I wanted to start exploring pattern bars to use in my glass fusing. To do this, I needed to upgrade my tile saw. The last two days I have be working with my new MK 370-EXP tile saw. I have learned quite a few things.
- First and foremost, I need a tile saw stand with wheels. This is a very messy tool. Water sprays out the back creating large puddles. My husband rigged up a cut open milk jug to collect the majority of spray. It made enough of a difference so that I could at least get some work done. But in the long run the tile saw needs to be used outside of the garage.
- This is a very loud piece of equipment. Ear protection is a definite.
- I quickly learned to wait a second or two and make sure the water was flowing over the blade before putting the glass against the blade. Sparks are not good!
- Water in the tub gets gritty quickly. I eventually filled a large bucket with water and put the pump in it to circulate clean water over my glass.
- I bought a better diamond blade, but no matter how slowly I pushed the glass across the blade, a small amount of chipping seemed inevitable.
This saw is way better than the inexpensive Home Depot saw that I had been using. My Home Depot saw didn’t have a sliding table which made it difficult to move the glass smoothly. Even with a better diamond blade on it the cuts were very rough. I was ready to upgrade and knew I wanted an MK tile saw. My supplier only sold two MK models. I got the MK370-EXP model which has a 7” blade. The other model they sold had a 10” blade and seemed to me more saw than I needed. It was also about twice as expensive. In hindsight, however, I should have considered the MK370 model which is shorter. With the MK370-EXP I have to lean forward pretty far to get the cut made. I upgraded to a better diamond blade and it makes very smooth cuts with a minimal amount of chipping. One thing that I think would be and improvement would be to have a drain plug to make removing the water from the tub easier.
I am slowly checking off the list of equipment that I would like to have in my studio. The next item on my list is a wet belt sander. The problem is I am running out of room in the garage. Maybe it’s time to build a new studio! Just kidding honey!
you’ll quickly run into a depth of cut limitation on a 7″ saw. i have a 10″ and run into the 3″ limit often (i use mine to cut tile, slab granite, and take slices off rocks, like petrified wood).
I considered that when making my decision. For the foreseeable future, I won’t be cutting anything that the 7″ saw can’t handle. I also still have my home depot saw which is 10″ if the need arises.
Which diamond blade did you like best. I know its quite an investment and I want to get a good one!
I am having a really lazy lovely evening learning from your website….thank you for all this info
I have a Husqvarna Superlok Glass Diamond Blade that I like a lot.
Just started using wet glass saw. Lots of water splatter. Is this normal?
Yes. I can control the amount of water going to the blade with my pump. Less water less splatter. However, I find the more water the better the cut. If there isn’t enough water the blade will get hot. I wear a plastic apron when I work with my tile saw.