Buying a Used Wet/Tile Saw
Buying a used wet/tile saw was on my horizon. I needed a wet/tile saw to remodel a kitchen backsplash. My wife had picked out the tile and that was it. I was on a collision course with a “new to me” wet/tile saw.
Wet Tile Saw Just Bought It
I chose to purchase a used saw verses a daily rental because the price of a used saw is very close to the daily rental price of a wet saw. I estimated the backsplash project to take me about two days to complete. Also, I had in mind to add some stone walkways to my deck steps which might require another use for the wet/tile saw. My thoughts were that I could buy the saw for about twice the daily rental price. Then, when I was done with my projects, I could pass it on to the next person in need.
I didn’t forget about the inevitable price of a new blade. I always like to start a tile job with a new blade, chalk it up to personal preference. You can’t count on getting a new blade on a used saw. If I became ultra picky waiting for the saw to have a new blade it might take months to find a saw.
Where are they?
Where are used wet/tile saws advertised? Well, there’s the old faithful, Craigslist. But there is a score of similar newcomers that I could also check. So I checked Offerup and Letgo. I found a lot of wet/tile saws located near me on each one. Now I definitely was going to need criteria for my “new to me” saw before I went shopping.
Criteria for the wet/tile saw
I chose a price range of no more than two rental days of a commercial saw. That put me in the range of about 130-150 dollars. But my wallet said it needed to be closer to 100 dollars.
Type of saw
There are three types of tile saws, I prefer the type of saw where the table moves with the tile as it is being pushed into the fixed location of the blade. This type of saw is called a sliding table wet/tile saw. My personal preference is for this type of saw.
The second type of wet/tile saw is the fixed table saw(like the ones used for cutting wood). I don’t like the table saw type tile saws. Previously I owned one of those and found them to be too easy for me to introduce variation in the cut. So that type of wet/tile saw is not for me.
The third type of wet/tile saw is the bridge saw. I have no experience with the bridge type saws. But my gut is telling me that those long guide rods and the brackets that hold them in place had better be pretty stout. They would need to be stout to keep out any flex of the motor/blade assembly while performing a cut. If you are in the market for one of these type saws I would bring a tile along and insist on a cut demonstration to verify that you will get a good quality straight cut from the saw.
A straight cut
To check whether the saw will deliver a straight cut place a tile to be cut on the table and hold it firmly in place while executing your cut. Then flip one of the cut pieces so a factory edge is against your new cut and verify that the cut is straight.
No matter which type of tile saw you are in the market for, insist on a demonstration. Before you hand over your hard-earned cash at the very least you will need to know that the motor can spin up and the water pump can pump water.
The blade
My “new to me” saw does not need to have a new blade. I always start my tile projects with a new blade that I have purchased, that way I’m assured that the saw is giving me the best possible cut. As for blade size, I like a 10″ blade but a 7″ blade model saw will work. The larger the blade the more surface area for cutting and the longer the blade life.
No matter what size blade my “new to me” saw would have it was always in my mind to check the setup of the blade to table angles(see link below). These saws get a lot of rough handling and these angles can change during the handling of the saw.
My project is using 12″ tiles so the wet saw also needs to be able to cut that size or larger tile.
Will it run and other mechanical criteria
The criteria that the saw must be demonstrated to run and the water pump capable of pumping water leads to more. Therefore the saw is going to need a pump, a water pan, and a drain plug for the water pan. Some saws don’t use a water pump but attach directly to a water hose with the used water being collected in a bucket or running directly to the ground. Water is metered in my area so I’d prefer using a water pump and pan over a running water hose. I also don’t like the idea of standing in a puddle of water while my hands are in contact with an electrical device.
Hold the wobble
There can be no wobble in the blade. This condition indicates a problem with the blade being warped or that the shaft the blade is attached to having a bearing problem or worse. This condition is easy to detect. Simply eye the edge of the blade. Start the saw. Then turn it off and watch the blade edge as it spins down. There should be no side to side movement of the blade. Not sure if the blade is moving side to side(wobble). With the saw turned off and the power cord unplugged grab the blade at the 9 and 3 o’clock positions(might need to remove the blade guard) and try to force a side to side movement. The blade should not move side to side.
How about a stand?
Lastly, the saw does not need a stand. I can rig up a stand with two folding sawhorses and a piece of plywood. But if the saw comes with a stand then that will make it easier to sell once that time comes around.
What I found
Wow, I had a lot of criteria. But I found my saw in a couple of weeks of serious looking and my wallet was happy to boot. I landed up with a 7″ blade, sliding table wet saw, my preferred design type. It doesn’t have a new blade. It was demonstrated and the motor and water pump both work. There was no wobble. The water pan had an issue, a crack, but that easily fixable problem is for another article(see link below). It also had a stand.
It had a major issue with the blade location not being centered in the cutting slot(it tried to cut the table, rough handling is my guess) of the table. But I took a gamble with a reduction in saw’s price and I was able to adjust the saw out of that issue.
Unexpected features found
While I was cleaning it I found two unexpected features. The first feature is what I would consider an upgrade over a standard wet/tile saw. It had a laser for aligning the blade to the cut line. I hadn’t counted on that feature but it will come in handy and make it easier to sell the saw when I have completed my projects.
The second feature is that the table fence is mounted on an additional set of guide rods and this feature allows the table to expand to accommodate tiles up to twenty-two inches(according to the manufacturer) in width. A nice feature that won’t do me any good for my project but will provide an additional selling point.
Conclusion
Now that I’ve lived with this wet/tile saw for a short while I realize that I should have had one other criterion. Namely that when buying a used wet/tile saw it needs to have the tools it came with when it was new, namely a rip fence, and any angle cutting accessories. I’ll be doing a lot of the same fixed dimension cuts so a fence is needed for speeding up this process. My saw was missing the fence. As I found out these parts tend to be very expensive to replace if you can find the parts at all. Fortunately, I found a rip fence from another manufacturer that I could modify to work with my saw. But it was priced at about a third of the price of the saw.
Are you in the market for a used wet/tile saw? I hope that my experience has some value in your search for the perfect saw for your project. Let me know in the comment section below about your experience buying a used wet/tile saw and any additional criteria for your perfect used wet/tile saw.
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