# Tips on using a tile scorer



## sbcontracting (Apr 22, 2010)

Hey folks.

I'm doing my second job with a sigma cutter and was hoping to rock through tiling today with it - score-snap-stick.

My first job went ok - they were 12x12 tiles, no prob. This job, tiles are 18x18 (1/4" thick), and I have to cut 1 1/2 inches off each of the end walls - it's a 34" shower base, so two rows of tiles.

It aint workin. I score, snap, and about 1/5th of the waste breaks off. It's properly adjusted to the size of tile, I've tried scoring once, multiple times, etc. Nothing seems to make a difference. It does not break along the score line.

I tried doing it multiple times on the same tile as a test. It seems to start working fine once more of the tile is supported on the cutter...But I can't figure it out on a full tile. 1.5" doesnt seem like it's too small... but maybe for an 18" tile/1/4" thick it is.

Any tips? Tool is brand new. It's the 60cm version.

Thx. Mike


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## sbcontracting (Apr 22, 2010)

I think at this point, my solution involves going back to the wet saw for this job


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## MarkJames (Nov 25, 2012)

Maybe you're scoring it too lightly...and snapping too wimpily. Look at some videos and compare.


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## B.D.R. (May 22, 2007)

I hardly use the Sigma any more .
If I even think that I will need to make one wet cut, then the whole job gets wet cut.
I'm almost considering selling it.


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## mstrat (Jul 10, 2013)

I wet cut most everything, though if I could manage the score/cut method I'm sure I'd get a lot done quicker than I do!


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## Xtrememtnbiker (Jun 9, 2013)

I have a Rubi and score and snap anything I can. It's way faster.

As for tips... I just score it once and break it. If I break a tile that way, I score twice the next time. It seems to work fine. You do have to watch a little closer on the shorter breaks but mine seems to work on those as well.


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## mstrat (Jul 10, 2013)

Xtrememtnbiker said:


> I have a Rubi and score and snap anything I can. It's way faster.
> 
> As for tips... I just score it once and break it. If I break a tile that way, I score twice the next time. It seems to work fine. You do have to watch a little closer on the shorter breaks but mine seems to work on those as well.


I fully believe it's faster, in fact, I may try a Rubi!


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## Xtrememtnbiker (Jun 9, 2013)

You can't use it on natural stone but we don't lay much of that. Plus I imagine the scoring wheel is a lot cheaper than a saw blade. Plus the time savings is nice too.


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

Make sure your movement is fluid. One quick slice and a nice jab with the snap. Make sure you are scoring the back and front of the cut. When I first started using the snapper, I was not getting the back and the snap would be sloppy or the cutoff would break.

I don't use the snapper when the tile has more than usual texture to it. It does not get into the creases like it should. This could be user error on my part though. 

I find the score and snap to be very quick. It can be right at your side so no need to go outside or set up a wet cut booth.


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## cleveman (Dec 28, 2007)

I was under the impression that you never score twice.

Let's see. Make sure your tile and cut line is clean. You can wipe the cut line quickly with a cloth. Make sure the wheel is rolling nicely and is oiled. I guess you can oil the line as well if you like, as you see people cutting glass do.

Practice on some cheap ceramic first.


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## Xtrememtnbiker (Jun 9, 2013)

I've never been told how to use one so maybe you're not supposed to score twice. I just do sometimes and it works.

Also never oiled the wheel... I guess if it isn't broke I won't fix it. lol

Porcelain and ceramic is all I use it on and it works great compared to the piece of crap I used to have from lowes

The quick snap like CrpntrFrk said is for sure a good tip. I used to push slow and when I bought the new one the guy at the store showed me how it worked and it did the fast hit on it and that works nicely.


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## B.D.R. (May 22, 2007)

You are not supposed to score multiple times. Ever.
Blades last a long time.


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

Xtrememtnbiker said:


> I have a Rubi and score and snap anything I can. It's way faster.
> 
> As for tips... I just score it once and break it. If I break a tile that way, I score twice the next time. It seems to work fine. You do have to watch a little closer on the shorter breaks but mine seems to work on those as well.


The Rubi is a push while the Sigma is a pull. They don't handle the same. I used a Siri this weekend for the first time. It's a pull, and what a learning curve. It's nothing like my Rubi. My Rubi is what I am used to and easy to use. I broke the first three tiles and gave up.

Angus was used to it and made me look like a noob. He did say that when he first bought his, he used it a bit and then put it away for awhile. He just didn't like it. But then when he brought it back out and got the hand of it, he likes it a lot.

Mike I would say you need more pressure on the cut/pull.


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## Xtrememtnbiker (Jun 9, 2013)

TNTSERVICES said:


> The Rubi is a push while the Sigma is a pull. They don't handle the same. I used a Siri this weekend for the first time. It's a pull, and what a learning curve. It's nothing like my Rubi. My Rubi is what I am used to and easy to use. I broke the first three tiles and gave up. Angus was used to it and made me look like a noob. He did say that when he first bought his, he used it a bit and then put it away for awhile. He just didn't like it. But then when he brought it back out and got the hand of it, he likes it a lot. Mike I would say you need more pressure on the cut/pull.


Oh interesting. I wasn't aware of that. OP, disregard my advice. Lol...

Do you score both sides like was mentioned earlier? I've never done that and the rubi breaks great IMO.


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

Xtrememtnbiker said:


> Oh interesting. I wasn't aware of that. OP, disregard my advice. Lol...
> 
> Do you score both sides like was mentioned earlier? I've never done that and the rubi breaks great IMO.


I should underscore that Rubi does make a pull, but their push are more common.

I have never scored both sides and have never heard of anyone actually doing it.

I also wouldn't say you gave bad advice. It still applies. I was really commenting on the fact that Rubi was easy to use. Push snappers tend to be easier to use.


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## Eaglei (Aug 1, 2012)

Mike , I'm able to cut pieces of porcelain tile 20''x20'' 1/2'' wide strips with my Rubi . It also depends on the texture of the tile , the rougher the surface of the tile makes a big difference on how the cutter wheel comes in contact with the tile . There's also different cutter heads available for porcelain or ceramic . Some tiles snap different than others , example , some snap when pressure is applied in the middle and others at the ends . You could also try spraying wd-40 on the cutter and cut line . There's all kinds of tiles out there quality wise , sometimes you have to experiment but Rubi is a very good cutter . I can cut 10 tiles with my Rubi compared to 1 with my wet saw and no setup or clean up time wasted . I only take out my wet saw for natural stone .


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

Snap cutters are very personal. They are a tool you need to spend some time with and learn the best ways to use one. Like Rob said, he struggled on mine as I'm sure I'd struggle on his push cutter. Funny, I saw the review I did on my Siri where I gave it a 6.5/10. A year later, I bumped it to 7.5/10. Even a few years later now, I'd go up to 9.5/10.

The motion of push or pull is an individual thing. I prefer pull. But I think the real meat and potatoes of most cutter and the cutting wheel itself. A bad wheel on a good cutter isn't doing you any good. However, a great wheel on an OK cutter will probably get you along pretty well. 

I'm sure there are easier cutters to work out there than mine....but that's just it. It's mine. Like the speech from Full Metal Jacket:
_"This is my cutter. There are many like it but this one is mine. My cutter is my best friend. It is my life...."_

Oh and once you get used to a cutter, the wet saw takes a back seat.....no doubt!


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## MIKE ANTONETTI (Jul 17, 2012)

It's kind of a design flaw/deficiency, there's only pressure on one end and that force needs to be transferred all the way across the length of the tile with one tiny little score mark. You can't cut a piece of hardwood scoring and snapping one end, a Hershey bar doesn't always break at the score line when applying pressure at one end. The best way to break would be scoring at the desired mark and equal pressure applied downward along the length of each side with cut line raised slightly to allow for the tile to fold downward. Now if anyone would like to design such a product which would apply adjustable force on cutting wheel and automatically applying downward force to break would be nice of you. All you would have to do is set it at your mark and hit a button, sweet!


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

I can drop by and show ya.

Score, put the breaker foot a half inch from the base of the tile, press slowly, don't bang it with your hand.


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

Inner10 said:


> I can drop by and show ya.
> 
> Score, put the breaker foot a half inch from the base of the tile, press slowly, don't bang it with your hand.


Angus's Siri is a quick snap. If you take it slow you won't snap it.


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

TNTSERVICES said:


> Angus's Siri is a quick snap. If you take it slow you won't snap it.


Mine is a sigma, sb has a sigma.


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

Inner10 said:


> Mine is a sigma, sb has a sigma.


I thought you were speaking to Mike since you did not address the op specifically.

And off topic, are you low voltage contractor or remodeler. Seems like you do a while lot more than wiring. When I did low voltage, we didn't have enough time to do our wiring let alone any other remodeling, and we were running 5 crews of two guys full time. But maybe it's like what happened to us and the market dried up a bit and you had start doing other projects as well.


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

TNTSERVICES said:


> I thought you were speaking to Mike since you did not address the op specifically.
> 
> And off topic, are you low voltage contractor or remodeler. Seems like you do a while lot more than wiring. When I did low voltage, we didn't have enough time to do our wiring let alone any other remodeling, and we were running 5 crews of two guys full time. But maybe it's like what happened to us and the market dried up a bit and you had start doing other projects as well.


Nah plenty of low voltage work, I'm just a wire jockey with a sigma.


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## Xtrememtnbiker (Jun 9, 2013)

MIKE ANTONETTI said:


> It's kind of a design flaw/deficiency, there's only pressure on one end and that force needs to be transferred all the way across the length of the tile with one tiny little score mark. You can't cut a piece of hardwood scoring and snapping one end, a Hershey bar doesn't always break at the score line when applying pressure at one end. The best way to break would be scoring at the desired mark and equal pressure applied downward along the length of each side with cut line raised slightly to allow for the tile to fold downward. Now if anyone would like to design such a product which would apply adjustable force on cutting wheel and automatically applying downward force to break would be nice of you. All you would have to do is set it at your mark and hit a button, sweet!


Are referring to having to break it from the edge of the tile instead the middle? My rubi you can break in the middle. I personally feel like that helps a lot with good breaks. 

I had one that you had to break from up front and it sucked. I haven't used it much at all cause if you keep breaking tiles then your wasting time and money.


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## MIKE ANTONETTI (Jul 17, 2012)

Yes, sorta like the way an aluminum siding brake works evenly pressing down along fulcrum.


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

Xtrememtnbiker said:


> Are referring to having to break it from the edge of the tile instead the middle? My rubi you can break in the middle. I personally feel like that helps a lot with good breaks.
> 
> I had one that you had to break from up front and it sucked. I haven't used it much at all cause if you keep breaking tiles then your wasting time and money.


You can't break in the middle on the sigma unless you want to ruin your tile. 

Break like this:


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

CrpntrFrk said:


> Make sure you are scoring the back and front of the cut.


Just to clarify, I am not saying score the back and front of the tile. I am saying make sure you get a good score at the beginning and end of your cut. I can see that didn't read right.


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## sbcontracting (Apr 22, 2010)

Hey guys. Thanks for the tips. I tried just about all the techniques. It's a brand new cutter, so unless they give a sh*tty wheel I think the wheel should be ok. But I will check to see if it's porcelain vs. ceramic. I like that push attachment for the sigma, looks pretty sweet. 

This tile is a brittle tile. It's also a textured surface. I setup the wet saw today and noticed that the waste piece was breaking off even with the wet saw.


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## MarkJames (Nov 25, 2012)

I posted this before. Watch the sigma guy closely. He's gently snapping in multiple places. Probably applying force on the longest part of the handle, too.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

MarkJames said:


> I posted this before. Watch the sigma guy closely. He's gently snapping in multiple places. Probably applying force on the longest part of the handle, too.


Yeah, but he's also snapping a 30" piece of tile.

I'll take a video of the snap cutting in action soon.


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

angus242 said:


> Yeah, but he's also snapping a 30" piece of tile.
> 
> I'll take a video of the snap cutting in action soon.


Can you also record it in slow motion so I can study it and next time be ready to use it?

Thanks! :thumbsup:


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## MIKE ANTONETTI (Jul 17, 2012)

I've got a plunge cut wet saw, I can cut 1/4" wide sliver without breaking by going back and forth only cutting across whole piece a sixteenth or less deep at a time instead of all the way through as you go . Could also cut across top 1/8" then use the snap cutter. I'll have to go back and watch the posted videos, seen a bunch of cutters at surfaces , everyone thinks they got the best.


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

MarkJames said:


> I posted this before. Watch the sigma guy closely. He's gently snapping in multiple places. Probably applying force on the longest part of the handle, too.


He attacks it from the end, the last thin sliver he snaps one half when he tries to break from the middle. Also keep in mind those are some thin porcelin tiles.

Realistically the only reason the Sigma won was because the breaker foot is too wide on the ruby to cut the thin piece.


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## Tech Dawg (Dec 13, 2010)

Inner10 said:


> I can drop by and show ya.
> 
> Score, put the breaker foot a half inch from the base of the tile, press slowly, don't bang it with your hand.


I do the opposite and never have a problem. The trick with a quick snap is that you don't actually follow through with your downward snap... I pop the handle and pull back. (if that makes sense) :laughing:


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

Tech Dawg said:


> I do the opposite and never have a problem. The trick with a quick snap is that you don't actually follow through with your downward snap... I pop the handle and pull back. (if that makes sense) :laughing:


I found with glazed ceramic I could do anything and get a good cut. Same with slicing down the middle, easy peasy. But what got tricky was trying to slice 1/2"piece off of 1/2" thick porcelain. Tapping the handal resulted in a half break, slower constant pressure yeilded better results.


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## Tech Dawg (Dec 13, 2010)

Inner10 said:


> I found with glazed ceramic I could do anything and get a good cut. Same with slicing down the middle, easy peasy. But what got tricky was trying to slice 1/2"piece off of 1/2" thick porcelain. Tapping the handal resulted in a half break, slower constant pressure yeilded better results.


I should've clarified... I do what I described with larger porcelain but yes, there's not much to a ceramic and what you do is basically what I do for that.


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## Max00 (Mar 26, 2014)

Well,I have a Rubi...and it works faster..


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

Max00 said:


> Well,I have a Rubi...and it works faster..


It can only work as fast as you work and then fast is subjective.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

So he can Rubi one out faster?


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## Tech Dawg (Dec 13, 2010)

Good burn :laughing:


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## charimon (Nov 24, 2008)

Occasionally there are some tile that will break "bad" on the last 2" usually cracking into the larger piece when trimming thinner slices off the end. the cause is the tile is fired leaving the outer couple inches "harder" than the inner area. When trimming along that edge it can cause this issue.
If this is what the op was experiencing it is more where you have to make the cuts than if you are having trouble cutting elsewhere in the tile.

Angus is right about getting to know your cutter


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)




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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

Does the scoring wheel slam into the fence when you finish the score?


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

Inner10 said:


> Does the scoring wheel slam into the fence when you finish the score?


Sometimes. That wheel has been through about 6000 sq ft + of tile. Obviously not a problem.


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

angus242 said:


> Sometimes. That wheel has been through about 6000 sq ft + of tile. Obviously not a problem.


At least now you have a good guide mark of the center of the cutting wheel. :laughing:


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

Exactly!


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## GO Remodeling (Apr 5, 2005)

charimon said:


> Occasionally there are some tile that will break "bad" on the last 2" usually cracking into the larger piece when trimming thinner slices off the end. the cause is the tile is fired leaving the outer couple inches "harder" than the inner area. When trimming along that edge it can cause this issue.
> If this is what the op was experiencing it is more where you have to make the cuts than if you are having trouble cutting elsewhere in the tile.
> 
> Angus is right about getting to know your cutter



Doesn't always work but I score that type of tile twice (you won't go to h*ll if you score 2x) then I snap the tile with my nippers. You'll probably have to clean up the edges. But if I have a lot of cuts, the wet saw comes out.


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## MIKE ANTONETTI (Jul 17, 2012)

Yeah I sometimes score the hell out of it till it breaks on its own. No law against it!
What brand and style cuts the straightest after long period of time, my ishi cuts a little bowed though I've tightened the sloppy out but I shouldn't have to concentrate on cutting straight , that's the rails job.


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## GO Remodeling (Apr 5, 2005)

I'be had an ISHI for 20 years. Haven't noticed any wandering cuts.Changed the wheel only once.

Don't throw it in the truck bed,lol.


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## deftworks (Sep 24, 2009)

I was having the same problem as OP and thought my wheel was shot so I got two new titanium wheels. After alot of youtubing it turns out I didn't have the depth set right. I saw one video in particular that was great for showing how to score and snap right (I think it was the sigma in Italian). I also found out that it is necessary to score more than once for some tile.


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