a curved path, for example, a semicircular one for a pipe, a grinder makes a series of short cuts along the drawn line with an allowance for trimming. Next, remove excess material with wire cutters, a grinding nozzle or sandpaper on a bar.

Cutting rectangular holes in tiles

Rectangular openings are recommended to be cut like this:

Having drawn the boundaries of the opening with a marker, steel plates are laid out along them from the outside. When moving the tool along the plate, it serves as a ruler, and perpendicular to it limits the course of the grinder.
The plates are screwed with clamps or grabbed with tape.
They bypass the drawn contour with a grinder, first cutting grooves, then gradually deepening.

After cutting the opening, trim its edges with a cylindrical grinding nozzle.

Hole cutting

Cutting round and oval openings is carried out as follows:

Draw with a marker the boundaries of the opening and two lines intersecting at a right angle in the center of the figure to be cut out.
Make grinder cuts along the drawn circle or oval, leaving an allowance for alignment.
Having bypassed the boundaries of the opening, cuts are made along intersecting lines.
Knock out the resulting sectors.
A drill with a grinding nozzle or sandpaper wrapped around the bar trims the edge.

The better to cut tiles: tile cutter or grinder

A tile cutter cuts tiles more evenly and better than a grinder, especially a mechanized one. Such a tool is equipped with a wet cutting disc, which was discussed above. After some training with a mechanized tile cutter, you can perform curved cuts. Such an operation is not available to a manual counterpart.

The only drawback of the tile cutter is its narrow specialization, which, coupled with the high cost, makes it impractical to purchase this tool for one-time work.

A grinder is the most suitable tool for cutting tiles, from the point of view of a home craftsman. The reason is its versatility: unlike a tile cutter, it can be used to cut and grind many other materials. The main thing is, based on the above recommendations, to choose the right equipment and perform cutting.

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One of the tools used for cutting ceramic tiles is a grinder - an angle grinder (angle grinder), more commonly called a grinder in everyday life.

The price range of various grinder models makes it affordable not only for professionals, but also for home craftsmen, so when using an angle grinder, you need to know not only the capabilities of this power tool, but also the rules for handling it in order to avoid injury.

At home, a small grinder is used, designed to work with discs with a diameter of 100-125 mm and perform many operations. The tool can be equipped with a speed controller.

Safety rules when working with a grinder

To avoid injury when working with a grinder, the following rules must be observed:

when working, use personal protective equipment - gloves, overalls, safety shoes, goggles, a respirator;
you can only work with a grinder with a steel protective casing installed on the tool;
the length of the grinder's electric cable must be at least 2 m, which reduces the risk of damage to it by a rotating disk during operation;
to cut in the direction "away from you", holding the tool with both hands;
the direction of rotation of the disk must coincide with the direction of the translational movement of the angle grinder;
cut the material by immersing the grinder disc into the cutting line by no more than one third of the radius;
each material must be processed with an appropriate disc, that is, ceramic tiles cannot be cut with a metal cutting nozzle, and a stone cutting disc is not intended for grinding ceramics (it is possible to grind with a steel “dry cutter”);
when working with a grinder, both extremely low and maximum high speeds should be avoided;
cutting with a grinder material immersed in water in order to reduce the amount of dust generated is prohibited due to the danger of electric shock;

Dust is explosive, so you need to cut or grind the material with a grinder in a well-ventilated area.

Discs for cutting ceramics grinder

For cutting ceramic tiles with a grinder, stone or diamond-coated steel discs (dry cutters) are used. Dry cutters, in turn, are divided into solid and segmented. The more intense the diamond coating on the dry cutter, the more efficient and durable the blade will be.

stone discs

Stone discs are many times cheaper than dry cutters, but they wear out during operation and must be replaced with new ones. In addition, they are thicker than dry cutters, so the thickness of the cut line with a stone nozzle is wider and, accordingly, more dust is generated during operation.

In the process of cutting with a stone nozzle, it is necessary to control the condition of its cutting edge - if a chip or burr has formed on the edge, the disc must be replaced immediately, since such damage is fraught with destruction of the nozzle and injury.

dry cutters

A dry cutter can cut ceramic tiles without water cooling, but the duration of one continuous cut should not exceed 1-1.5 minutes, after which the disk is allowed to cool while spinning idle. When buying a dry cutter, they prefer a tool with a solid diamond coating.

If during cutting a solid luminous spark-strip appeared on the cutting edge of the dry cutter - the phenomenon of "licking" of the metal, then the temperature at the point of cutting the tile in such a situation rises sharply, which is fraught with damage to the material. In this case, several cuts can be made on any abrasive surface (concrete, plaster) with a rotating dry cutter, and the disc returns to working condition.

Dry cutters are divided into 2 types:

segmented;
solid.

Segmented cutters

This type of attachment for the angle grinder is a steel disk with evenly spaced slots directed from the cutting edge to the center and dividing the disk into equal segments. The segmented nozzle can cut porcelain stoneware and natural stone tiles. The slots between the segments of the disc serve to increase the life of the bit by improving the air cooling of the tool during cutting of hard facing material, but increase the formation of chips.

Solid cutters

With this type of dry cutter, you can not only cut ceramic tiles, but also process the edge of the cut with a working side surface. The absence of detonation of the tool during operation due to the solid shape of the disc increases the cutting speed, allows you to cut off the fragment evenly and reduces the number of chips.

Direct cutting of ceramics with a grinder

On the front side of the ceramic tile, a cut line is applied with an alcohol marker. The grinder is turned on and given a couple of seconds to set the desired speed.

The disc on the grinder must be fixed correctly - using a special key and in accordance with the direction of rotation indicated on it.

The optimal value of the rotation speed of a disk with a diameter of 100-125 mm when cutting ceramic tiles is 6-8 thousand revolutions per minute. The tile is placed on a flat wooden surface, fixed with a clamp through a gasket made of sheet rubber, or you can simply press it against the board with the sole of your foot (shod in safety shoes!).

Exactly along the intended line, an incision is made with a depth of 1-5 mm, depending on the material and thickness of the tile. From the edge of the material, they begin to cut slowly, then the grinder is moved faster - so the cut is smoother. After making an incision, the tile can be broken by placing a couple of nails under it opposite the beginning and end of the incision.

Cutting large diameter holes with a grinder

The center of the circle is marked with an alcohol marker on ceramics and a through hole with a diameter of 3-4 mm is drilled exactly at the mark with a carbide drill. Then, on both sides of the tile, a contour of a circle of a given diameter is applied. A grinder with a disk makes cuts 1-2 mm deep along the contour of the future hole on both sides of the tile, and then through cuts are made inside the contour and small fragments of ceramics are removed from it with wire cutters. The inner surface of the cut along the perimeter of the hole can be processed with coarse sandpaper or a file until there are no chips.

Cutting with a grinder in a tile of rectangular holes

A marker and a ruler on the front side of the tile mark the contour of the cut and evenly at its corners, without going beyond the boundaries of the contour, holes with a diameter of 5-7 mm are drilled with a carbide drill. Then, the grinder makes through cuts between the holes along the perimeter of the rectangular contour, remove the cut-out fragment of ceramics and refine the corners and the cut surface with coarse sandpaper or a file.

Shaped cutting of tiles with a grinder

If it is required to cut out an oval shape from a ceramic tile, then short cuts are made with a grinder tangentially to the outer contour of the figure in order to cut off small fragments of ceramics to be removed. At the end of the cutting, the surface of the cuts is finished with an abrasive tool until the lines are smooth and there are no chips.

When it is necessary to cut a figured hole in a tile, then the material is cut with a grinder exactly along the contour, gradually moving away from it inward and increasing the depth of the cut. After cutting the tile through, the edges of the hole are finished with coarse sandpaper.

Results

Compliance with safety precautions and the use of the correct technologies when working with an angle grinder will make this tool not only in demand, but also indispensable for home craftsmen.