vecturo plunge into tile

[Foghat]

HI
I've got to put a GFI outlet into my bathroom. I need to cut into some ceramic tile in the wall for it, and I'm wondering what blade I should use in my Vecturo with the alignment plunge attachment to do it, so I don't shatter the tile. Nice little project for the holiday weekend,
Thanks for the tips, guys.
Happy Canada Day weekend!
cheers,
John

 

[ear3]

[member=3617]Foghat[/member]  I'm not a vecturo master by any means, but I think the only blade you can use is the diamond tipped one which I believe will not work with the magnetic plunge guide because of the coating on the tip.

 

[RJNeal]

And most oscillating blades are not as long as the Festool blades that you need to clear the plunge base.
Rick

 

[Cheese]

As Festool doesn't offer an option for your situation, I'd check out the alternatives from Fein. Fein offers both carbide blades and diamond blades.

If it's ceramic you may get by with a carbide blade.  If it's porcelain you'll need a diamond blade.

I tried to post you a link to the website but the Fein site is really, really, really tragic.  They should spend more $$ on their website.

 

[RKA]

I’m not sure plunging into tile with a multitool will work well (or at all).  If you have a jigsaw, I would be use one of the blades below after drilling clearance holes in the corners.  If necessary, cut the blades down so it can’t damage anything on the other side of the wall cavity during its stroke. 

https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-T130DG-1-Piece-Diamond-T-Shank/dp/B003VNKO4A/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_469_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=MKH2KXNQMQXDQRKV3VP1

 

[infer]

A job usually done with an angle grinder.

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

If you have the plunge attachment, the Fein diamond blade as Cheese suggested will make the job a little easier.
They are quite pricey, at least over here.
I have a Supercut version but, need one or two Starlock versions now, I will wince terribly at the counter.

Edit: put some fresh cold water in a spray bottle, and keep the surface wet, this will aid the cutting. Don’t be tempted to force it, go easy and the diamonds will work better.t

 

[ear3]

I would strongly advise not to use the magnetic plunge attachment with the diamond blade. Plus, since festool only specifies the longer uni plunge blade for use with that attachment, I can almost guarantee you would void warranty coverage when you send your mangled magnet attachment in for service.

If you have the plunge attachment, the Fein diamond blade as Cheese suggested will make the job a little easier.
They are quite pricey, at least over here.
I have a Supercut version but, need one or two Starlock versions now, I will wince terribly at the counter.

Edit: put some fresh cold water in a spray bottle, and keep the surface wet, this will aid the cutting. Don’t be tempted to force it, go easy and the diamonds will work better.t

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

The magnet can be removed, well at least on my model.
Of course he could do the job properly by removing the grout, then removing the tiles, and cutting them with a diamond wheel.
Dremel do diamond wheels, you could mark the outline by hand, or with a straight edge held with suckers. Then go free hand with a multi tool using a circular and a paddle shaped diamond blade. You could make up little jig boxes that tape to the tile, to aid marking out. I’ve had the best result with a free and steady hand.

Whatever method you choose, it’s never easy cutting fixed tiles. Doable though, and with a multi tool.

 

[ear3]

Another option that gives you very good control vs. free hand work is the fein supercut bow handle, which also fits the vecturo:https://feintools-online.com/32119116011-fein-bow-handle.html

 

[Foghat]

hmm, I thought this was what the vecturo was designed for, I guess not tile, but drywall or wood,yes. Darn.
Wasn't there something called a roto-zip, which had a bit that just chewed through things like this? I think they fit in the dremel, which I also have.
I think the drilling the holes in the corners may be the way, and then jigsaw/carvex.
I'll check out the diamond bits.
This is tile, regular bathroom tile, which i guess is different than ceramic...

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

By “Free hand” I mean no jigs or guides.
We’ve cut a few square holes in tiling to take socket boxes, we’ve had spare tiles at hand in case of error but, once you’re used to using these machines free hand, they can be quick and precise.
Just like grout removal but, cutting a much harder surface.

Btw if you fit the bail handle as it’s known here, you cannot use a depth stop.

 

[RKA]

hmm, I thought this was what the vecturo was designed for, I guess not tile, but drywall or wood,yes. Darn.
Wasn't there something called a roto-zip, which had a bit that just chewed through things like this? I think they fit in the dremel, which I also have.
I think the drilling the holes in the corners may be the way, and then jigsaw/carvex.
I'll check out the diamond bits.
This is tile, regular bathroom tile, which i guess is different than ceramic...

Wood and drywall, yes, that isn’t a problem.  Tile is very hard on the outside surface.  Inside is reasonably soft.  Once you penetrate that outside edge it should be fine.  But I can imagine a 1” blade across the face of the tile just skating around or diving into grout troughs instead of staying on the line you intended to cut.  The side to side vibrations might break the tile free as well.  I haven’t ever tried it.  I have other tools that would do the job better.

 

[Foghat]

thanks.
What other tools would you use, do tell, please.

 

[Bob D.]

I have a RotoZip but never used it to cut tile. I don't know if they make a bit for that or not but you would need to use a guide I think as they can wander off course easily.

Dremel makes a small circular saw, takes a 3-1/2" blade I think, or something close to that in diameter. Never used one but it might be a choice if it's worth it to you to cut the tile in place and not risk breaking it during removal.

Just looked it up it's called the Micromax and uses a 3-3/8" blade. About US$99 at the big box stores and I am sure elsewhere too

There is also the Rockwell 4-1/2" mini saw which is about US$79 has a dust port for connection to a vac. The manual says it can be used to cut tile with a diamond blade.

But either of these choices is probably too expensive for a one time use.

 

[thudchkr]

Milwaukee has a neat little saw in their M12 lineup that would work well for this.https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/Power-Tools/Metalworking/Grinders/2522-20

Of course you need to get the saw and then the diamond blade as well. It works well for cutting other items and I use the one I have often.

 

[Cheese]

M&K wet saws are pretty much the standard in cutting tile, however, you want to pierce a tile that's already in place and that's a very different story. You really need to figure out what the tile is composed of. The composition will dictate the method that you need to use.

With some of the tile from the 50's you can actually score the top surface with a sharp blade and that will be enough to break through the very thin surface finish. Once through the surface, you can after repeated scores, actually cut the tile with a knife. It takes a while but it works.

Plastic tile was also very popular in the 50's & 60's, especially if it's colored and that's obviously a lot easier to deal with.

Ceramic tile was introduced in the 60's and then porcelain became popular in the 80's & 90's.

Natural stone tile was introduced after that.

If this was my project, I'd use a small diameter carbide tipped or diamond hole saw to cut the corners and then use a carbide grit or diamond grit blade on a Fein/Festool oscillating tool to connect the corners. This being a light switch, if you're careful, the cover plate will hide all of the offending marks on the tile.  [big grin]

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

thanks.
What other tools would you use, do tell, please.

If you have a Dremel or similar rotary tool, get a Dremel EZ SpeedClic Diamond Cutting Wheel SC545

This will cut ceramic, and porcelain but, you must keep it cool with water, as I mentioned earlier, a cheap spray bottle will suffice.
You can mark our the cut, then use masking tape around the edge, double it or even treble the layers, then if you slip, you have half a chance of not marking the surrounding tiles.
Carefully cut out the outline, go past the glaze and into the tile as much as possible, this will prevent the tile cracking later on.
Now you can either cut all the way through, and clean up with a tile file, or a multi tool and diamond paddle blade.

Or, cut as deep as possible, and carry on with a multi tool and diamond blade.

You can do the whole job as I said with a diamond blade and multi tool but, you must be comfortable with this, and have a steady hand. Believe me it’s more than doable, I’ve done it many times.
Whatever method you choose, you must first score the outline into the glaze, and preferably into the tile.

You must lubricate and cool the cutting with cold water, otherwise the blade will blunt very quickly, and the tile glaze will overheat and mark.

There are actually a lot of ways you could do this job, it’s what you’re comfortable with.

 

[RKA]

thanks.
What other tools would you use, do tell, please.

I described one above. 

The M12 tool mentioned above is would be my first choice.  It’s great for little jobs like this and the different blades make it suitable for light duty multi material work (it’s biggest drawback is it could use a little bit more power but it’s still a good tool).  And it comes with a little base you can steady the tool with as you plunge.

Even a small hole saw and some tile nippers could do the job. 

 

[six-point socket II]

Hi!

If you have spare tiles 1) practice, 2) remove tile where the outlet is supposed to go, make cut out while tile is properly hold/clamped down.

How to make the cut out.

Angle grinder with cutting discs 115mm and up will be too large.
Multitool should be a last resort - and only when you can't remove the tile.

DIY approach(es):

- Use Dremel parts 566 (cage/ router attachment) and 562 (tile spiral cutter) (Ensure tiles are actual wall tiles, this probably won't work with much harder floor tiles i.e.)

- Drill the corners, use diamond saw blade for jigsaw.

Semi professional approach:

- Drill big(er) hole with diamond hole saw/ diamond drill bit on angle grinder and enlarge to spec. by using same angle grinder, this time with corresponding diamond cutting bit.

Professional approach:

Use a tile router with dust extraction like this:http://www.bosch-professional.com/africa/en/tile-router-gtr-30-ce-227131-060160c000.html

(Sadly Bosch seems to have pulled them from the North American and European market .....)

Edit to add: It's still available as RotoZip. (Bosch bought RotoZip years ago)

Kind regards,
Oliver