Ceramic Tile Cutter

I am considering tiling a center bar that has one end rounded.
How do I cut the tiles for the rounded end? I am using 12 inch marble tiles.

I have done a fair amount of tiling on my own projects (an entry hall, 3 bathrooms, 2 utility rooms, 2 entry pads in front of patio doors, one kitchen backsplash, and my crowning achievement: a small set of stairs).

I found it was well worth my while to buy a diamond wet saw. I did not get the biggest or fanciest one, and spent around $200. It was invaluable for fancy cuts to get tiles around door jambs. I wasted a lot less tile to broken tiles. I also did not have to smooth any cuts.

I got a small saw that has a flat bed on wheels.The cutting wheel can be raised or lowered. It came with a set of cutting tools to let me make mitered and diagonal cuts if needed.

I did not use any of the lightweight tile because most of my tiling was floor tile.

how do i cut holes in ceramic tile? i need to cut outlet holes in center of ceramic tile.

I use an attachment on my rotozip that turns it into an angle grinder. There is a small masonry circular blade you can use to make totally inside cuts. You'll probably waste a few tiles trying. Just set the tile on a piece of scrap plywood. Be careful not to let it get out of control and wear safety gear (glasses, gloves).

The traditional way would be to cut the tile in half either on one side of the outlet cutout or in the center, depending on what you like. If you cut it on one side, you just need to cut the open outlet box out of the other side. Some people like to use a very thin cut, just a blade's width, to camouflage it, while others cut away extra material to make it match the other grout lines. The cover will hide the rough edges underneath.

I'd recommend finding a friend who has done some tiling, so you can call them with questions like this. I have one. She tiles all the bathrooms on her husband's remodeling projects and she has figured out how to handle most issues that come up.

For round holes such as plumbing rough-ins, you can get a diamond hole-cutting drill bit for 20-some bucks.

Bob,

Watch Tim's video on cutting holes in ceramic tile ... http://www.askthebuilder.com/How_To_Cut_Ceramic_Tile_Video.shtml