How to cut 3/4” Porcelain pavers

[Oldcaliforniakid]

I live in California but called the HD closest to my son's in Dallas to see if they had a rail or bridge saw which they didn't. Their biggest saw is the Pearl VX10.2XL Pro which has a 2hp motor and will slice a 24" tile. They come with a porcelain blade so it looks like that will be my tool for the job. I also bought a pair of 9" Wood's Powr-grip Vacuum Cups to assist in the handling and setting of the 30# tile/pavers.

[Oldcaliforniakid]

The VX10.2XLPRO saw says 24” rips and 18” diagonal cuts. Does this mean the distance between the blade and the support arm is a little more than 18” or that it will cut an 18” tile on the diagonal?

[cx]

I think you'll find that means an 18"x18" tile on a diagonal, Scott. Something in the neighborhood of 13" clearance from blade to obstruction.

[Oldcaliforniakid]

I was afraid of that. My HD's here in Orange County, CA all rent out rail/bridge saws and I can't find one in the Dallas, TX area that does.

Will have to check rental yards now. Anyone know of any rental saws in the Lemmon Ave, Dallas area?

I thought I was laying the tiles on the square and this is what my son sent me from Dallas, wanting the layout like this:

[Oldcaliforniakid]

DOes anyone know if it is possible to cut a 24” x 24” tile on the diagonal on a Pearl VX10.2XLPRO, by cutting half way from opposite ends?

[Oldcaliforniakid]

I called every rental yard in the Dallas area to reserve a rail saw for this job and struck out. Most hadn’t even heard of such an animal. So, I bought a hand held wet saw (not sure if we can mention product names) and did some practice 34” cuts today, stacking two 3/8” porcelain tiles on top of each other. I clamped a fence on the tile and made two separate cuts. They were as clean as any rail saw cuts I made on my last project with 39” porcelain tiles. I used the blade that came with the saw, which is the same continuous rim blade I use on my grinder to make dry cuts.

[cx]

Mentioning brand names is quite acceptable here, Scott.

[Oldcaliforniakid]

Originally Posted by CX

Mentioning brand names is quite acceptable here, Scott.

I use a Dewalt angle grinder with an XP4 continuous rim porcelain blade. I bought the Dewalt DWC860W 4 3/8" hand held wet saw, seeing that it came with the same XP4 blade. It cut great with the only caviat being that it is quite messy with the water running down the table and into my shoe. I'm using half of my aluminum saw guide (50") to clamp down with a couple of Irwin hand clamps.

I will screw together a 2x4 tabletop base to cut and clamp to when I get to Dallas. I'll photograph the setup when I get there.

It will be pretty work intensive to not have a rail saw on this project, but I like a challenge and it will be fun to have my son along side.

[cx]

Never tried the DeWalt, but I have an old Felker 4" saw that is very similar and I've been impressed with its capabilities. I've used mine primarily for demolition of old mud shower walls in past, but I've had to cut a few large tiles as well.

The water mess, while substantial, is not much of a problem when cutting the walls of a tub/shower or a full shower so long as you run enough other water to ensure the drain stays clean. Cutting outdoors in Dallas in the summer, while hot as hell, shouldn't be much of a problem with the water running into your son's shoes, eh?

Useful tools, those, under the right conditions.

My opinion; worth price charged.

[Oldcaliforniakid]

Originally Posted by cx

Cutting outdoors in Dallas in the summer, while hot as hell, shouldn't be much of a problem with the water running into your son's shoes, eh?

That would be nice, but dad's the saw man...