HELP! I need to cut a 73mm diameter hole in stone floor tiles

[LloydinCroatia]

Hi folks

I am at my wits end, so I hope one of you chaps can help. :mad2:

My wife and I recently forked out on some really nice, large 1cm-thick stone floor tiles, not knowing how hard they are to cut.

After spending all afternoon with my hand drill and a 73mm diamond bit, which has left me with a cracked tile and only the mildest circular indentation resembling a coffee stain, I am beginning to wonder whether these damned things are impervious to everything.

Does anyone have any tips on how to make a circular cut? I have heard you need water, and I was using water intermittently but I'm at a loss as to how I drill AND poor water constantly. Straying in the drill bit while drilling is also an issue.

My instincts are telling me I am woefully under-equipped to do anything with the materials I have bought. I hope that's not true, and I'm desperate for any tips that will make things easier. My wife and I NEED this bathroom finished as we have a newborn and we can't share the inlaws' bathroom (downstairs) forever.

Thanks in advance!


Lloyd

PS - I had some pics to upload but I don't seem to have the relevant permissions.

 

[Alan.P]

Hi and welcome Lloyd, you could make a guide from timber to stop the straying of the bit, as for keeping water at the cutting end, break some sponge off and push it up the inside of the core bit, keep on dipping into a bucket of water whilst drilling, if that fails try an angle grinder, working from the back of the tile cut though the circle you need and chip away from the front, if you follow me.

HTH

 

[Stef]

Contact Alan at ATS Diamond Tools & he will sort you out with a core.
Make a template out of 18mm ply & use this with the core to pit the surface of your tile, once you have this then use a sponge at the side of the core to drill through your tile.

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Use an angle grinder from the back and punch the circular hole through from the front - only works on unfixed tiles!

 

[Dougs Third Go]

alternatively, if you mark the tile where the hole needs to go you could take it to a stonemasons workshop and I'm sure they'd drill it for you for a small fee.

 

[Perry]

Hi and welcome Lloyd, you could make a guide from timber to stop the straying of the bit, as for keeping water at the cutting end, break some sponge off and push it up the inside of the core bit, keep on dipping into a bucket of water whilst drilling, if that fails try an angle grinder, working from the back of the tile cut though the circle you need and chip away from the front, if you follow me.

HTH

Stop giving my secrets away you :smilewinkgrin:

 

[Alan.P]

Use an angle grinder from the back and punch the circular hole through from the front - only works on unfixed tiles!

Really

Stop giving my secrets away you :smilewinkgrin:

Disclaimer it was him up /\ that showed me .....................thanks for the tip Pete

 

[AliGage]

Recruit the wife to keep the water supply constant.

 

[Spud]

Well here is a tip for a decent water flow,to keep the bit cool,
get a empty 2ltr plastic water bottle and screw a small screw 10 mm from the bottom fill the bottle with water and screw the cap back on set your drill up over the hole using a template hole cut from ply or another piece of tile undo the screw at the bottom and unscrew the cap you will get a nice steady stream of water to keep the drill bit cool if you need to slow the flow down screw the cap back on slightly and this slows the air pressure pushing the water out too quickly

 

[m3fitter]

its the abrasive action that bores down into the tile, ie: slow speed and short bursts, with hard pressure. cooling down the holecutter inbetween, not fast rpm, go in at an angle and slowly correct it until its straight.. try cutting a template first in something softer and use it as a guide..

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Really

Alan - its been so long since you've posted I didn't bother reading your reply!!
Thanks for repeating my info.

 

[Alan.P]

Really

Alan - its been so long since you've posted I didn't bother reading your reply!!
Thanks for repeating my info.

Hi John, yeah, fell of the radar for awhile

 

[High Peak Tiling]

Hi Lloyd.
One thing I do for a cold water feed is using a tile hole cutting guide and just removing a section of the guide but still utilising the water pump (pictured)