| Author | Message | ||
     Shrllc (Shrllc) Member Username: Shrllc Post Number: 24 Registered: 12-2008 |
Slate cutters run about $80. Your best bet is to get a slate cutter and do the job right. | ||
| Kwhord (Kwhord) Senior Member Username: Kwhord Post Number: 131 Registered: 10-2006 |
I disagree, Chris. Cut slates are usually in crucial areas like rake edges, valleys, and hips. These areas take a lot of abuse and they are harder to repair than field. Cutting slate with a slate cutter or a hammer and stake is a vetting process. It stresses the tile much more than cutting on a wet saw. If a tile breaks while cutting with a stake or a slate cutter, it never should have been hung in the first place. You could cut the same tile with a wet saw and probably never discover the flaw until the slate cracks and falls out later. | ||
| Chris Wright New member Username: Chris_wright Post Number: 8 Registered: 12-2008 |
Alan, I did a lot of house improvements and one thing every home improver has is a wet saw for interior tile work. They run around $60. It will mean you have to make the cuts on the ground, but if the slate edge is out of sight, and you don't worry that the cut edge doesn't have that chipped away slate look, then that will save you a buck or two. | ||
| John R. Crookston New member Username: Old_school Post Number: 3 Registered: 01-2009 |
Jeff, as they said in the movie "Tin Cup " "Just grip it and rip it" Great to see you guys working to do it right! | ||
| Jeffrey C Stone Junior Member Username: Shrllc Post Number: 15 Registered: 12-2008 |
I enjoy the freedom of cutting slate while on the roof, my cutters are Stortz, I have one mounted on a piece of 2x6; Two others are not mounted as to allow me to hang them from a slate hook or other implement. I also enjoy the slate nibblers, also stortz. For my apprentice I find the cutter mounted on the board works well in the learning phases of shingle cuts. You can certainly use the cutting edge of your hammer and use a board as a guide although it is allot harder to get a strait cut. The stake option works well, although until you get the hang of it, nice strait cuts are challenging. As most of my work involves the use of vintage slate shingles a good hard thump with a closed fist will help to bring flaws in the shingle to light and saves marking and cutting a shingle half way and having it fracture in a different direction. For the marginal cost of a slate cutter I believe it a wise choice. | ||
| Slate Affair Inc. Senior Member Username: Slate_man Post Number: 288 Registered: 01-2007 |
I made my slaters stake, out of 1 1/2" x 1/4 flat steel two pcs about 22'long, welded together. Then I sharped the bottom of the T-stack so it can be thrown in to a plank or deck depending on what you are doing. If you don't have a slate hammer with beveled egde, then take another pcs of flat steel thats 16" to 24" and sharp a bevel on the side of the steel that will interset the steel on the slater stake as you hit the slate with the pcs of steel you have beveled. Hope that helps | ||
| Joe Jenkins Senior Member Username: Joe Post Number: 332 Registered: 07-2006 |
That link (http://josephjenkins.com/store/pages.php?pageid=2) lists the tool videos. Anyone who works on slate roofs should have slate cutter. (http://josephjenkins.com/store/home.php?cat=252) | ||
| Eric Braymer Junior Member Username: Braymer Post Number: 16 Registered: 09-2008 |
Slaters stake is another term for an iron or anvil. I made mine myself. There are pictures and explanations in the SR Bible and on this site >> http://josephjenkins.com/store/pages.php?pageid=2 then click "slaters stake". Cheers | ||
| Eric Braymer Junior Member Username: Braymer Post Number: 15 Registered: 09-2008 |
If you do it this way, keep the ragged edge on the inside and the nice edge out toward the gable edge of the roof so it is still nice and smooth when looking up from the ground. (you will have one ragged edge trimming like this) Also, cut from the back to get the bevel edge on the face. Another cutting option is taking a piece of long angle iron and clamping it down securely as an anvil egde and then using a straight and narrow (2") stick of 1/4 inch steel as a slate cutting knife. Scratch a line on the back and cut from the back to get a bevel on the face. There may also be a video of Joseph Jenkins demonstrating cutting with a slate anvil (iron) on his site. The idea and technique is similar. But I really like my cutter - I can even cut right down the middle of a slate most of the time and get two unbroken 1/2 pieces from that one straight cut. | ||
| Alan Wall New member Username: Wallala Post Number: 2 Registered: 10-2008 |
Thanks, everyone, for the prompt replies. If I start doing more than just half-width slates, I suspect I'll buy a cutter. Right now I'm just focusing on a barn and a shed that each have a single long ridge, no protrusions, etc. Tim, your technique sounds like what I need. I'll give it a try. | ||
| Tim Dittmar Intermediate Member Username: Tim_dittmar Post Number: 34 Registered: 05-2008 |
Alan- use your broken/partial slates to practice with on this and maybe to also repair w/ if you learn fast- the old guys(even) would peck(from the backside) a line of closely-spaced holes(maybe half to 3/4 " apart or so) and then "snap" the slate over a backup straightedge- guess what? They could use both halves if that was what they were making- I would prefer a nailset to the slate hammer as you get better control of force and aim- this punching can be done on your thigh(up on the roof if you must)- you might need to clean up the snapped edges if they're really ragged- pay close attention to avoiding cross-grain slates when attempting to produce partial pieces unless the grain works for you(like the left or right side of a valley, etc.) large pliers/elec. dykes(sp?) can be used to "nibble" the edge of a slightly wide slate- sometimes one should punch the added nail holes on really skinny pieces first and then "break" the slate. Good luck! | ||
| Eric Braymer Junior Member Username: Braymer Post Number: 13 Registered: 09-2008 |
I spent the money on the AJC cutter from Joe's site and am very happy with the cutter. I makes it so much easier and there is less breakage. If you are doing alot of work I would at least look at that cutter and the videos of Joe demonstrating it. It is also better to stay up on the roof and make cuts this way.. Check Joe's site for comparisons and demonstrations of this stuff. | ||
| Kurtis Hord Senior Member Username: Kwhord Post Number: 108 Registered: 10-2006 |
If you have a slate hammer with a cutting shank, you can cut slate with a hammer and stake. You may be able to use a sturdy board or the edge of a work bench instead of a stake. Joe has a video of cutting with a hammer somewhere. Also, you can "score" slate on the back with a wet saw or grinder (not recommended) and then break it over the edge of a work bench to get your bevel. | ||
| Alan Wall New member Username: Wallala Post Number: 1 Registered: 10-2008 |
I'm a homeowner who is attempting to do some basic slate repairs the right way. (The local roofers I've talked to all say they screw through the slate to replace it.) I have a slate ripper, slate hooks, ladder hooks, etc. and am pretty comfortable on the roof. I've avoided buying a slate cutter because most of the replacements I need to make are in the main field of the roof. A few, however, are half-slates on the rake edge so I need to cut those. I've read through my first edition of the Slate Roof Bible and looked through this web site, but can't find anything on how to make a few simple straight cuts without using a slate cutter. (I'll buy one if I have to, but just don't feel like it's necessary at this point.) Maybe I just missed that advice? Would appreciate a very basic tutorial. Thanks. |
