Is it possible to cut a tile with a miter saw?

Most of the time, cutting tiles requires the use of a tile wet saw but if you don’t have the budget or time to get one, you could potentially use the other tools in your arsenal. Picking the right alternative tool can be quite difficult, you’ll end up digging through the end of your toolbox just to find one that might work. Thankfully, due to modern technology, it can be quite easy and cheap to stick to an alternative, you just have to find the right blade.

So yes, you can cut a tile with a miter saw, assuming that you have the right blade for it. Since miter saws are usually for cutting wood, the standard blade that usually accompanies it would be specifically for wood and other similar materials.

To cut a tile, you would have to get a diamond blade but this blade works differently than the usual, thus would require a different kind of handling.

After finding the right blade, you’d need to know how to use it. Like what is mentioned before, since the material and essence of the blade differs from the standard, it would require a different technique to be able to handle cutting the tiles. And with that, you’d have to get to know the blade more before using it so make sure to keep reading this article, it’ll tell you all about the blade and how to use it.

The Importance Of The Right Blade

Since a miter saw isn’t usually used for cutting tiles, it can be a contrasting experience, especially with a different blade. A diamond blade is used to cut harder materials such as concrete or even metal. While it is called a diamond blade, it doesn’t have a natural diamond in it, only synthetic diamond particles on the cutting edge of the blade.

Another misconception about the blade is that it doesn’t actually cut, it grinds. The diamond particles at the edge scratch against the material as it spins, essentially grinding it.

Essentially, the blade is what makes cutting the tile with a miter saw possible. While other wet saws, the standard tool for tile-cutting, also use diamond blades, the difference is that wet saws are wet while miter saws are dry. It might not seem like a big difference but using a dry blade on tiles can cause multiple issues which will be elaborated further in the article so let’s get right to it.

So yes, it is possible to cut a tile with a miter saw!

Due to modern technology and the inventions of new blades, it is now possible to cut a tile with a miter saw. As mentioned before, you just need a diamond blade for your saw to be able to handle cutting hard materials such as a tile. Just make sure to install it properly because if it spins in the wrong direction, it will wear out much faster due to the nature of the blade which grinds rather than cuts.

Step-By-Step, How To Cut a Tile with A Mitre Saw

Now that we’ve established that it is possible, here are the specific steps to effectively cut a miter saw using a diamond blade:

• Make sure to mark the area that you’re cutting, use a tape measure to ensure the accuracy of the marks. You can use either a marker or a pencil depending on your preference.
• This step is optional but preferred. You can attach a household vacuum to the vacuum port of the miter saw. This way, you will end up with much less dust and a cleaner workspace. This will also lessen the damage to your saw as the dust can easily go inside the inner workings of your tool and damage it in the long run. If you don’t have a vacuum, just make sure to wear safety goggles or a filter mask so you can be comfortable while cutting.
• This one depends on the cut that you want to make. It is now time to cut the tile.
  For straight cuts, place the tile on the tray of the miter saw and use the fence, which is around the back of the tray, to hold the tile in position. Hold the tile with a firm grip to keep it from moving. Once the tile is secured and safely in place, let the blade spin and pull it downwards in a gentle manner.
• For angular cuts, there’s a miter feature on the saw that you can utilize. The adjustment bolts should be loosened to angle the blade whichever way you need. There’s a gauge on the saw which is used to precisely determine the degree of the angle. Angling the blade upwards or downwards on the left side can help you with edge miters.
• For square cutouts, you can use a specific function of the blade which is called the drop feature. Mark the cutouts at the back of the tile and place them with the face down on the tray. Hold it in place once again before gently pulling the blade downwards. Make sure that the blade lands on top of the marks and turn the tile to cut out all of the edges as per your mark.
• For backside cuts, ensure that you’re cutting a bit beyond the marked line. This is due to the nature of the blade, since it is a rounded blade, it will angle up slightly. So, by cutting beyond the marked line, you’re ensuring a much more precise cut.
• If you didn’t go through with Step 2 then you better take a break and check on your equipment. The fine dust that you get from cutting tiles can further damage the mechanisms of your equipment. While not many problems will show up in short projects, they may collect over time and potentially be a large concern in the future.

The dangers of cutting a tile with a miter saw

Since miter saws aren’t the usual tool for this job, it comes with additional issues. We’ve already mentioned the concerns with precisions due to the nature of the blade but there’s more to it than that. The blade also connects with the tile in a pinching motion, unlike tile saws that dip horizontally which provides a higher accurate cut than miter saws. Of course, accuracy is just one of the issues.

A miter saw will be able to cut your hand if you hold it close enough to the blade, something that is less of a problem when you use a wet saw blade. This is because wet saw blades require more friction to damage your skin. To actually cut your finger, you would need to stick your hand on the blade for a few seconds before it starts to scrape. Automatically having lubricants on the blade of the wet saws helps a lot in preventing physical accidents, making it a much-preferred option than a miter saw.

Important Safety Gear to Buy

Based on the previous discussion, using a miter saw accumulates a lot of dust so you would need safety goggles, hearing protection, and even a filter mask so you won’t be disturbed with stray specks of dust going to your eyes or nose while cutting. However, the other pressing matter is the damage that it causes to the miter saw. This issue was briefly mentioned before but to specify, the dust it gathers is so small that it can go inside the motor windings and degrade the quality of your saw as time passes by. This can be costly since you can easily wear out your saw if you regularly use it for tiles so make sure to not use miter saws in a long-term project for this material.

Furthermore, in terms of long-term use, it’s actually advised to not use miter saws on longer projects for tiles or other hard materials. As we previously talked about, diamond blades grind against the material, chipping themselves away slowly with it. That’s why if you use a dry diamond blade, it will easily wear itself out due to the nature of the blade and the hardness of the material. This is why wet saws are preferred with tile projects. Not only does it provide a more accurate cut, but it is also lubricated which protects the blade from heating and essentially damaging itself.

Conclusion

So, even though it is possible to cut tiles with a miter saw, it comes with additional issues and precautions that you have to take which can be avoided if you bought a wet saw. These additional precautions are the reasons why you have specific tools for the materials and why it’s easier to buy one rather than stick with what you have. While it is entirely acceptable to use miter saws for tiles, especially as a short-term thing or a last resort, you should definitely think twice about using it as your go-to equipment. After all, investing in the right tool is much cheaper than having to constantly replace your alternative.