Hi,
I am student from Hungary and i am writing my essay on angle grinders. I was trying to locate some tiler forums but this was the only one i found.
I was wondering if any of you could help me out on this topic..
What i am looking for is typically:
what grinders are the best for cutting tiles? Are the smaller ones preferred or the larger ones?Should it be variable speed or single speed?
What are the things/ features that are missing on current grinders which would come handy while working with tiles? What i have learnt so far is that angle grinders are used for cutting off pieces and for straight cuts. Are there any things that could be improved on grinders?
I assume the habits/ ways of working cannot be too different in Hungary and the UK, so if any of you as professional tiler could help me to get authentic data, i would really appreciate it!
Thanks in advance,
Máté

Mate, most decent angle grinders have covered all the necessary modifications for tiling, either that or tilers have modified the way we work with them. I personally use a bosch 115 angle grinder with a continous rim diamond blade. A really good piece of kit imo
Doug

I have the same set up as doug top piece of kit.use it all the time.just the dust is a pain in the arse

I also use a 115mm grinder (makita) with a diamond blade. It is useful for straight cuts as you say, but can also be used for curves. . Dust is the biggest problem as has already been mentioned

Hi I use a 115mm Makita angle grinder. with a turbo blade. it is good for cutting curves and also very good for cutting straight lines. With a steady hand and practice you can get excellent results. Also good for cutting out holes for electrical sockets etc.

some of the newest grinders have an anti vibration and a slow speed start function which avoids the kick you sometimes get when you turn on the cheaper ones ,the anti vibration grinders allow you to cut to the standard of wet cutters if you have the right blade with them,cordless battery powered grinders are becoming popular in the uk ,improvements which could be made are weight issues ,the lighter a grinder is the better imo also i think that dust extraction should be legal requirement for all grinders whether it be a hoover attachment on the guard or a cutting table with a dust extractor under it which collects the dust

cheers Gary

Thank you for the replies!

Doug, you have mentioned that tilers have modified their grinders the way you work with them? What do you mean? I have been to some stores and looking at the different models they looked similar to me (not taking into account the different specification like soft start, etc). How can you modify it?
I see that Makita and Bosch are preferred grinder; i have tried my dad's grinder which is a simple one but it could handle cutting tile pretty ok. Well i guess the difference comes when you use it every day?

Thanks for the answers again!

I didn't mean altering the grinder I meant things such as altering the guard position to get into cut out corners, I personally don't like having the handle on my grinder so I unscrewed it and it's in the box, just little things like that Mate

Mine is a Bosch 115 and I couldn't do my job without it. Great piece of kit but a bit jumpy when you start it, also the vibration can be an issue but you get used to how long working time you get.

I use angle grinders for "tricky cuts", ie L-cuts, curved cuts, and "trimming" tiles when the piece I need to remove is too small use a regular manual cutter to remove, and the tile is too hard or thick for it to be practical with tile-nippers.

When I'm shopping for an angle grinder, the keywords I'm looking for are small, light, powerful, versatile, and durable.

The perfect tiling anglegrinder according to me:

• Small and light, so that it can be held in one hand, while the other hand is free to hold the tile
• Has an adjustible "shield" which is also removable so that you can use grinding discs (used for smoothing uneven concrete and removing old adhesive)
• Powerful, ie high torque, so that it doesn't get stuck in tiles, and has kick-back protection in case it does
• Single speed, given that dry cutting blades are intended to work at somewhere around 11-14krpm
• Low maintenance and good milage
• Equipped with a quick release button for the disc, or an integrated holder for the release tool, so that you don't have to rumage through your toolbag every time you need to change disc
• Has a VERY stable spindle which auto-centers the disc.
• Has a rubber coating so that it doesn't slip
• Has a low profile transmission.
• Doesn't vibrate excessively
• Isn't too loud

Etc...

Many tilers use angle grinders as multi-tools, and not just for cutting tiles. Grinding uneven surfaces, light demolision work, cutting holes with diamond core drills, etc.

Thanks sWe for the long post, gave me some good hints!

Well i have been tiling for 30 years and would like to give you a warning
Make sure you buy anti vibration grinder as it a little bit late for me now as i suffer with vibrational white finger and you dont want that, SPEND GOOD MONEY ON A GRINDER AS THE PORCERLIN TILES ARE VERY HARD AND CAUSE THE MOST DAMAGE
Regards
Marbleman

hi most of the vibration comes from the diamond wheel not centred or running at a lower speed than specified or just a cheep wheel normally if you run your grinder without a wheel it doesnt vibrate if it does get rid of it

Hi Jay
Just to say the vibration from a grinder in truth will cause damage to your nervous system if used daily over a long period of time, its now a proven problem and the materials we are cutting now are even harder, i have gone back to using wet cutters for most materials when possible.
Just want people to know of the problems i have gone through and dont want tilers to suffer later in life,
Regards
Marbleman:

A lot of power tools you have to grip can cause this as well....vibration syndrome is quite popular in tradesmen....but a few tool suppliers have been looking at this in their designs to help with vibrations...

What is hand-arm vibration syndrome?
Hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) causes symptoms in fingers, hands and arms caused by vibrating tools. It used to be called 'vibration white finger'. The name was changed to HAVS as other symptoms may occur in addition to white fingers.
What causes hand-arm vibration syndrome?
HAVS is caused by repeated and frequent use of hand held vibrating tools. For example, power drills, chainsaws, pneumatic drills, etc. It may also be caused by holding or working with machinery that vibrates. It is not clear how vibration causes the condition. It is probably due to slight but repeated injury to the small nerves and blood vessels in the fingers. Over time these may gradually lose some of their function and cause symptoms. It has been estimated that up to 1 in 10 people who work regularly with vibrating tools may develop HAVS.
What are the symptoms of hand-arm vibration syndrome?
Symptoms may include Raynaud's phenomenon (this is the 'white finger' part), nerve symptoms, and muscular aches and pains.

Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (Vibration White Finger)

Dave
great post regarding HAVS , and as for other symptoms you are correct i have landed up with nerve damage and not just in my hands, had 6 operation over 10 years but nothing has helped as there is no cure once it starts, thats the reason you need to take care in the trade and what you use and how you do it,

Its like everything in life you beleive it cant happen to me , well it can and you dont want to be on medicines the rest of your life to control the pain, been told to give up the trade as it will put me in a wheel chair as the damage has been done and can only slow it down, well been doing it for 30 years and cant change now tried but i was born to tile so my lads say they will convert the wheelchair so they can push me along the floor to lay the tiles smile
Regards
marbleman

As for insurances make sure you read the small print,

Good posts there and some excellent information and warnings

HI,and
I have a makita 115mm dia ,110v with a marcrist ck850 cutting wheel.This is worth setting up for large jobs with lots of cuts.I also have makita 115mm dia,18v cordless angle grinder same wheel as above, This is a very handy bit of kit.I would agree the dust can be abit of a problem.

Originally Posted by mr inspreadable

HI,and
I have a makita 115mm dia ,110v with a marcrist ck850 cutting wheel.This is worth setting up for large jobs with lots of cuts.I also have makita 115mm dia,18v cordless angle grinder same wheel as above, This is a very handy bit of kit.I would agree the dust can be abit of a problem.

I tend not to breathe when I'm cutting

so can any of you "old timers", recommend a quality make od diamond wheel

also makes to avoid, cheers in advance boys and girls,steve

pretty sure mines a bosch one stevee, just changed it the other day, but being an "old timer" the memory aint as good as it was!!! will check later when I go to my invalid carriage, oops, van!

thanks doug,be handy to know,steve

ive the dewalt grinder great bit of kit a little dearer than some but you get what you pay for! thats what i tell my customers and they still dont listen!

I just got a norton wheel the other day, been really impressed with it so far. Cant remeber which one it is off the top of my head

iv got a dewalt grinder 950w 115 with a marcrist ck850 blade very impressed with it cuts marble no probs