BOSCH GCM12SD 12 In. Dual-Bevel Glide Sliding Compound Miter Saw

Firstly, I knew full well the involved risk of mail ordering an 89 lb. package with a precision machine inside. UPS and others push the limit requiring their drivers to lug this thing around. I decided to roll the dice anyway, and got snake eyes... at first. In the end it still cost me less than purchasing at a local distributor. The first saw arrived in two pieces, one large and one small. A three inch chunk that used to be the left/rear foot of the base was sliding around in the box. You know, the box with no Styrofoam in it, only cardboard uprights to ensure the saw lands on a fragile corner, and half an inch of rigid cardboard between $800/65 lbs. of miter saw and the concrete floor. The box did not appear unusually damaged (because it flexes so well), but the edges and corners were pretty beaten up. When I saw the damage, I felt like a nine year old who just dropped his ice cream cone. I picked my lower lip up off of the floor and I politely emailed Bosch about the substandard packaging. I'm sure they jumped right on the matter with lightning speed... Amazon was great and I had a replacement two days later. I was out at the UPS store paying $120 (Reimbursable through Amazon) to ship the broken saw back. Meanwhile, the UPS man was delivering the replacement saw to my home. The UPS man asked my wife, "Didn't I just deliver one of these?" My wife told him where I'd gone, and that the first saw had arrived in pieces. She told me the UPS man looked "sheepish" as he "gingerly" placed the new saw on the floor of my garage/shop. We had a chuckle over the phone at his expense and I hurried home to open the new saw. Setup: The second saw arrived undamaged, but the box looked like someone had lived in it for years. I mounted a Freud thin kerf blade and squared it up. Adjustments are easy. Even easier with a Wixey, or other magnetic digital angle gauge. The Bevel detent does not quite line up with the 33.9 degree mark, but the bevel scale is as accurate as the Wixey will measure (33.9/56.1 degrees). Everything lined up nice and square. The glide action is solid and smooth. Adjusting the tension of the glide action is easy with the supplied wrench. At full extension, there is very little side to side slop. You can force it to move side by side, but in use there is no hint of slop. While shopping for a new saw, I tried just about all of the sliders from the reputable brands (Except Festool, don't want one). The Bosch has the least slop out of all of them. The table: The miter table (the part that turns) is flat. The outer support tables are not. They angle downward at about 0.3 degrees. At least thats what the Wixey shows. A straight edge across the entire table reveals about 1/64th or so of a gap. The outer edges of the support tables are coplanar with the miter table, but the inner edges of the support tables are not. Even so, every single test cut I made was square and accurate with both long and short boards. The tiny variances on the table do not apparently effect the saw's accuracy. The miter table of my DeWalt 703 miter saw is positively convex, but it produces square and accurate cuts every time. I suspect that some folks complain about thousandths of a inch simply because they own the gadgets to measure that small (Dangit! Its three microns off! Burn it and get a better one!). No offense meant to anyone. I'm a woodworker not an eye surgeon. Forgive me if I'm out of line by .000000006 of an inch or so... give or take. Mounting: I removed the old DeWalt from my Lowe's clearance Bosch Gravity Rise Stand (gloating) and attached the mounting brackets to the Bosch. I found that when the saw is securely attached to the mounting brackets, the sliding material supports get jammed in the closed position. The mounting brackets flex under tension just enough to cause the supports to become stuck. I found that strategically placed shims (3/4" washers) between the base of the saw (near the material supports) and the mounting brackets allowed full use of the supports. Summary: I'm extremely pleased with this saw. It is solid if you don't throw it out of a truck, and it performs magnificently. I have a dozen or so Bosch tools and this one is by far my favorite (and the most expensive). If a lighter 10 inch version comes out, I will be very tempted to get one. My only caution to buyers is regarding the packaging. Understand the risk of mail ordering this saw. If you do not order from Amazon, only order from a company which has a return policy at least as good as Amazon. Be prepared to spend out of pocket in order to exchange a broken saw. The packaging for this saw is simply not designed to withstand anything more than sitting on a pallet... in zero gravity. FYI: The following parts do not fit on the GCM12SD Axial Glide Miter Saw: BOSCH MS1226 Vertical Quick Clamp for 4412 4410 5412L 4410L Miter Saws The new taller fence is too high. The quick clamp mechanism will not clear the top of the fence. BOSCH MS1228 Crown Molding Stop Supports Pair for 4412 4410 5412L 4410L Miter Saws The new design of the material support extensions do not allow mounting of this accessory. Bosch MS1223 Length Stop Kit for 4412, 5412L The mounting holes are closer together than the 4412/5412/5312 saws and do not allow mounting unless you drill a new hole in the accessory. I was disappointed when I tried all of these accessories, but hopefully Bosch will have new ones out soon.

A great miter saw and I'm glad I got in on the final sales of this generation of it. The next gen did add a shadow line but shadow line mods exist for this saw and the more important change that I didn't want the new generation where they've moved the bevel controls to rear like most miter saws on the market. I'm a big fan of front loaded bevel control like this saw has. I've used it a good bit so far and it's by far the smoothest miter saw I've ever user and comes with a half decent stock blade although for fine woodworking it would be worthwhile to upgrade as any miter saw on the market. As a lefty woodworker one of the best things by far is the left-hand trigger support.

I was very hesitant to order the Bosch chop saw. I presently have the Dewalt 12" sliding saw. I have been using it on the job for over 8 years and its as good as the day I took it out of the box. I needed a chop saw for the shop and this Bosch with the linkage instead of the slides, really is a space saver. When I read all the reviews, there were so many that complained this was out, and that was out and no way to adjust. Many said its junk, it forget this saw.? That really made me nervous, but I went ahead and purchased it anyway because of the space saving feature. I got this saw about a week ago and I have to say its great. Obviously those people that wrote those bad reviews did not know much about machinery. Even if it is perfectly set up out of the box, you should take the time to go over each item and double check. This way you know its right on, and you can check for any loose bolts, and you learn and get acquainted with the saw. Yes, it was suppose to be all factory set out of the box, and it wasn't, but there are setting for everything and the manual is very well written and easy to understand. I spent about an hour going through each item and adjust every possible setting and stop. Extremely easy to set up, most all adjustments use the same size Allen wrench (that comes with the saw and stays on board the saw in its secure spot) Its very smooth with no play in the linkage. Bottom line, I was very impressed with the saw and would highly recommend it, especially for the shop setting. For the job site, I'll continue to use the Dewalt as the Bosch really is pretty heavy. 89 lbs. I think it was. You would need the rolling stand to take it on job sites, but for the shop, I welcome the extra weight as it cuts down on any vibrations. And if you will be doing finish work with this saw, you will need a good finish blade. The blade that comes with it is a good blade if you doing framing. And I cant say much about the dust collection and the bag it comes with, as I hooked mine up to the dust collector system right away

I've had a Ryobi 8 1/2 inch slide miter saw for nearly 30 years. Compact. Crosscuts a 2x12. Lightweight. Dead accurate. And did I say compact? But the slide mechanism requires a bench about 32 inches deep to allow for its travel. With the Bosch it can be mounted on a bench about 20 inches deep, which in a small shop saves a ton of floor space. The price is very good, especially when compared to the Festool model at three times the price, which also requires you to buy their blades as the arbor is metric. The Bosch a good value for the money. It will come to you out of square and the squaring up process is tedious at best. And changing a blade is even worse. You have to hold your left foot correctly and bite your tongue to change a blade. It is like a lawyer wrote the directions. I finally blew it off and just removed the blade guard without following the instructions. Turn this screw precisely two turns and this other one six turns. If you don't Jupiter will explode. The instructions were about that tedious. With my old Ryobi you pushed the blade lock button and removed the blade nut . Finally, the Bosch comes set up to cut framing lumber. You'll want to buy a Freud 100 tooth carbide blade for about 55 bucks and put that rough cutting supplied blade aside for when you want to build a barn. Don't get me wrong, it is a good saw, well designed, but huge in size and weight. And when you push the "on" button hold on as the torque throws the saw up a couple inches at start up. I would give the saw a rating for "sheerness" but WTF is that in relation to a power tool? Isn't that something to do with pantyhose???? Come on Amazon, how about replacing that with "value for the dollar?"

This is my second Bosch Miter saw. My first was a 3915 10" sliding compound saw. I loved that saw that I had purchased in 2005 but I really wanted an upgrade. So I sold my old saw and bought this. I think just the fact that after 11 years I purchased another Bosch, speaks for itself. Frankly, I didn't even consider any other brand because of my great experience with Bosch. I am not going to quote a bunch of facts nor statistics on why this saw is better than most. What I am going to say is that I do woodworking. All types that includes building decks, building cabinets, keepsake boxes, outdoor chairs etc. This saw more than meets all my needs in these areas. In fact the saw surpasses my original Bosch since it is bigger, bevels both sides, has a much larger fence, and has stops on the bevel. All things my excellent 10" Bosch was missing. I've been using the saw and really love the gliding mechanism. My old saw was starting to not slide as well as it did when I got it new. In fact, it started sliding exactly like other new saws from Hitachi and Dewalt I have tried at the big box store. I was surprised that they don't glide that well. I will tell you that the glide on this saw is amazing. In fact, at first I was taken aback a little since I was not anticipating how freely it would glide. But after getting used to that, I don't think I could ever go back. The saw is more than powerful even when cutting red oak or for that mater purple heart. I did have to use my precision square to ensure that the 90 degree and bevel were correct. The bevel was but the 90 degree cut has to be very slightly corrected. That of course was every easy, loosen 4 screws with the allen wrench included straight it, and tighten the screws. Easy! Anybody who needs a precision, super quality saw won't go wrong purchasing this saw. It is awesome. Of course, I did have to replace the blade immediately since I was cutting some wood for a cabinet and needed a nice smooth cross cuts. But I'm keeping the blade that came with the saw for other future projects.

great saw, very accurate cuts. Only drawback to this saw, is dust collection. Probably the worst I've ever seen or had. And I'm using vacuum collection. Bosch fittings and the whole bit . more on the ground than anything. If you can live with that great. Axial glide very smooth, blade change very simple. Nice product

Incredible Saw. I have had it for more than a year and a half and have used to it finish my very large basement. I've also used it to perform more complicated miters in a few craft projects. I purchased it to replace a 10 year old compound miter saw (10"), and also hopefully to replace my even older radial arm saw (RAS). The saw is dead accurate. It was so out of the box, and remains so now. There is no flex. I use mine on a rolling cart I built many years ago. I can't really imagine lugging this saw around. If you need a transportable setup, I would look to one of the folding carts with wheels so you can push it around. I did not use the included blade but ordered a Bosch finish blade at the same time. It would be nice if saw makers would just leave the blades off the saws so you don't have the added expense. The included blade is likely fine for carpentry. I made a fee test cuts with it for joinery and thought the splintering results weren't great. The controls on the saw are the best I have used. I read one review that complained about the safety button. My experience is exactly the opposite. There are ambidextrous safety buttons and it is a natural fit for my thumb with either hand. The saw does not start hard in my opinion, and it produces less noise than my old mitre saw. While the motor is noisier than my RAS, the blade is quieter than the amana on my RAS, so overall it's just a bit noisier. Dust collection is really good with just the bag. (Unzip the bag to see the difference it makes). I added a Bosch laser indicator that is fairly accurate, especially for carpentry. For woodworking I tend to use the blade rather than the laser. I tried a laser indicator from a different manufacturer but could not get the blade to tighten down correctly. Cross cutting is very pleasant. Not quite as wide as my RAS but plenty for 99% or more of the crosscuts I make. (Close to 100%. I can only think of one crosscut in the last 18 months that was doable on the RAS but not this saw. ) Packaging was incredible. The outside of the box had clearly seen some abuse but the saw was in perfect condition when shipped in January 2013. Hopefully any packaging problems are a thing of the past. The only negative I can say about the saw so far is that the zipper on the dust bag broke. The saw is truly a pleasure to use, and by that I mean that you can focus on the work and not the tool. It is easily better than my old mitre saw. Compared to the RAS, it excels in every way except of course for dados. It is a great compliment to my table saw and I find myself doing accurate cuts on this saw for the convenience compared to the table saw. I don't think you'd be disappointed with this saw. It is perhaps the best engineered and manufactured power tool I own.

This is the top of the line best axial compound miter saw you’ll ever need. The only saw you’ll ever buy. Zero lateral movement when fully extended....,that’s the most important feature of any tool. It’s solid, and accurate, at a good price. The price has come down since i bought mine, but i’d buy another one at any price because i love this saw. In my opinion, the 12” is the way to go but i’m sure the 10” will do. The 22” just give you maximum capacity so you can cut boards standing up or large bulky stock without having to finish the job with another saw or having to flip it over. If your cutting long boards, you don’t want to be flipping them around especially if you are cutting many pieces. If you are looking to buy a full featured miter saw, you’ve found it. You’ll want to put it in bed with you. You’ll dream about it, and wake up smiling. The axial glide system is so solid and accurate, and glides so smoothly that Bosch has to incorporate a tension screw because it needed to be slowed down. How great is that. The axial system are two hinges mounted opposing each other at 90 degrees that makes this saw what it is, and it can be placed against a wall to save bench and shop space, then pulls out to a cut massive board widths. Easy blade change as well. It can’t be beat. This saw is top shelf !!!

I purchased this miter saw because my old one never seemed to work correctly. I have a Bosch dishwasher and love the quality and build of the dishwasher. I decided to purchase the Bosch miter saw. It was perfectly calibrated out of the box. I made several test cuts before using it on my expensive composite decking material. It makes the job so easy. Changing the blade was also very straightforward and the blade cover can be risen out of the way by using the screwdriver tool that comes with the machine. One thing I appreciate is the see-through Blade guard. My old miter saw had a black blade guard that you could not see through making it more difficult to see what was going on. I also love the way that the compound miter saw extends. It doesn’t use rails like most compound miter saws. It’s very smooth and sturdy. I’m so happy I purchased this machine. I’m able to get my cuts done quickly and accurately. The only downside is the weight. I’m at a senior age and I find it very difficult to lift. If it was 1 pound heavier, I don’t believe I’d be able to lift it. I usually spend 10 minutes warming up before lifting the saw. I also have a dolly that I use to move it around inside my house. Please be careful of your back when lifting this saw. Other than that it does an amazing job and it should last a very long time.

Hasta ahora es una sierra que hay rendido el precio que costó es potente lo único que le cambiado es el disco ya que el original es muy ruidoso compré un disco diablo en conjunto la máquina y el disco hacen el balance perfecto para un mejor trabajo mejores cortes sin ruido y no hacen astillas son más limpios parece que son cortes que se hacen con una lijadora de los finos que quedan recomiendo ampliamente esta máquina

Magnífico producto, Bosch siempre es garantía, muy buen equipo y la relación costo-beneficio creo que es insuperable, el envío fue muy rápido y seguro, no tengo ninguna queja estoy muy satisfecho con este equipo, este equipo es por mucho mejor que la mayoría sobretodo por el mecanismo de movimiento que ahorra mucho espacio, sobre todo por que mi taller es muy pequeño, muy recomendable.

La meilleur outil que je possède précise et coulisse en douceur.

Todavía no la uso. La probé en vacío y funciona excelente. Una excelente adquisición para facilitar mi afición por la carpintería