GB1509776A - Tile scoring and breaking - Google Patents

Abstract

1509776 Cutting tiles POLYCELL PRODUCTS Ltd 7 Jan 1977 [9 Oct 1975] 41520/75 Heading B5E A tile scoring and breaking apparatus comprises a first member 1, Fig. 1, having a tile supporting surface 4 with an elongate projection 5 over which a tile is to be broken and guide means 7 which are spaced from the surface such that a tile can be introduced therebetween and which define an elongate gap 8 aligned with the projection, and a second member 2, Figs. 2 and 8, having an operative part 12 bearing a scoring element 17 and adaptive to be slidable along the gap 8 with the element 17 aligned with the projection 5, the part 12 also having a pair of breaking elements 15 for engaging the tile one on each side of line scored by the element 17, the scored member being engageable with the first member for pivotal movement to bring the breaking elements into engagement with a tile bearing on the elongate projection 5 on the surface 4. The tile supporting surface 4 is formed on a base part 3 of the first member 1 and the elongate projection 5 is formed either integral with the surface or by a separate metal element received in a slot in the surface. The guide members 7 are connected at their ends to the base part by walls 9, 10, Fig. 3, the wall 10 being formed with an opening or recess 11. The second member 2 has a part 13 for gripping by the hand of an operator and an operative part 12 which can be slid along the gap 8 between the guide members 7 and has an angled under surface 14, the apex of which has laterally extending projections constituting the breaking elements 15. The forward part of the under surface mounts a block 16 carrying a scoring wheel 17. In use, the tile is placed on the surface 4 with the line of breaking aligned with the projection 5. The second member is placed on the tile at the edge adjacent wall 9 with the part 12 between the guides 7 and the scoring wheel in contact with the tile. The second member is then moved along the gap 8 so that the wheel 17 scores the tile and until a projecting nose 30 of part 12 engages the opening 11 in wall 10. The member 2 can then be pivoted downwardly so that the nose engages the upper margin of the opening and the breaking elements 15 apply force to the tile on opposite sides of the scored line to break the tile. Positioning of the tile in the surface may be facilitated by engagement of the edge of the tile with a fixed stop 18 and a stop 18 associated with a scale 24 on a slide 22 guidable in a housing 23 which is formed at one end of the base part and has a pointer 25 for co-operation with the scale. A member 20 fixed to the housing and a member 21 fixed to the slide can be aligned with a gap into which a cut piece of tile is to be fitted to automatically set the stop 19 to the size of the gap. The member 2 may be provided with means 32, 33 for nibbling irregular portions from the edge of a tile.