Tile and Masonry

What you should know after we are done Who are the main “players” in tile Who is the “target” customer for our tile saws What are the 3 types of motor ratings and what do they mean What can cause a motor to overheat Who has the cart saws with largest cutting capacity on the market. Where can you buy Ridgid saws The “right” way to assemble a tile saw How to cut glass tile Why use a foot switch What is the advantage of an AP6 setup for profiling

Tile – Market Saw sales only, does not include Lowes sales, housing starts in units, sales in dollars. Product Line Profitability

Tile Competitors DeWalt MK Pearl Imer Alpha Rodia (private label Dal Tile) Rigid (Home Depot only)

Dewalt Pros Lightweight 80lbs Good water containment Attractive design Available service Head tilts for 45’s Cons Motor - Universal Lacks good torque in hard materials Runs at higher rpm Blade acts harder than on “normal” saws Shorter life span/more maintenance (brushes) Many plastic parts Makes transport harder On job and to job Easy to lose/break/wear

MK Pro’s New saw, TX3, has misting system to reduce water, cuts larger tile and head tilts for miter cuts. Older saws use higher torque motors Some good brand acceptance in blades (Hot Dog) Cons Older saws have not kept up with larger tiles and use troublesome rail/cart system- bogs down with slurry Have lost acceptance with and dealers (internet) and contractors (out dated) New TX3 takes 1” arbor blades- standard is 5/8 Motors are a mix of continuous, intermittent, and saw duty, you never know

Pearl Pros VX10.2XL diagonals 18” tile and weighs 83 lbs, with telescoping cart. Belt driven. CX10 diagonals 18” and weighs 60 lbs with co action movement of head and cart. Direct drive. Well respected in diamonds Sells Dal Tile their private label blades Cons Built by outside source, Sawmaster Motors are not Cont Duty and CX10 is rather undersized

Imer Pros Most popular rail saw Diagonals 22” and rips 31” tiles Weighs 70 lbs. Head tilts for miters Will plunge cut. Cons Motor torque limited, direct drive. Reps in area will determine how or if you see them. For saw of this type it’s a shame it will not diagonal 24”. Probably soon will.

Rodia Pros Stainless steel saws and cutters In every Dal Tile SSC Were available only in Dal, under the Dal name at introduction, now trying to expand using Rodia brand. I have seen some nice blade displays in the east Cons Direct drive motor is not high torque or cont duty

Alpha Pros Well respected and high performing blade Blades and pads for stone available as well Very good glass blade Cons Expensive Depending on the rep they may or may not be well represented No equipment

Ridgid Pros Available only at Home Depot. Very inexpensive saw, $599. Looks good Laser (see cons). Seems like a good selling feature to uninformed buyers. Motor seems to have more power than Dewalt Rubber coated cart New version now being introduced Cons Not lightweight 121 lbs. Users complain of excess water Laser (see pros) Laser needs to be adjusted almost every use and is not always accurate Accuracy is an issue, even if it is accurate out of the box, it tends to go out of alignment

Husqvarna Pros Brand acceptance, (Target and Felker), high Reputation for quality Cuts largest tiles in category Best power/performance Cons Weight is an issue till new saw introduction Water containment poor at present Head does not tile for mitres

Why buy Husqvarna Tile saws Quality build that will last 20 years or more High torque, continuous duty, proprietary motor to cut the hardest materials quickly and powerful enough to let the saw function as a masonry saw in rentals. (PS1411S uses the same motor) Saws not only cut accurately but are simple to align if needed Self-cleaning wheels, along with our rail system keeps cart running smoothly Rubber coated conveyor cart helps keep material in place and cushion the tile Saws have the largest cutting capacity in class Super Tilematic only cart saw in class to diagonal 24” tile Rolling cart makes moving from job to job easier Over 200 Baldor service centers nationwide to service motors

Why Buy Husqvarna Tile Blades We make them and/or spec the design. With 3 metallurgical engineers we can control our blade design and performance and with our own plant, the quality as well. One of best glass blades available on the market Blades for every price point and application mean that whatever the customer needs we can provide. Blades and products for Stone application available by using Diamant Boart catalogue.

Masonry Competitors Diamond Products Norton/Clipper MK Stowe Multi Quip

What you should know after we are done. What was Robert G Evans claim to fame with our Masonry saw which likely helped Target succeed. Who (what company) claims to have made the first masonry saw Who are the “players” in masonry What does a Sta-Level blade guard do

Masonry – Market Masonry followed the housing decline with 1 year lag Crowded market with many competitors and little product differentiation. Large market, good blade sales New MS 355 Portasaw and MS 510 Guardmatic in 2009 Husqvarna maintains lead position despite market drop Husqvarna is poised for market return Lighter weight, global saw project under consideration

Diamond Products Pros Good distribution channels Manufacture own blades 24” blade capacity an option Cart rails are replacable if damaged Cons Small saw identcal to Stowe and Multiquip Old design Weight Blades Not included

Norton/Clipper Pros Good name, claim to have made first masonry saw, probably true, Robert G Evans left them to start Target. Reasonable distribution channels Mid range saw has wheels Includes blade with saw Cons Mid level saw not sturdy Small saw is copy of most everyone else

MK Pros Introduced BX3 saw essentially introducing a new class which took off Cons Distribution presence lacking

Stow ProsCons Small saw identical to DP and Multiquip Appears not available in US under Stow brand anymore. Only under Multiquip name, but still yellow.

Multi Quip Pros Good distribution presence Large saw has dual fork lift openings Cons Small saw identical to Stow and DP Not “known” for masonry products Appears that their saws are now yellow and called MultiQuip. (they own Stow) Blades NOT included

Husqvarna Pros Brand acceptance very high Continuous duty motors best available Category leading quality Blade quality Blade included with new Portasaws New versions will have replaceable rails should they become damaged Cons Older design Weight, though not out of line with competitors Small saw offering made by MK Blades not “exciting”

Masonry – MS 355 / MS 355G Portasaw Updated TS 355 Portasaw for 2009 Improved pillow block style pivot points with sealed bearings Head mounted from the factory. Pivot lock in front. Sta-level ® Blade guard Replaceable rail system Wider rear opening for pass through Gas version with pump drive off of main belt Now with 14” blade included 1.5, dual voltage, 2, 3 HP Baldor motor options 4.8 Honda and NEW 4.5 Robin engine options Robin option gives $180 retail savings ($126 net)

Masonry – MS 510 / MS 510 G Guardmatic Updated TS 510 Guardmatic for 2009 Improved pillow block style pivot points with sealed bearings Head mounted from the factory Sta-level ® Blade guard Replaceable rail system 3HP and 5HP 230V Baldor motor options 14” and 20” 7.5HP Baldor in 230V or 460V 3-phase NEW 9 Robin engine option (replaces Honda 8HP) Honda 11 HP with or without clutch

Why Buy Husqvarna Masonry Unsurpassed quality and service Continuous duty motors used on all equipment New saws have replaceable cart rails if saw is damaged in field

Why buy Husqvarna Masonry Blades Blades for every job at almost every price point Quality product backed by a large company that isn't going away

Troubleshooting Tile Saws Saw not cutting straight Check alignment with carpenters square If not square, align saw. If it is square, saw is not to blame, see blade or cutting method. Check that blade is in tension and running true once it is spinning at full speed Check that the material is not being pushed too hard thru blade causing the blade to veer to side Replace blade with right blade for application, try using 8” blade instead of 10” Saw has no power, is slow to start up, is blowing breakers Check power cord Cord should be 10 gauge and no longer than 75 feet Check power at source and at saw. Voltage should be at least 115 at outlet or end of ext cord. Low voltage causes slow start-up, low power, blowing breakers and overheating motors. If source is <110v then the saw will not work properly regardless of extension cord used. Find a better source. See an electrician or service center. Start or run capacitor can be bad and need replaced On/Off switch wears out too often Use replacement switches from Husqvarna. We have found a very good switch and it will last longer than most that are bought in the field Use correct length and gauge of cord Use a foot switch. Our saws, because they are high torque have a surge of electricity at start up which is 3-5 times running amps. The foot switch has a more room to install a higher duty switch to withstand this surge.

Troubleshooting Tile Blades How do I pick the right blade, aren’t they all the same? All blades are not the same. A blade consists of core, metal powders and diamonds. The size of the diamond, the concentration (how much), of diamond, the quality of the diamond and the type and mixture of bonding agent or powders used, all affect the way a blade will cut. The less expensive blades use lower quality diamond, which fractures more quickly. Since the diamond is fracturing more quickly the powders that are used to hold the diamond in place have to wear more quickly, too, so that the used diamonds will fall out and new diamonds will be exposed. That is why these blades tend to wear more quickly. For tile applications, porcelain and granite are some of the harder materials that have to be cut. There are blades on the market that are designed just to cut these materials well. These specialized blades may use larger, better quality diamonds to grind more effectively these harder materials and will use a specific mix of powders with the diamonds so they work together. When cutting soft body tile it is possible to use smaller lower quality diamonds effectively, hence the lower cost of the “general purpose” blades. Can I sharpen a blade? If there is rim left and the blade is running true, it can be sharpened. Sharpening exposes new, sharp diamonds by wearing away a layer of dull diamonds from the surface of the rim. The nice thing about diamond blades is that once sharpened they work as well as new. Sharpen by cutting cinder block, day old mortar, conditioning sticks sold for that purpose, or even soft bricks. Remember that you are wearing a layer of dull diamonds off the rim and that may require several cuts to accomplish. If a layer could be worn off in only a few cuts, then the blade would not last very long in everyday use, and users would be very unhappy with it. Can I use different size blades on tile saws, and what difference does it make if I do? On many saws you can choose to use a 7”, 8”, or 10” blade, especially the better quality professional type saws. If depth of cut needed is covered by the size blade you choose, there is no problem using a smaller blade to save some on cost of blade. The general rule is that when using a smaller blade the surface speed of the rim is slower. This makes the blade act softer and wear a bit faster. The difference is probably not noticeable in everyday use. Other saws, especially those with fixed heads or the tabletop style saws require a specific size blade in order to function, so, know your saw before making this decision. What difference does it make whether a blade is segmented, has a turbo style rim, or a continuous rim when I cut tile? Segmented blades chip tile when cutting it, due to the separations in the rim, turbo style blades less so, but they still chip slightly. Continuous rim blades give the smoothest cut of all, which is why they are used 95% of the time. Do I have to cut wet? How much water do I need to use? Blades are designated to be used wet or dry, and will state this somewhere on the blade. Dry blades can be used with water to cut the dust down, and this is a good idea indoors. Even using a spray bottle helps. Blades designated as wet should be used with water. Saws that use water pumps to provide the water usually provide more water than is needed. There are ways of cutting back the water flow to the blade to keep the mess at a minimum and still cool the blade. A blade that is used dry when it shouldn’t be may warp and cause chipping in the material being cut and may get so dull that it will not cut. Why does my tile chip when I get near the end? This can be caused by a couple things. Pushing the blade too hard through the material can cause this because the blade will tend to bow in the cut. Then, as the end of the cut is reached the blade will try to “straighten” itself back up, and, as there is very little material left to support itself, it chips the last piece off. This same scenario happens when a blade is dull, too, if the user has a difficult time pushing the material through the cut. Also a blade that is not running true may do the same thing, in addition to causing excessive chipping throughout the cut. My cut isn’t straight, what do I do? The same thing that causes chipping above can make a cut run slightly off, since as the blade bows in the cut it tends to head off to the side. The saw can be out of alignment, too. To remedy that contact the manufacturer. To determine if the saw is truly at fault a carpenters square can be used in place of a piece of tile. If the blade runs along the edge of the carpenters square for the entire length of the cut without developing a gap or pushing the square over, then the saw is aligned properly and another solution must be found.