# Rigid Tile Saw WTS2000L - How accurate can I set it? Also Blade choices for thin cuts



## ksskss (Sep 12, 2009)

I just got a Rigid Tile Saw WTS2000L. My application requires that I cut some stones, some as large as a standard brick into slices as thin as 5 mm thick. I want to do this with the maximum accuracy the saw is capable of. Right now it's off about 2mm on a 8 inch long piece. Is this as good as it gets? I'd really like to get it down to under a mm variation. I haven't started to play with aligning the saw - not sure what to adjust - the rails, the rip fence, the saw mounted to the table etc. Any advice would be helpful. As the material I'm cutting is expensive, I'm also interested in getting as thin a blade as possible to waste less material in the cut, but not at the expense of accuracy. I'd like to hear suggestions on this too. I'll probably be cutting glass too and would like recommendations for an ideal blade for this too. My first post here, so if there's some FAQs to go to on blades or threads that talk about this already, please just refer me to that. --- Ken


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

Lots of info and opinions here:

http://www.contractortalk.com/f73/new-ridgid-wet-saw-25462/


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## ksskss (Sep 12, 2009)

Thanks, Angus. I read that thread before deciding to join here and ask questions. So I know that not everyone loves the Rigid, and yes Baldor motors are great, etc etc, but I got the saw in near mint condition for $300 so that was convincing to me. Now I need to know how far I can 'push' the limits of the saw's accuracy. In a related question, just how accurate can you set YOUR saw, whether it's a Target IMER Felker, etc. If things work out, my next saw down the road will largely be determined by accuracy that I can squeeze out of a saw My needs are a bit different than most pro contractors or home DIYers. Above all else I need accuracy. Next I need a thin cut. Here's why. I'm also a professional knife sharpener (kitchen, hunting, pocket,etc, including American, Japanese, Euro and Chinese designs), specializing in EXTREMELY sharp edges. I need to cut sharpening stones for specific needs. After I cut a stone, I'll be COMPLETELY cleaning the saw before switching to cutting another type of stone. I'm not in a hurry to cut a lot of stone, but I need accuracy. Potentially one stone might cost as much as $600 so one bad slice could cost me a couple hundred and the difference between a thin and thick cut could be my profit margin. So if the blade is off by a mm or more, that's a problem. I don't mind building some jigs to get this done, but I want accuracy and thin cuts. I've already cut some of these stones and just cutting the stones with a diamond blade doesn't seem to be a problem. So far, I'm not having a splash problem with the Rigid. With the side piece not used but the rear guard installed, I'm not getting any mess around the saw. I'm not seeing any blade wobble at all. NADA. I'm not concerned with high feed rates and so far the blade seems fine, even though I didn't think it would be. But I'd like as thin a blade as I can get that will cut precisely. So this is a general question. I'll gladly consider blades from Pearl, Dewalt, MK or anyone else and willing to pay a reasonable price for what I need. So what5's a better thin blade than the OEM blade. I also have a need to cut glass, so a separate glass cutting blade is another need. I'll be cutting float glass and doubt that there's something that will cut tempered glass, but if there is I certainly would like to hear about it. I know my needs are a little off the beaten path, but you guys seem like the experts, so here I am asking for your advice. If you have any kerf thickness values for blades you are suggesting, that would be a real plus. --- Ken


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## jarvis design (May 6, 2008)

With regards to cutting tempered glass, I have not tried it myself, but, one of my tile suppliers has a large format tempered glass tile that they claim can by cut (slowly) with a porcelain blade.


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## ksskss (Sep 12, 2009)

Thanks, Jarvis.

Unfortunately I have some stones already glued to tempered glass, so ideally I'd like to cut them together or cut along the glue joint without shattering the glass. Do you think the porcelin blade would work better than a blade specific to glass?


How well do these 'hotdog' blades work? I also saw mention that the MK 225 blade is a thin blade and that might be interesting.

---
Ken


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## mikeswoods (Oct 11, 2008)

I've used MK blades for years. They have a website ,I believe.However--Call the !-800 customer service tec number. I bet they will be able to help.

Another thought-google lapidary diamond blades. I let a friend's daughter use my MK101 to cut stone for a college lapidary class----Her dad bought a lapidary blade for my saw. 
It too was MK,hope that helped-----------MIKE


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## mikeswoods (Oct 11, 2008)

P.S. Welcome to CT. If you will post your location in your profile,I would find it easier to offer places for you to check out.

Do you have a lapidary supply place any where near you?
Some of the lapidary people have an amazing depth of knowledge and like to share it.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

Ken,

The only blade I use for cutting tile is Raimondi. It's an EXCELLENT blade. They make a glass blade in different sizes but I've never used it.

http://www.raimondiusa.com/db_glass_2008.html

Angus


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## mikeswoods (Oct 11, 2008)

Thanks for the last post Angus-----MK has gone through a lot of changes recently--Always good to know another supplier.--MIKE


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## ksskss (Sep 12, 2009)

Thanks. Angus. Ramondi - I'm going to follow up on this lead.

Mike, I'll post my location (Tracy, CA) in my info. I'll also call up the MK tech support folks for more info too.

I lucked into getting an old lapidary saw I'm restoring, but it's a bit small for the stones I'll need to cut and seems to require oil for the cutting which I absolutely can't use. It does use 10 inch blades, so I'll check it out and see what the lapidary people are up to.

So if I get a blade that's thin, what are the downsides to this? Is the blade more apt to warp? I'm perfectly fine with using a very slow feed rate to keep this from happening, gladly sacrificing speed for accuracy, a thin kerf and keeping the blade from warping. Are glass blades thin and am I looking for the same thing in a glass blade as I am in a thin blade for stone cutting?

Again, thanks for all the info!

---
Ken


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

ksskss said:


> So if I get a blade that's thin, what are the downsides to this? Is the blade more apt to warp? I'm perfectly fine with using a very slow feed rate to keep this from happening, gladly sacrificing speed for accuracy, a thin kerf and keeping the blade from warping. Are glass blades thin and am I looking for the same thing in a glass blade as I am in a thin blade for stone cutting?


The Raimondi glass blades are made to use on a tile wet saw. Thin blades spin faster because they are removing less material. I wouldn't worry about warping. A blade designed for cutting glass should have smaller (and a lot more of) diamond chips on the edge for a smoother cut. If you use a blade that's designed for cutting the material you're using, you shouldn't have any problems. If you are using the wrong blade, I can see how problems could happen.


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## mikeswoods (Oct 11, 2008)

Blades are graded by diamond count and matrix hardness(Hardness of the bronze holding the diamonds)

A Tile blade has a very hard matrix because the tile emits a lot of course grit to eat away at the bronze.

A granite blade -much softer bronze because the stone emits a finer grit that will not wear away the harder matrix of a tile blade.

Seems backwards hard stone =soft bronze----------soft tile=hard bronze

I found a fine explanation long ago on a blade suppliers site. GOOD LUCK


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## mikeswoods (Oct 11, 2008)

*One more thing*

You will be able to run you"re old lap saw with water(no oil)

Blade stabilizers should be available for thin blades.(They look like fancy washers)

There are lots of lapidary clubs around all welcome guests.:thumbup:


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## mikeswoods (Oct 11, 2008)

Howdy Angus,You and I must work in the same neighborhoods occasionally.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

mikeswoods said:


> Howdy Angus,You and I must work in the same neighborhoods occasionally.


Thread hijack!

I'm in Plainfield. We go all over....Tinley, Palos, Batavia, Oak Brook.....


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## mikeswoods (Oct 11, 2008)

I'm mostly in Naperville ,Lisle,Wheaton,Glen Ellen ,Aurora.Any place with a good paycheck.


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## ksskss (Sep 12, 2009)

Thanks again, guys! While we are going OT, I'm not used to the thank you buttons? What's the etiquette here? I'm glad to be clicking away thank yous. Does one get some sort of bonus for most thank yous, or is this just building up 'good karma'?

Angus it's sounding like a glass blade may solve both issues - thin kerf and finer cut too. I'll 'work over' Raimondi tech support too and if I get some interesting comments, I'll put them up here.

Both of your explanations of grit sizes and the underlying matrix substrates make sense. I use diamond for knife sharpening so this is somewhat familiar turf for me, using grits from 120 grit to 160,000 grit for my knife edges (0.1 microns). Now you've got me curious about what grits are used in these blades. For sharpening plates, I believe a nickel matrix is usually used. I know I'm asking too many questions in one thread (hijacking my own thread  ), but the idea of revitalizing these blades by grinding away some of the matrix is a new one for me. This might have uses for my plates too. What's the best way of doing this?

---
Ken


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

A dressing stone. Raimondi will promote theirs:

https://www.tiletools.com/product/raimondi-true-blue-dressing-stone-958.cfm



EDIT: Use the Thanks button at will. We get nothing other than "status"


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## ksskss (Sep 12, 2009)

Excellent! I like the size too. Might try this on my older plates too.

While I was there I found this:

*Raimondi® T3 Razor™ 10" Super-core Diamond Blade*

(Sorry I can't post the full URL). Here's a partial one

.../product/10-t3-diamond-blade-raimondi-razor-t3-triple-threat-560.cfm

with a 0.05" kerf.

Might be just the ticket. I'll ask the tech folks to compare these two Raimondi blades. Great! I feel like I'm getting this going.

---
Ken


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

ksskss said:


> Excellent! I like the size too. Might try this on my older plates too.
> 
> While I was there I found this:
> 
> ...


Ken, 

That's the blade I use ($$$). However, remember the size/quantity of the diamond chips on the rim. Even though it's a thin blade, you still may be better off with a glass-specific blade. Tech support should be able to tell you the kerf size of the glass blades.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

ksskss said:


> Still, for what I want in a saw, the Dewalt is a major step upwards.


Ken,

Glad to hear you are happier. Now I won't tell you I told you so :laughing:

Here's the thing. You know how you felt going from the Ridgid to the Dewalt? It's the same feeling going from the Dewalt to a Felker (Target, Husqvarna). I know they're very expensive but just keep that in mind down the road.

I owned the Dewalt and cut 1000's of sq ft of tile with it. It was a good saw but did have a few "issues". For small jobs, it's pretty heavy. There are no adjustments for alignment. The motor can bog down pretty much with thick tile. Not sure what your problem is with setting depth accuracy. I didn't have that problem. Ultimately, I got rid of the Dewalt when I started having an alignment problem with it. On a 12" tile, a straight cut would wander about a 1/16". That was not acceptable especially with mitered corner cuts. Actually, that's how I found the Raimondi blade. I thought my problem was a blade flexing issue but it wasn't.

Enjoy the new saw, especially the splash protection! Anything else will mist like Niagara comparatively. :w00t:


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## charimon (Nov 24, 2008)

angus242 said:


> Ken,
> On a 12" tile, a straight cut would wander about a 1/16". That was not acceptable especially with mitered corner cuts. Actually, that's how I found the Raimondi blade. I thought my problem was a blade flexing issue but it wasn't.


Wow that sucks, You weren't able to readjust the head? I have had the opposite xperence with mine... I switched from a Raimondi Gladiator and have been happy. 


Off topic Ramble
If i could Design a wet saw it would be an 18" table run and 9" rip width on a 13" table, it would need a plunge function I dont care about jolly cuts. the chassies set up something like the push pull Pearl, with the new MK water mist system and a soft bottemed catch mat / transport case so you could sit it on a countertop with out scratching (I would not even care if these were semi consumable like a 6 or 8 month life under daily use) let it run a 7" blade and weigh about 35# even if that means an all aluminum chassis. Oh and It would need to cut clean like the big boys. I would be willing to buck up $650-700 for it if i could cary it in to an upstairs bathroom and make cuts with no mess on their countertop 
Craig wide awake in dreamland


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

charimon said:


> Wow that sucks, You weren't able to readjust the head? I have had the opposite xperence with mine... I switched from a Raimondi Gladiator and have been happy.


I have no idea what the issue was. With the tray pull against me, the blade was at a perfect 90° to the tray. There was absolutely no slop in the bearings or shaft. Yet, with the guide on, I could not do a perfect straight cut. It was off even more when I tried a 22.5° miter cut. Like I said, I thought maybe I had a crap blade but even with the Raimondi T3 Razor, I couldn't get a straight cut. Anyway, I got rid of the Dewalt and have my Felker TM XL+ and the tile gods are happy again! 

BTW, after reading the other tile cutter thread, I just ordered a Siri today. I didn't want to drop the coin on a Sigma just yet until I see if I like using a cutter.

:clap:


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## charimon (Nov 24, 2008)

Angus,
What were you using before?
From what I have heard the Seri is a pretty good cutter.
Where did you order it form. 
You should write up a review when you get it. 
If it works like mine i get the easiest breaks by pressing down against the short side (say you are trimming 5/8" off a tile press against the 5/8' off cut ) and smacking the breaker arm with a sharp rap as opposed to jut pushing ....... I know I can make a video :whistling



The thing that makes the Sigma different is they have a Daimond Wheel (I dont know what that means exactly, except it still cuts as well today as it did 4 1/2 years ago when i bought it and have never replaced it).

From the detailed description of my cutter:

- weighs only 18 pounds
- easy grip push handle
- diamond scoring wheel
- spring loaded table
- swiveling measurement bar equipped with inches in diagonal
- cuts material between 1/16” and 3/4” inch thick
- angles between -45 to + 45

USE: cuts porcelain, pavers, quarry, glass mosaic and certain types of marble and granite.
http://www.tools4tile.com/servlet/the-5/sigma-2D3-dsh-Technica,-italian-tile/Detail

Craig


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