Hand Cutting Plain tiles

[gaz116]

Hi, not sure if this is the right place to start, but hey ho.

I`m a Roofer, been doing it for 10 years, very shortly i will be taking my EWPA nvq in tiling.

Now as part of the exam, i need to tile in a plain tile valley and hand cut it to rake.

In my time as a roofer i have only ever used a petrol saw to cut valleys /hips etc. The only time i have hand cut plain tiles is with a nibbler, tiling around a dorma window.

I have been looking on the internet for some ideas on what tool to use to scribe and cut plain tiles, but cant seem to find much. Only thing i can find is a tile cropper but at £70 , it seems a tad expensive for 1 job.

I could nibble the valley all the way up, but it seems a bit extreme.

Any Roofers have any help for me please?

 

[noseall]

...........cue the Hovis music........

'in 't' old days.......when i was a lad.....

seriously, we used a brick hammer and a tile corner to cut tiles.

clamp a plain tile between your legs so that the tile corner is standing proud. this is used as a striking plate. clasp the tile to be cut in your left hand and place it over the tile corner that is clasped between your legs.

the tile to be cut should now be resting on the very corner tip of the tile between your legs. you can now start smartly tapping at the edge of the tile to be cut, striking only the very edge of the workpiece directly over the corner of the tile between your legs.

you keep working away at the tile, striking off bits of tile till you get to your mark line. you need to be very patient.

you can also split a tile, by holding it in both hands and tapping it smartly against the tile corner working it up and down the centre till it splits.

you can also save time cutting by using the brick hammers 'nose' end to peck off large sections of tile in one blow.

 

[Roofer]

Look at this, the bottom two items. They are available from Roofing Merchants

You use the scriber to score a line on the tile using a batten or similar as a straight edge, then use the pincers to nibble away a bit at a time.

Mind you it takes practice to not break the tiles!

We even used this method for large interlocking tiles before petrol cutters were easily available

 

[gaz116]

thanks for the replys.

Roofer, thats the method im used to myself, just wasn`t sure if there was an easier less time consuming way, as like i said, it was a while back when i did some free hand cutting.

Least now that settles my concsience and i know i wont be looking quite the fool on my exam day.

These modern roofers eh.. pah!

Ha! , just clicked on and checked the link you gave me, thats the very same pair of nibblers ive ordered for the job, from cms too

Small world i guess

 

[uncle albert]

when i was working in Sydney australia (not as a roofer) all the tilers used niblers to cut ALL there cuts, i couldnot believe it i had never seen it in the UK. A british roofer was on site for his first day and they binned him as he was'nt used to the method and was too slow. fxxking ausies.