Patent ID: 6708686
Filing Date: 2004-03-23
Classification: B28D,Y10T

Abstract:
A tile cutter comprising:(a) a base having a support surface upon which tiles to be cut may be supported; (b) a pair of guide rails mounted upon the base, the guide rails being parallel to one another and being spaced from said support surface to enable a tile to be located between the guide rails and said support surface; (c) a cutter assembly mounted on a carriage, the carriage being movably mounted on said pair of rails so as to guide said cutter assembly along a rectilinear path across said support surface, the cutter assembly being movably mounted on the carriage for downward movement toward said support surface to score a tile located on the support surface when moved along said rectilinear path, and said carriage including a first rotary bearing assembly in rotary contact with one rail and a second rotary bearing assembly in rotary contact with the other rail; and (d) wherein each rotary bearing assembly includes at least one bearing in the form of a roller which is located between the rail and said support surface and which has a shaft on which is mounted at least one wheel which projects radially beyond said shaft and is axially fixed in relation to the shaft, the wheel having an axial face, a circumferential face and a transition face extending between said axial and circumferential faces, wherein only said transition face is in rotary contact with said rail, said transition face being biased away from said support surface into rotary contact with said rail by the carriage being urged upward on application of a downward pressure by the cutter assembly onto said tile being cut.