Blade deflection issues...

[castle.stone]

Okay, I'm losing my mind trying to figure out how to solve this issue. I own a Felker Tilemaster 10" wet saw and have taken very good care of it. When I check my alignment with a square, the saw is absolutely perfect. Until just recently, the largest tile that I've used has been 16", but I just started a 18" porcelain install and when I rip a piece, the cut on one end can be out as much as 1/8! I again go and check my alignment, check that everything is secure and rip another piece and again its out at least an eighth. I've tried going at a snails pace through the tile with similar results. Could it be the blade that I just put in it? I just purchased a Hot Dog blade as my Felker Porcelain blade was shot. The blade seems fairly thin...

I've had to adjust my cuts 1/8 over from top to bottom to allow for the drift in the blade...any help would surely be appreciated.

All the best,

[Tool Guy - Kg]

The hot dog blade is thin and can deflect.

One thing that can mess up your cuts is a blade that isn't uniformly sharp. If one side is sharper than the other, the blade can drift off to the side a bit. In that case, sharpening the blade is an easy way to get things back in order. Take a look in the Liberry here for a cool article on diamond blade sharpening.

[designdude]

This is something that has been an issue - especially w/porcelain - for me in the past. KG also pointed out the problem of uneaven wear or gumming on the blade to me in the past and that can be a problem. But if your blade is brand new that shouldn't be an issue. Porcelain - i learned the hard way is an animal in a leage of its own. Because of its glass properties, it has very strong sideways torque. The long skinny strips in my thread photo were 1/2" by almost 2 foot long pieces i cut from porcelain. Every time i got 2/3 through a cut the sideways torque would snap my pieces. i actually had to plunge cut about 1" from the back of the piece, leaving that last inch attached in order to hold it apart so it couldn't put alot of sideways torque on my blade and snap the piece. Then push the piece through and with my fingers, hold the gap made by my blade apart before reaching the end of my cut. Then i would turn the piece around and finish the last inch. Have you tried other materials (other than porcelain) the same length to see if the same thing happens?