Cutting a Thick Glass Tile

by Liz
(Wisonsin)

Would either the pistol grip or pencil glass cutters "cut" through a tile that is 1/8 inch thick? I'm tiling the backsplash in my kitchen with 1x1 glass tiles and they are too small to use a wet saw. But I need a straight edge, so I can't use a nippers.

Answer
Hi Liz,

We have cut 1/4" glass many times with no problems, so you should be able to cut/score those 1/8" tiles with any of the oil filled glass cutters. After you have scored the glass tiles, run the score with running pliers.

One of those cutters doesn't cut any better than the other, they are just held differently. Which one you use depends on how comfortable it is for you to hold and get a good score.

To make the job easier, you could set up a jig to cut those squares so that each one is exactly the same. The least expensive way to do that is to use the Glastar or Inland strip and circle cutter. The strip and circle cutters are not made with oil cutters, so you must make sure you oil the wheel a few times during a cutting session.

If you are going to be cutting a lot of geometric shapes over the years, I'd suggest investing in the Morton Workshop. It would save you a lot of time. I use mine frequently and it is one of my most treasured tools.

I hope some of this will help you. Good luck with you backsplash. If you'd like, put a picture on the Photo Gallery page when you're done. I'm sure everyone reading this would like to see it.