Tile saw Needed or not?

[Filthymutt]

I'm seeing a lot of post talking about this HF Tile saw. Seen photos of it too, looks great but here in China where I am I can not find it's like anywhere. The best I can get is a 4" Marble cutter (mini circular saw) with a diamond blade. I've tried it on cinder block and it cuts fine but I am worried about when it comes to cutting my fire bricks that I won't be able to make such precise cuts as it looks like you can with that tile saw.

Do not even suggest please about renting one. This is China and things don't work that way here. There is no rental anything past cars and houses and rental cars are a fairly new thing...

So any ideas how I can cut my fire brick nicely?

[brickie in oz]

Re: Tile saw Needed or not?

You have to be kidding me, all the tools we buy here now are from China.

See if you can get hold of one of these its what I bought for bricklaying and its a beast, all made in China.
$Au700 here, Im sure you can get a better price over there.

[Filthymutt]

Re: Tile saw Needed or not?

Better price? Ha ha I can't find it here at any price.
I've been living here for 15 years and every year I take a big empty suitcase 'home' to the States with me just to fill it with a whole bunch of Made-in-China stuff to bring back here to its place of origin only because its not available here.

Made in China, Export only. Often if you can get the item here it's a knock off or defective factory second.

Frustrating!

[brickie in oz]

Re: Tile saw Needed or not?

every year I take a big empty suitcase 'home' to the States with me just to fill it with a whole bunch of Made-in-China stuff to bring back here to its place of origin only because its not available here.

Sounds like a business opening to me, like selling sand to the Arabs.

[Filthymutt]

Re: Tile saw Needed or not?

Sounds like a business opening to me, like selling sand to the Arabs.

Ice cubes to Eskimos yeah you might be right. I've gone as far as asking sellers in the US if I could order something from them but have it shipped to me direct from the factory here but the answer was always no.

Bob

[Bacterium]

Re: Tile saw Needed or not?

Bob,
Gee never new it was like that in China.....just thought it was become the land of everything.......... original and knock off...

I had to compensate for my lack of bricklaying skills and got one of these
http://www.btengpl.com/products.html#Brick

ELECTRIC B.T. BRICKSAW


its a monster too and scares the neighbors kids away...didn't make me a brickie

[Greenman]

Re: Tile saw Needed or not?

I found a BT Bricksaw without the stand second hand for a good price. Like you say, it is a beast and did a good job for me. Strange but it didn't make me a brick layer either but it did make the build easier.

Cheers ....... Steve

[Filthymutt]

Re: Tile saw Needed or not?

I'm going to keep looking. But having been to the masonry places, the tile places and the biggest tool places already I'm not expecting much.

I can't even order from overseas as the cost of shipping would likely double the cost and the import duty would add still another 40% so it's not an option.

No, every thing might be made here but everything also gets exported.

[david s]

Re: Tile saw Needed or not?

You can build it without a saw. Simply cut the bricks in half with a brick bolster (like a really wide cold chisel) two blows with a hammer and you'd done. No brick dust. The rough end goes to the outside. You use more mortar, but if using the home brew it's really cheap. You can also do a lot with an angle grinder fitted with a diamond blade.

Plenty of people have built ovens without a saw.

[cobblerdave]

Re: Tile saw Needed or not?

You can build it without a saw. Simply cut the bricks in half with a brick bolster (like a really wide cold chisel) two blows with a hammer and you'd done. No brick dust. The rough end goes to the outside. You use more mortar, but if using the home brew it's really cheap. You can also do a lot with an angle grinder fitted with a diamond blade.

Plenty of people have built ovens without a saw.

Gudday
It's very doable.... But as Dave's said the angle grinder/ diamond saw is usefull for some of those cuts particularly around the arch transition and at the top of the dome

Regards dave

[Filthymutt]

Re: Tile saw Needed or not?

You can build it without a saw. Simply cut the bricks in half with a brick bolster (like a really wide cold chisel) two blows with a hammer and you'd done. No brick dust. The rough end goes to the outside. You use more mortar, but if using the home brew it's really cheap. You can also do a lot with an angle grinder fitted with a diamond blade.

Plenty of people have built ovens without a saw.

I'll look for a bolster thanks. But I am sure they didn't have any at the B&Q, a truly poor copy of Home Depot but the only. Shop with even the faintest sense of being organized here.

I wasn't too concerned about chopping bricks in half but with all the tapering of successive courses I keep reading about, etc. not to mention those archway cuts. What's to be done there? I looked for a masonry hacksaw blade no luck though. Thanks

[Coloradoredusa]

Re: Tile saw Needed or not?

I used a chop saw with a diamond blade and an angle grinder with a diamond blade also.. it can be done!

[Filthymutt]

Re: Tile saw Needed or not?

I used a chop saw with a diamond blade and an angle grinder with a diamond blade also.. it can be done!

I've no chop saw but I have an angle grinder and 4" marble cutter (mini circular saw) with a diamond blade so I'll see how it goes. Thanks

[david s]

Re: Tile saw Needed or not?

If cutting or grinding bricks dry, the dust is dangerous to inhale. Unlike unfired clay, the fired clay particles do not return to mud and tend to stay in your lungs as tiny sharp particles. In addition fired clay contains crystaline silica which develops during the firing process and is dangerous to inhale. A saw with a water feed dramatically reduces the dust problem. Get yourself a good respirator.

[Filthymutt]

Re: Tile saw Needed or not?

Thanks, always best to stay safe. I seriously doubt I'll be able to find a decent respirator here considering the Chinese complete lack of concern for safety especially on the job site.
This is a place where you routinely see people using Jackhammers and hammer drills without any hearing protection, construction workers grinding metal, etc even welding without any eye protection. As a Helicopter pilot I always had hearing protection on hand and more than once offered fresh packs of ear plugs to workers doing loud work only to have them shrugged off as unnecessary.
I'll be looking.
Considering the air quality here in Beijing I do own a couple of face masks capable of filtering particles down to as small as pm2.5 which and I believe cement dust is only a pm10 particle so I should be ok with that in the meantime.

Bob