Cutting bricks and insulation question

[BamaGirl]

I have a tile saw that I used to cut most of my bricks in half. What is best to use to cut angles with? I can use this tile saw but I am not comfortable with how close my hand will be to the blade. Just wondering what everyone else is using for the small cuts.

Also, I will be a little short around one side of my dome for insulation. ( I went with a corner oven and misfigured ) I will have aprrox 3 inches for the insulfrax blanket and vermiculite. I can add to my stand and hearth if I need to. Will this make a huge difference in heat loss?

[dmun]

Tile saw - This has to do with the kind of blade you are using. If it's the solid rim tile saw you can work in close quarters pretty safely. If it's a segmented edge brick saw you want to keep your hands away. Also depends if it's a 10 inch wet saw with a fixed blade above a moving table, or a 7" table saw style tile saw. The bigger blade gives you more flexibility about the kind and depth of cuts you can make.

Insulation - where you are close to the edge double up on the insulfrax blanket instead of using vermiculite concrete there. It's twice as good an insulator.