How to Cut Fused Glass with a Tile Saw

While many pieces of glass used in glass fusing can be cut with a simple glass cutter, some glass is more easily cut with a mechanical tool. Tile saws are great for making straight cuts in thick fused glass. They are readily available at most hardware stores as well as stain glass stores and where glass fusing supplies are sold. This tutorial will explain how to use a tile saw to cut (also called cold work) your fused glass art.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• tile saw
• diamond file (optional)
• eye goggles

1. 
   Tile saw.

   Gather your tools and materials. Prepare the tile saw by adding the requisite amount of water.

2. 
   Chapstick.

   Using a sharpie, measure and mark the fused sheet into the desired size. Note that the tile saw is designed to make straight cuts, so angular shapes such as squares, rectangles, triangles and the like are best made using this tool.

3. 
   Mark Stay.

   Cover the sharpie line with Mark Stay or chap stick to prevent it from washing off while you are sawing.

4. 
   Cutting fused glass with the tile saw.

   Using the tile saw, cut the fused glass along the lines. Be sure that there is plenty of water in the saw. Glass will over-heat quickly if there is not enough water to cool it and your glass will shatter.

5. 

   If necessary, smooth out rough saw lines with a diamond file.

6. Once shaped and filed, the glass must be washed thoroughly with glass cleaner to prevent devitrification in further firings.

7. The cut fused glass can be incorporated into another piece and fused or it can be fire polished and used on its own. Firing schedules for these subsequent firings will depend on how the cut glass is used.

Tips & Warnings

• Tile saws are messy and will spray you when you use the tool. Consider wearing a rain coat or cut arms and neck holes in a garbage bag to protect your self from the spray as you work.
• Always wear eye goggles when working with a tile saw to protect your eyes from flying glass chips.

Resources

• GeltDesigns
• List of GeltDesigns Tutorials by Topic
• Fused Glass Tutorials