terracotta plant pot shaping/cutting

A members area where you can introduce yourself, discuss anything outwith catfish and generally get to know each other.
Post Reply
User avatar
Richard B
Posts: 6952
Joined: 11 Aug 2006, 13:19
I've donated: $20.00!
My articles: 9
My images: 11
My cats species list: 37 (i:0, k:0)
My aquaria list: 4 (i:0)
My BLogs: 2 (i:0, p:29)
Spotted: 10
Location 1: on the sofa, or maybe at work?
Location 2: Warwickshire: UK
Interests: Tanganyika Catfish, African catfish, Non-loricariid sucker-catfish.
Running, drinking, eating, sci-fi, stapelids

terracotta plant pot shaping/cutting

Post by Richard B »

I've had reasonable success with creating holes in the sides although they appear quite hard & i've ruined a couple of drill bits doing it :(

Does anyone have any other experience cutting or shaping them? Can they be sawn in half for instance?
Lou: Every young man's fantasy is to have a three-way.
Jacob: Yeah not with another fu**!ng guy!
Lou: It's still a three-way!

Hot Tub Time Machine: 2010
Top
Skip206
Posts: 17
Joined: 24 Jan 2006, 23:38
Location 1: Central Scotland

Re: terracotta plant pot shaping/cutting

Post by Skip206 »

Hi, never had any bother drilling or cutting, to cut in half use a hacksaw
Top
User avatar
jerry58
Posts: 146
Joined: 25 May 2008, 23:16
Location 2: kent

Re: terracotta plant pot shaping/cutting

Post by jerry58 »

Hi
I have done a lot of work with this material and I use a tile saw they are made to fit hacksaw blade holders and brought from any hardware shop. You can break them and tape to a tube as a holder ( holding them gives you blisters)and saw in normal way. Hope this is of help to you.

Jerry
Caution is a most valuable asset in fish keeping, especially if you are the fish.
Top
User avatar
jerry58
Posts: 146
Joined: 25 May 2008, 23:16
Location 2: kent

Re: terracotta plant pot shaping/cutting

Post by jerry58 »

Hi
Sorry thought this might help.

Here is a pic of the one I used to cut 3 inch diameter Victorian tube not so long ago.

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm57 ... GP1358.jpg

My tip is also tortoise and the hare slowly slowly not to rush.Also pic of old tank of 10 years ago note the flower pot and saucer in middle all cut with one of them.

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm57 ... NKcrop.jpg

Jerry
Caution is a most valuable asset in fish keeping, especially if you are the fish.
Top
User avatar
OldMan
Posts: 112
Joined: 08 Mar 2008, 16:45
I've donated: $20.00!
My cats species list: 8 (i:0, k:0)
My aquaria list: 9 (i:0)
Location 2: Forsyth, IL, USA
Interests: Tropical fish, carpentry, photography

Re: terracotta plant pot shaping/cutting

Post by OldMan »

For a rough split, I tried something that worked out. I treated the pot as if it was a rock. Take a hammer and tap lightly along the line where you want it so split. Just go over the same line with that hammer a few times and eventually the locallized stresses youare putting into the pot will cause it to split along the line. Took me about 3 minutes once I got up the nerve to give it a try. Before that I had ruined a few cutting tools and damaged other pots badly enough that I was almost ready to give up.
Top
User avatar
MatsP
Posts: 21038
Joined: 06 Oct 2004, 13:58
My articles: 4
My images: 28
My cats species list: 117 (i:33, k:0)
My aquaria list: 12 (i:10)
My BLogs: 4 (i:0, p:164)
Spotted: 187
Location 1: North of Cambridge
Location 2: England.

Re: terracotta plant pot shaping/cutting

Post by MatsP »

Apparently, you can cut wet [as in soaked over night or so] terracotta with a regular hack-saw blade. I would probably just fire up my tile-cutter, but if you don't have one, it's a pretty expensive method to get a few pots cut - cheaper to buy a tile-blade for hacksaw, or just crack a few pots. I've been getting pre-broken pots (free!) from the local garden centres - they sometimes have a lot of various shapes of pottery.

--
Mats
Top
Post Reply

Return to “Speak Easy”