Kent Cori
07-03-2004, 6:54 PM
My new Bosch 4410 SCMS arrived on my doorstep Friday evening just ten days after ordering it from Amazon. (Okay, okay this is a gloat too but I’m also providing some user insights so give me a break! :D ) When the UPS guy dropped it off, he said with a huge grin on his face, “Here’s delivery of a your new manly toy. This should provide plenty of fun for the weekend.” I think he must be one of the most omnipotent clairvoyants of our time!
Now for the goods on the goods. It comes in a large box because it is for all intents and purposes completely assembled. You only need to screw in the miter lock knob and attach the dust bag, neither of which requires any tools. After opening the box and quickly scanning the owner’s manual after removing the top piece of Styrofoam packing, I lifted the 65-pound unit up onto a tabletop to check it out. This isn’t much of a problem but you do want to use the right handles to lift it. The condition of the unit appeared to be perfect which was no surprise since the box didn’t have even a corner dented. After the two minor assembly steps noted above I removed a couple of small blocks of foam used to position and cushion the saw head. I checked everything over including the pre-installed blade, freed the slide lock and head assembly lock pints, and then started ‘er up. It ran like a charm. That was pretty much, it for Friday evening as my wife and I had a date for a movie.
Saturday morning I made a temporary mounting table of a piece of ¾” MDF shelving (16” x 48”) and two 2x4’s. The saw is bolted to the MDF, which is screwed to the two 2x4s that run lengthwise along the two edges, and then the whole assembly rests on two sawhorses. This is fine for the time being but I plan to build something similar to the SCMS tool station in the June issue of ShopNotes (#75) for its permanent home. However, that project needs to wait until I complete the walnut headboard and nightstand I’m making for my daughter.
I checked all the settings and they were spot-on with the exception of the right bevel setting. Whoever set it up at the factory must have skipped this step because the stop was set around 39 degrees. After a brief heart stopping moment spent wondering if I was going to need to return the unit, I followed the adjustment directions. Less than two minutes later I had it adjusted perfectly. Everything else was set perfectly by the factory.
Here are my first operating impressions but bear in mind that I’ve only had the beast for about 24 hours and haven’t had a chance to use all its capabilities and features.
Likes
1. It works like a dream. Everything works smoothly and I observed no discernable play in the slide rails.
2. Fit and finish are excellent which is what I’ve experienced on my other Bosch tools.
3. The controls are all easy to reach with most of them mounted right up front. They are intuitive to use and there are stickers with brief instructions attached by most of the key controls.
4. The Bosch thin kerf blade provided with the saw is excellent. It cuts as smooth as the Freud LU85R Ultimate Cutoff Blade mounted on my venerable Delta 36-225 CMS when used on maple and walnut. When used on the soft fir 2x4 the Bosch blade’s cut was actually a little smoother.
5. The integral sliding base extensions are handy.
6. The vertical quick clamp provide with the saw works very well.
7. It comes with the tools needed to adjust and maintain it. They are mounted right on the saw, which is very convenient if you are moving it around.
8. The saw dust collection bag can be removed and a shop vac hose connected. Both are friction fits so no tools are required.
9. It came almost completely pre-assembled and with all but one setting spot-on.
Dislikes
1. It weighs about 65 pounds, which is pretty heavy. This isn’t an issue for me because I plan to permanently mount it but carrying it from job site to job site might get old after a while.
2. When tilted to the right for a bevel cut, the saw blade housing gets in the way of the fence. You can only cut something about 2” thick in this position.
3. The saw blade kerf inserts, which are supposed to take the place of a zero clearance insert, are pretty useless.
4. Dust collection with the bag is pretty anemic. It was slightly better with a shop vac attached but still nothing to write home about.
5. The length stop provided is okay but can only be used on pieces shorter than 19 inches. Again, the permanent tool stand will take care of this minor problem.
6. You have to remove two thumbscrews and a knob to get to the wrenches in the back and several key adjustment bolts. This seems to be a little bit of overkill.
So all in all I am quite happy with my new SCMS. I’ve already begun using it on the construction of the headboard and nightstand and expect to still be using it twenty years from now. :) :D :)
Now for the goods on the goods. It comes in a large box because it is for all intents and purposes completely assembled. You only need to screw in the miter lock knob and attach the dust bag, neither of which requires any tools. After opening the box and quickly scanning the owner’s manual after removing the top piece of Styrofoam packing, I lifted the 65-pound unit up onto a tabletop to check it out. This isn’t much of a problem but you do want to use the right handles to lift it. The condition of the unit appeared to be perfect which was no surprise since the box didn’t have even a corner dented. After the two minor assembly steps noted above I removed a couple of small blocks of foam used to position and cushion the saw head. I checked everything over including the pre-installed blade, freed the slide lock and head assembly lock pints, and then started ‘er up. It ran like a charm. That was pretty much, it for Friday evening as my wife and I had a date for a movie.
Saturday morning I made a temporary mounting table of a piece of ¾” MDF shelving (16” x 48”) and two 2x4’s. The saw is bolted to the MDF, which is screwed to the two 2x4s that run lengthwise along the two edges, and then the whole assembly rests on two sawhorses. This is fine for the time being but I plan to build something similar to the SCMS tool station in the June issue of ShopNotes (#75) for its permanent home. However, that project needs to wait until I complete the walnut headboard and nightstand I’m making for my daughter.
I checked all the settings and they were spot-on with the exception of the right bevel setting. Whoever set it up at the factory must have skipped this step because the stop was set around 39 degrees. After a brief heart stopping moment spent wondering if I was going to need to return the unit, I followed the adjustment directions. Less than two minutes later I had it adjusted perfectly. Everything else was set perfectly by the factory.
Here are my first operating impressions but bear in mind that I’ve only had the beast for about 24 hours and haven’t had a chance to use all its capabilities and features.
Likes
1. It works like a dream. Everything works smoothly and I observed no discernable play in the slide rails.
2. Fit and finish are excellent which is what I’ve experienced on my other Bosch tools.
3. The controls are all easy to reach with most of them mounted right up front. They are intuitive to use and there are stickers with brief instructions attached by most of the key controls.
4. The Bosch thin kerf blade provided with the saw is excellent. It cuts as smooth as the Freud LU85R Ultimate Cutoff Blade mounted on my venerable Delta 36-225 CMS when used on maple and walnut. When used on the soft fir 2x4 the Bosch blade’s cut was actually a little smoother.
5. The integral sliding base extensions are handy.
6. The vertical quick clamp provide with the saw works very well.
7. It comes with the tools needed to adjust and maintain it. They are mounted right on the saw, which is very convenient if you are moving it around.
8. The saw dust collection bag can be removed and a shop vac hose connected. Both are friction fits so no tools are required.
9. It came almost completely pre-assembled and with all but one setting spot-on.
Dislikes
1. It weighs about 65 pounds, which is pretty heavy. This isn’t an issue for me because I plan to permanently mount it but carrying it from job site to job site might get old after a while.
2. When tilted to the right for a bevel cut, the saw blade housing gets in the way of the fence. You can only cut something about 2” thick in this position.
3. The saw blade kerf inserts, which are supposed to take the place of a zero clearance insert, are pretty useless.
4. Dust collection with the bag is pretty anemic. It was slightly better with a shop vac attached but still nothing to write home about.
5. The length stop provided is okay but can only be used on pieces shorter than 19 inches. Again, the permanent tool stand will take care of this minor problem.
6. You have to remove two thumbscrews and a knob to get to the wrenches in the back and several key adjustment bolts. This seems to be a little bit of overkill.
So all in all I am quite happy with my new SCMS. I’ve already begun using it on the construction of the headboard and nightstand and expect to still be using it twenty years from now. :) :D :)