Using a Wet Tile Saw for Fire Bricks?

[Huhness]

Brick saws are EXPENSIVE! To buy and to hire. I could hire one for a day and rush to get all of my bricks cut and dome built before it would have to go back.

OR

I could get one of these?

Brand New Tile Cutter/Tile Saw 3000RPM, 45 deg. 500 - eBay, Marble, Tile, Stone, Building Materials, Industrial. (end time 12-Sep-10 04:50:26 AEST)

Otherwise i'll just use a angle grinder and a bolster.

[kellytoronto]

Re: Using a Wet Tile Saw for Fire Bricks?

I use this: Mastercraft Wet Tile Saw | Canadian Tire

It sells for $50 at least every couple of months, and it worked fine.

[Huhness]

Re: Using a Wet Tile Saw for Fire Bricks?

I use this: Mastercraft Wet Tile Saw | Canadian Tire

It sells for $50 at least every couple of months, and it worked fine.

That says it only has a cutting depth of 1" did you just pass the bricks through twice?

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: Using a Wet Tile Saw for Fire Bricks?

The beautiful thing about building an oven out of brick is it's design allows the builder to use his imagination,diligence, skills, and whatever tools he has to get the job done. Almost everyone here uses a 10" wet saw, but many do not. They use 7" wet saws, 7" dry saws, 7-10" chop saws, 41/2" grinders, and best of all, a hammer and chisel. With access to 'previously-owned' tools via Craigslist, etc, it has never been easier to buy a suitable, if not ideal cutting tool. There is nothing wrong with acquiring and utilizing whatever tool you can afford, but I would caution against renting a tool for one day thinking to could cut the entire oven in one session. For one, this places too much pressure on the builder to hurry through the job and he's left without a saw for later adjustments. Second, if the rental fee includes blade usage, the cost incurred to pay for blade wear often exceeds the cost of a good used saw all by itself.

[dmun]

Re: Using a Wet Tile Saw for Fire Bricks?

That's an eight inch blade: It won't cut a firebrick in one pass. That said, it's great for score and break, or cutting in two passes. It's sure a lot better than an angle grinder or brick set (bolster)

[kellytoronto]

Re: Using a Wet Tile Saw for Fire Bricks?

That says it only has a cutting depth of 1" did you just pass the bricks through twice?

Pass it through, flip it over, cut the ends (ie four continuous cuts) and then it would snap by hand. I did my full 42" oven this way.

[Huhness]

Re: Using a Wet Tile Saw for Fire Bricks?

Cool thanks guys! I'll get one of the tabletop wet saws as they are about $100 cheaper.

I agree that I didn't want to rush the cuts and the dome. It costs at least $180 for me just to hire a brick saw where I live. I can get my own wet saw for $150!

[eprante]

Re: Using a Wet Tile Saw for Fire Bricks?

My advice would be to make sure and get a saw that will cut through the brick in one pass, especially if you are tapering your bricks. You cut a lot of bricks on this project and the prospect of doubling the number of cuts is daunting. Whatever extra you spend to get a 10" (254mm) saw will be made up in time and energy saved.
Good luck,
Eric

[Huhness]

Re: Using a Wet Tile Saw for Fire Bricks?

If i'm using a saw i will not use anything but a wet saw and a wet saw capable of making cuts in one pass is more than $1000 more than these tile saws.

I'm not going to be tapering my bricks.

[dmun]

Re: Using a Wet Tile Saw for Fire Bricks?

Cool thanks guys! I'll get one of the tabletop wet saws as they are about $100 cheaper.

A hint about those tabletop tile saws: Use it backwards and pull the brick toward you. That way most of the mud is thrown away from you instead of in your face.

For most of your cuts, a single pass is enough for a score-and-break.

[david s]

Re: Using a Wet Tile Saw for Fire Bricks?

A cut off drop saw of the type designed for cutting steel can be fitted with a diamond blade, then set up a simple gravity feed water set up using a plastic tube against the blade and a tap to regulate the flow.

[ThermoJax]

Re: Using a Wet Tile Saw for Fire Bricks?

I thought that only a 14 inch wet saw would cut in one pass? not true? especially the taper.

Also, one of my construction buddys assures me that I want to get a wet saw, especially with firebrick, rather than a 14 inch chop saw fitted with a masonry blade. He says that while I may use a mask to cut, all that stuff is floating around my yard, waiting on me to breath it later, or my kids.

So, I may just rent a 14 inch for the major cutting, even though I just bought a 10 in Harbor Frieght wet saw, still in the box, just to avoid the double cut. I just have to get hendo's method down pat. For any wondering how to cut, look up Hendo, and see his excellent pictoral guide to cutting the tapers.

I ate at a local coal fired brick oven place for lunch today. I could see the brick dome whilst peeking, but the floor was one solid piece, no seems. I wonder if it was soapstone.

[Huhness]

Re: Using a Wet Tile Saw for Fire Bricks?

Heads up for all the Aussies out there Bunninngs have CHEAP wet saws in the tile section. $80 for what i've seen going for $180 on scam-bay. They have 4 different brands of the same saw.

[thamnophis]

Re: Using a Wet Tile Saw for Fire Bricks?

I was wondering about this too.

I bought a 14 inch chop (cut off) saw and a $6.00 masonry blade. Prices for chop saws at the big box stores ranged from $80 to $450. Mine was $150.

The sales guy said it was dusty so I thought of some way to run a bit of irrigation tubing with the shut off valve as someone suggested up-post.

The manual said to never replace the blade and try to cut masonry with it. But even the brick guys said it was OK to do so.

I was also thinking of building some sort of form to hold bricks in the right position to do the miters. Anyone tried this?