Tomecanic Supercut 35 question

[burpootus]

The Tomecanic 35 lists a 35” max cut length. That is tantalizingly close to the 35.401” that I need for some 36” nominal tile. Does anyone have experience with trying to cut 36” nominal tile on one of these? Is there 35” limit a true 35”? Seems sort of weird for a cutter of that dimension to not be able to cut 36” tile?

[CaliGrown]

What size floor do you have to tile? And how cut up is the floor plan?

[burpootus]

I don't really know how to describe that. It's a 2750 sq. ft. house, 2 story, and I am tiling the ground floor. It's not cut up too bad I don't think. The 36" tile is planned for every room except for the kitchen, mud room, and bathrooms. These tiles are smaller, so not a problem to fit in the cutter. I'm curious, how is this connected to whether a Tomecanic 35 will cut a 35.401" tile?

[Tool Guy - Kg]

Originally Posted by burpootus

...I'm curious, how is this connected to whether a Tomecanic 35 will cut a 35.401" tile?

It doesn't directly. But I was wondering the same question he asked. I can't speak for Christopher, but we are both pros and know that most floors can be installed with an angle grinder and relatively small snapper, as all or nearly all the cuts are completely hidden under millwork. And if we share that knowledge, it may give you the perspective you need to really weigh your "need" for such a large and expensive tool.

[burpootus]

I am a homeowner who has done some tile work. I have a tile professional friend. I tiled an entire house several years ago, including a walk in shower, tub surround, kitchen backsplashes, etc., and he sold me on using a snap cutter. I used a Tomecanic 29 for as many cuts as possible, and I think it made the job more efficient. It made great cuts on the few cuts that are exposed, which is sort of a pet peave of mine. I’m in the planning stages now, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to have a couple of exposed rip cuts on the 36” tiles.

[Tool Guy - Kg]

Well, if you've got exposed cuts, that warrants a good snapper or tilesaw cut. I'm always up for more tools. Is there a change to the pattern or something that will expose a cut edge?

[burpootus]

Transitioning from the "living" areas, with the 36" plank tile, to the "wet" areas, with a different type of tile, will probably result in exposed edges. I haven't laid it all out yet (we don't close on the house until Feb 8), so I'm not sure. There is also the ease (and lack of mess compared to the saw) with which the snap cutter would do those long rips (and all the cross cuts), whether they are hidden by trim or not. I can put the snap cutter on a table and work right across the room, moving it as I go, keeping it close by. I usually go out into the garage or outside to cut with the saw, just because of the mess.

[CaliGrown]

Was asking to see if a bridge saw would fit your needs or if a larger snapper would serve you well based on your needs. I don’t have experience with the Tomecanic, I have a 36” sigma it has a few inches extra to allow for a nominal 36” Tile. I’ve used rubí in the past, here’s a link says up to 40” for the 36” model. And has a better price point than Montelit & Sigma.
https://www.acmetools.com/shop/tools/rubi-tools-12999r

[CaliGrown]

Sigma Art.3D4
40” Tile capacity, 41.25” opening inside rail to rail

[burpootus]

Thanks for the advice back in January. I ended up buying a Rubi TP40T. I’ve been getting all the other remodeling done, and now I am ready to start laying tile. I started tonight in a small bathroom to sort of get my skills back, since it’s been about 6 years since my last tiling job. Things are not going well at all. I can’t make a good cut on this Rubi to save my life. I took vacation next week, and planned to tile from tonight all the way through. But all I’m doing is making scrap. What is the trick to these things? The break trails off the score line, towards the side of the tile. And if you move the handle out to the middle of the tile, the bar just flexes when you try to break the rest. The instructions say to break within 10mm of the home position. I suppose this is so the breaker is close to the end where the bar is mounted, and can’t flex as much. If you pop the breaker handle, as opposed to more and more pressure until the break occurs, it will crush out a corner of the tile on one side, and the break still isn’t clean. All the breaks are sort of wavy, even when the follow the score line. Any help is appreciated.

[smifwal]

They say only score it once but you might try scoring it more than. I don't have enough experience with the Rubi to really help (I am a sigma guy) or change the position where you are trying to snap it. Sadly this is the best advice I can give

[Davy]

I don't own one of these large cutters so I can't help much. On my old cutters the first thing I do is put a dab of oil on the bar and wheel. That helps everything slide and roll smooth. Also, the wheel may need to be replaced if you've used the cutter a lot. Doesn't sound like you have.

[burpootus]

I approached it with a fresh attitude this morning. Did a bunch of cuts on the scrap I made last night. Thought I was doing better with being more meticulous with the breaker 10mm from the edge, as the instructions say, and scoring harder, but it was just luck. Just messed up 5 pieces in a row trying to make a real cut to continue the job. Very frustrating. Time is ticking by. The length spec of the Tomecanic 35 is identical, to the mm, to the specified length of the wood plank tile I have, so with no room for error, I was afraid to order it. I ran across my tile pro friend recently, and he said it will cut a little longer than the spec. I’ve got $425 in this cutter, and at this point, my time is even more valuable.

[tilemanct]

Some tiles will snap cut like a dream every time and then there are ones that NO snap cutter will ever cut. I had a job with some 4' tiles and for the life of me could not get them to snap cleanly or in one piece. Went out and bought a large rail saw and finished the job. Worked like a charm. I've used that rail saw many times over and it paid for itself in less then a year.

[Tiger Mountain Tile Inc]

I don't know much about that particular Rubi cutter. Their good cutter are good but they have different models for different price points.

However, some tile is just too difficult to snap. It just won't snap right no matter how good the cutter is. You're more likely to find these types of tiles at the home improvement stores but they can be found elsewhere, as well.