In the process of laying ceramic tiles on the floor or walls, sooner or later it becomes necessary to cut off a piece of the tile, since the whole one does not fit. It is very difficult to make it so that an even cut is obtained, for example, using an angle grinder (grinder) or a glass cutter. Even with extensive experience, chips and notches along the edge of the cut are not ruled out. For these purposes, a special tool was invented - a tile cutter, in particular, manual tile cutters are used for small amounts of work at home. If you have to tile large areas, it is better to choose a professional electric tile cutter.
Structurally, a manual tile cutter consists of several parts: a platform (base), a carriage with a handle, paws for breaking, a cutting roller and guides with supports. Also on the tile cutter can be a goniometer. The platform is the supporting base of the entire tool and the rest of the structure is fixed on it. The carriage, paws and roller cut the material and break the tiles. Roller is made of high strength steel
able to cut more than one tile without dulling. And finally, the guides ensure smooth movement during the cut, as well as the straightness of the cut line. Each part of a manual tile cutter is designed to provide strictly defined functions and the characteristics of the tool depend on their quality.
Using a manual tile cutter, you can cut not only ceramic tiles, but also other types of stone and porcelain tiles up to 15 mm thick. The design of the manual tile cutter ensures that tiles are cut not only at right angles, but also at sharp angles (from 0 to 45 degrees).
Types of manual tile cutters
Manual tile cutters, depending on the design, are of three types.
1. Roller tile cutter. This tile cutter has a very simple design and a cutting element in the form of a carbide roller. The tile cutter has a democratic price and suits most of the inhabitants. However, this type of tool usually has a low rigidity design. They are mainly used only for cutting ceramic tiles up to 8 mm thick. Roller tile cutters are available in different lengths. The minimum length is about 400 mm, and the weight is also very small - it reaches 200 grams.
They are not made particularly long, because only one tile can be cut at a time and there is no point in making them larger than the maximum size of the cut tile.
For domestic needs, this tile cutter is enough and it makes no sense to buy another one. But it should be remembered that porcelain stoneware for the floor will have to be cut using an ordinary grinder, this model will not cut it exactly.
2. Tile cutter on bearings. Thanks to the bushings on bearings available in the design, these tile cutters have a very soft stroke. In this regard, the cut of the tile is very even despite the strength and thickness of the tile. As a rule, this type of tile cutter is used when cutting durable tiles up to 16 mm thick. The number of bearings can be different, the more the better. The number of bearings is usually from 2 to 6 pieces, although there may be more on professional tile cutters. The cost is quite an expensive tool. Much more expensive than a roller one.
We would recommend this model to those who professionally work on private orders, for example, laying ceramic tiles in residential apartments, in bathrooms, kitchens and bathrooms.
3. Mechanical tile cutter. This type of tile cutter has a rigid carriage, which allows you to cut tiles with very high accuracy, without chipping. If you decide to make the perfect tile cut, for example, when finishing luxury housing, it will suit you. As a rule, this type of tile cutter can also cut thick floor tiles up to 16 mm thick. Most modern manual professional mechanical tile cutters have bushings with bearings. That is, there is a combination of the features of a mechanical tile cutter and on bearings.
Unlike previous models, on a mechanical tile cutter, you can cut tiles without sanding the cut edge with sandpaper.
Other hand tools
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