I recently got a few scrap slate tiles and would love to make some coasters or cutting boards, but I’m not sure how to go about cutting them down to size.
From what I’ve read online, they can be cut with a normal circular saw or using an angle grinder, but will produce a lot of dust unless it’s wet down before and during the cut (which I don’t think we can do at the space).
Anyone have any experience working with slate? Any recommendations for how to cut it to a particular size without making a huge cleanup job?
You can rent a tile saw from Home Depot. It’s a wet saw. Slate can still crumble at the corners of it’s not really cohesive. Any cutting can shake the layers apart. The waste ratio for flooring is higher due to that. But it varies from piece to piece.
I’ve done limestone with a diamond blade in a regular 7-1/4" circular saw. I’ve used both “turbo” and smooth and didn’t notice much difference between them in light use. The dust is brutal - wear PPE for sure, and cut outside away from anything that’d be harmed by abrasive dust.
I have a respirator, and don’t mind cleaning up after myself, so I’m less worried about making a mess than about inconveniencing other people using the space.
I also saw a video online using a dremel, which might be an option since I don’t need to make a ton of cuts. The Home Depot near Asmbly also has a mini tile saw for rent, if the dremel doesn’t work out. If I’m going to make a mess in the space, is there a preference for how I do that (e.g. setting up the saw in the old autobay so the dust is relatively contained)? I’ll clean up, of course, just don’t want to inconvenience other folks if they’re trying to work on something nearby.
Do not dry-cut stone products indoors. Not as Asmbly, not anywhere. I once made the mistake of using a dry concrete saw to modify an interior slab, and I had to scrub every surface, even the ceiling, to get the dust off. Power washing doesn’t even do it.
