ForConstructionPros.com

Tile is everywhere. It lines bathroom shower stalls and covers kitchen floors. It decorates everything from hotel lobbies to patios to walkways. With so much tile around, it’s no surprise that tile saws are in demand.

Professionals and do-it-yourselfers alike have a need for such a tool because wherever you see tile, you see evidence of the need for precision cutting.

Tile saws come in a few different configurations. The most popular in rental is the table saw. Hand-held models are available, but are smaller and less expensive and don’t achieve the same quality of cut that a table saw affords.

“We find the table saw to be more popular for the rental industry,” says Charlie Trelease, president of Tiger Equipment, which recently acquired the TilePlus line of tile saws from Miller Spreader. “Table saws are quite commonly driven by an electric motor that can range in horsepower and quality. The location of the motor can be above or under the table, and of course you can choose between direct drive or belt drive.”

He continues, “Belt drive is certainly the better of the two choices, as most of the direct-drive units are basically mounted angle grinders. Generally speaking, a less--expensive saw will have a shorter life than the more expensive saw, so you really get what you pay for.”