Can Marble Cutter be used as a Wood Cutter?

Considering the cost of a circular saw and marble cutter, most people have adopted marble cutter as an alternative to expensive circular saw for all their woodworking needs. So if you search on the internet for circular saws, you will find mixed results of both types of saws. Here we discuss all the benefits and problems you will face when you use a marble cutter as your day-to-day wood cutter. Of course! with the wood cutting saw blade.

Circular saw also known as Skil Saw in the USA, was first designed in 1924 and mass-produced in 1937. The Skil Model 77 is also referred to as “The Saw that Built America”.

Before we discuss the differences between marble cutter vs circular saw for woodworking, it is important to understand the below key-points.

We are only discussing here whether you can use a marble cutter as a wood saw and not vice-versa. A circular saw cannot be used to cut marble at all. Marble cutting needs a continuous flow of coolant (water in 99% cases) to cut smoothly, keeping the blade and machine cool.

A wood-cutting circular saw blade varies from country to country. Here I am discussing in general what applies to most parts of the world. A wood-cutting saw blade has a minimum internal diameter of 20mm (bore dia) for both 4-inch and 5-inch blades.

Since the blade has the same ID, a 4-inch blade can be used on 5-inch machine. while the reverse case is not possible. You cannot use 5-inch blade on 4-inch machine since the safety guard will not support it.

Any discussion above the 7″ machine is very specific. In this case, blades are available in both 20mm and 1 inch bore diameter. This depends on the brand to brand. However, if you wish to buy a larger cutting machine (above 7″) for wood, it should be a circular saw and not a marble cutter.

Marble Cutter VS Circular Saw for Woodworking

Marble Cutter Circular Saw
There is no Retracting Blade Guard. When in operation, the user must be very conscious about it. Once used, before placing down, the user must place it in reverse such that the blade faces above and not towards ground. All premium circular saws have retracting blade guard. Just like larger 14″ cutting machines, retracting guard is a safety feature. It exposes the blade only during operation.
There is no proper woodworking base plate available. However, marble cutters arrive with smaller base plates. We have to add a broader base plate on top of it. And it must be very accurate. Circular saws already have base plates that are specifically designed for woodworking purposes. If the base plate gets damamged, it can be easily replaced with a proper spare part.
All the 4-inch marble cutters don’t have a tiltable base plate. While some 5-inch machines arrive with tiltable base plates. Also, the angles printed on the tilt scale are not accurate. However, in most cases, people don’t use this tilt scale on plywood. Most circular saws have tiltable base plates. This helps the user to cut any angles straight into the wood. The angles printed on the scale are accurate in most cases. A tiltable base plate is very important when it comes to cutting edges, trimming, and designing intricate shapes.
Woodcutting needs slower RPMs in general. Tile cutters run at higher speeds. For a 5-inch blade, the RPM shouldn’t exceed 9000RPM. A 5-inch marble cutter rotates at 12000RPM which is much greater than specified. Hence it may not be safe to use a marble cutter as a woodcutter. However, users haven’t faced any problems AFAIK. Since you are buying a circular saw itself, you need not worry about RPMs. Whether you buy a 5-inch, 7-inch, or 9-inch, they all work safely. I wouldn’t recommend anyone to use a larger marble cutter for woodworking. Just to let you know, during any accidents, the circular saw blade makes more damage than a marble cutter blade.
The only benefit you get from a marble cutter is already understood. You can switch back to its original purpose. All marble cutters have some provision to attach water pipes. A Circular saw is only built for woodworking purposes. Cannot be used to cut marble by switching blades. For cutting marble, we need a continuous supply of water. If any kind of external supply is provided, it will burn the electric motor inside. This machine is not waterproofed on its cutting side.
And lastly, Marble cutters are cheap. The cheapest ones are sold for about 30 dollars (2000 INR). Already Expensive. And that is why you are reading this. An economical circular saw will cost about 60 dollars (5000 INR)
Tile Cutter Fixed Plate vs Tiltable Base Plate

Any of the above machines can be used to cut aluminium. The same circular saw may not be used for the purpose. There are multi-grade circular saws available to cut aluminium in particular.

If you have any questions/comments, please let us know.