Tips on Buying a Wet Table Tile Saw

By Mark J. Donovan

If you are planning to install ceramic tile in your home, consider buying a wet table tile saw. They are well worth the investment as they will make short work of tile cutting, and in the end you will end up with a much better ceramic tile job.

Wet table tile saws, are great for not only making long straight cuts, but also for making smaller, more intricate cuts, thus eliminating the need for tile nippers in most cases.

Wet table tile saws typically consist of a direct drive motor that turn a dull diamond studded blade. Below the table-top sits a small pan, or reservoir to hold water. The blade rotates through the water, thus cooling the blade and helping to create a smooth clean ceramic tile cut.

Wet saws come in a variety of blade sizes, including 4 1/2”, 7”, and 10” blades. For most do it yourself projects a 7” blade wet saw is appropriate.

Another key attribute to look for when buying a wet saw, is the blade rotation speed. Typically the blade choices operate from around 3600 revolutions per minute (rpm) to 5500 rpm. For most do-it-yourselfers, a 3600 rpm saw speed is sufficient.
When looking for a ceramic tile wet saw make sure you select one that has sufficient power to do the job. Look for ones that have at least 1/3 hp, but preferably ½ hp.

Also make sure that the blade can be tilted / rotated to create both beveled and mitered cuts. The QEP 60087 Table Tile saw - 7" Wet is an excellent choice for smaller ceramic tile jobs. For bigger tile jobs that require larger ceramic tiles, e.g. 12”x12” tiles, you may want to consider the MK Diamond 155779 MK-470 1/2 Horsepower 7-Inch Wet Tile Saw.

Also make sure that any wet saw you are considering has a thermal overload protection capability built into it. Basically this feature will trip an on-saw circuit breaker to turn off the saw if the motor gets too hot. With direct drive motors, if too much torque is applied to them for too long of a period of time they will burn out.

Finally make sure whatever ceramic tile wet saw you purchase has at least a 1 year warranty.