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hi all

i need some help and advice

i am tiling around 2 shower pipe fittings. as the measurements were intricate i was practicing on off cuts and trying to create a template. I've noticed when i drill holes into the tiles sometimes they would crack. i don't use any pressure or drill too fast. anyway, the good news is that i have created the template down to the mm. however when creating the template a bit cracked. when i go on to making the holes on the proper tile i don't want that to crack, as i'm running out of tiles. why is it cracking and what can i do to prevent it

method: in this instance, i used my workmate bench and clamped it with G clamps around the tile. i clamped them enough to hold the tile steady, as opposed to over tightening the clamps.


thanks in advance

finest1

You need a tile bit that looks like an arrow head. This pierces the ceramic and goes through to the bisque core. It is a slow gradual process using smaller bits and going through with larger bits to the desired diameter. I find a blipping action at a slower drill speed is best.

DWD

hi Dewalt

thanks for your response. i used a 15mm diamond hole saw. i used a slow speed to penetrate the glazing. to be fair it didn't take much to break the glazing and start drilling. i just don't know at what point it cracked. i do have one of those drill bits with the arrow head you mentioned. are you advising to drill that first in the centre of the hole, then use the hole saw?

It is often vibration and pressure that causes the crack. Hole saws are a bit hit and miss and I prefer progressive drill sizes as slower drilling tends to be best

DWD

I would suggest laying the tile on some thick cardboard get someone to hold it do not clamp place the spot to be drilled over a hole, the peg holes in a workmate are ideal, or some ply.
As said slow and easy does the trick. Holesaw should be fine.

toolbox wrote: ↑Mon Mar 20, 2023 2:50 pm I would suggest laying the tile on some thick cardboard get someone to hold it do not clamp place the spot to be drilled over a hole, the peg holes in a workmate are ideal, or some ply.
As said slow and easy does the trick. Holesaw should be fine.

i take it i need to try to absorb some of the vibrations, as the the tile was on hard surface (work bench) with the template clamped to it

Yes tape the template to the tile.

how do i keep the whole lot steady if i can't clamp it? just use the vice on the work mate?

If you feel you cannot hold it still, also tape it to the workmate. Or use a bit of ply/ mdf to spread the load of a clamp. But I would have thought an assistant wearing gloves would be able to hold it steady enough to stop it spinning.

hi all, thanks for your tips. i drilled the holes successfully.

if anyone reads this in the future, i did the following:

i used duct tape to tape the tiles together,
i rested the tile on a a damp to wet dishtowel, and rested the whole lot on ply wood
i then taped the whole thing to the workbench
i used a slow speed to cut into the tile. its hard to explain what slow was, but i did it by feel. it wasn't high speed drilling but a constant but medium speed. it basically took time to do. i didn't time it but it was definitely minimum 15 minutes. probably over kill but i didn't want to risk another cracked tile
i was constantly dropping cold water into the hole to keep the drill bit from heating
use patience and resist speeding up the drill!! that was the hard part,

result: perfectly measured and cut tile

thanks

finest1 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 22, 2023 5:58 pmresult: perfectly measured and cut tile