Looking for Bosch Glide miter saw opinions?

[Lloyd McKinlay]

Somebody helped themselves to my 12" DeWalt miter saw over the weekend so I'm in the market. At this point I'm looking at either another DeWalt (both the 715 or 716 have attractive pricing and available locally) or a Bosch CGM12SD. Even with a small footprint the Bosch has nearly a 14 inch crosscut which is really attractive for some projects on the horizon. My worry is portability. My shop is at another property we own but the miter saw is primarily used at home restoring a 135 year old house. It moves from room to room and inside to outside depending on the project. With two stories and a basement stairs are also involved.

The Bosch is a substantial 65 pounds and doesn't appear to have a carrying handle. For those who have worked with one how cumbersome is it to move? What is your overall opinion of the saw?

Festool isn't in the budget, but any other saws that will get me up to about a 9" crosscut I should consider?

[andrew whicker]

My friend has the std 12" sliding DeWalt. I have the 12" Bosch bar sliding machine you describe.

I didn't notice anything too noticeably different weight wise. Did the DeWalt have a handle? I just carried it like I do the Bosch.. using the handles under the table. Maybe it had a handle and I didn't even notice because I use my Bosch so often.

The Bosch is heavy, but it doesn't go out of calibration all the time. The DeWalt needed be adjusted a bit every morning. I just ordered the Bosch stand they make for it for when I go to customer sites. I think it looks really well made. I will admit I hated connecting and disconnecting the DeWalt he had. Not sure if newer models do it differently, but the spring loaded handle things that attach to the stand were really annoying to connect and disconnect.

Maybe Bosch is annoying too? Don't know yet.

[Shannon Brantley]

It's not too bad to move. When it's not on the stand, I'll lock everything down and angle the miter all the way. Not that it's fun to move, but it's not that bad. I will say, I got the Bosch stand several months back and it is fantastic. I originally had it on a Ridgid that wasn't half the stand the Bosch is, from both durability and functional stand points

[Izzy Camire]

I bought one last winter when it showed up on Craigslist for a great price. I much like the saw as it can be put right up against the wall which in my shop is good. I have a Rigid Carbide blade on it and it gives excellent cuts. I do not move it so I cannot help you on that question. I would buy it again if for some reason I had too.

[Jared Sankovich]

I have a dw716 and a bosch glide. I'd pick the 716 over the glide every time.

[John K Jordan]

I've had a Glide for years and like several things about it. One, after adjusting it has remained quite accurate. Two, the design doesn't need wasted space behind it.
I don't carry mine around but bought a (non-Bosch) collapsible stand that functions like a dolly. It's very easy to move around. However, I don't have to negotiate stairs so can't comment about that.
When it's outside of my locked shop or garage I roll it into a small locked covered trailer for security. (The trailer is also secured from rolling away.)
Note that I did use mine for crosscuts before I got a sliding table for my PM66. Now I mostly use it for construction around the farm.

JKJ

Somebody helped themselves to my 12" DeWalt miter saw over the weekend so I'm in the market. At this point I'm looking at either another DeWalt (both the 715 or 716 have attractive pricing and available locally) or a Bosch CGM12SD. Even with a small footprint the Bosch has nearly a 14 inch crosscut which is really attractive for some projects on the horizon. My worry is portability. My shop is at another property we own but the miter saw is primarily used at home restoring a 135 year old house. It moves from room to room and inside to outside depending on the project. With two stories and a basement stairs are also involved.

The Bosch is a substantial 65 pounds and doesn't appear to have a carrying handle. For those who have worked with one how cumbersome is it to move? What is your overall opinion of the saw?

Festool isn't in the budget, but any other saws that will get me up to about a 9" crosscut I should consider?

[Rich Engelhardt]

8 1/2" sliders have about 12" of crosscut ability.
The Bosch 8 1/2" weighs about 35 lbs.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

In my opinion, based on experience with our crews and subs, the Dewalt is a MUCH tougher saw. I personally prefer Makita saws, but I send the guys with DW because they don't come back missing parts. The Makitas locking mechanism needs monitored a little, they don't, pieces come off it. No big deal if you are paying attention but... A sub had a Bosch and something happened to one of the arms, he suspected a board bump, and it ruined it's accuracy. You could probably use the DW for a hammer if you wanted.

[Lloyd McKinlay]

Thanks for the replies, it's good to get input from actual users. I'm in an area where if it isn't on the shelf of Home Depot all I can do is search the web.

Jared, can you elaborate on your preference for the DeWalt 716? Probably something I haven't thought of yet.

Rich, I hadn't even glanced at the smaller saws until your suggestion. Only a single bevel (same as my old saw) and I will need to look at the cut capabilities and pricing later today. Thanks.

Steve, I fully agree about the durability of DeWalt, my old saw was indestructible. Of course it also jerked on startup and shutdown. Probably would not have been a problem if fastened down but that wasn't how I used it. Of course they have probably changed a few things since the mid-90's when I bought mine.

[Greg Parrish]

I've got a DW716 and it is a rock solid saw for most purposes. I have a higher tooth count freud blade on it and it provides a really nice, accurate cut. My only complaints with it have been poor dust collection. I just recently picked up a Kapex to replace it in my shop and did so mostly for the dust collection improvement, but also to add the slide capability. Not getting rid of the DW716 though as I'll move it to our farm for occasional use there. Overall a good saw but be prepared to work on improving dust collection if using indoors.

PS. The dewalt still jerks as they do not have a soft start feature. For that reason I wouldn’t run one directly plugged into a festool or fein vac just to be safe.

Thanks for the replies, it's good to get input from actual users. I'm in an area where if it isn't on the shelf of Home Depot all I can do is search the web.

Jared, can you elaborate on your preference for the DeWalt 716? Probably something I haven't thought of yet.

Rich, I hadn't even glanced at the smaller saws until your suggestion. Only a single bevel (same as my old saw) and I will need to look at the cut capabilities and pricing later today. Thanks.

Steve, I fully agree about the durability of DeWalt, my old saw was indestructible. Of course it also jerked on startup and shutdown. Probably would not have been a problem if fastened down but that wasn't how I used it. Of course they have probably changed a few things since the mid-90's when I bought mine.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

If you can, go check one out yourself before you make your decision. I thought I wanted one, went to my local HD and just mechanically moved the glide system and the miter portion. It may be that the HD crew assembled it poorly but the miter portion of the one I test drove, had way too much slop for my liking. I brought home a Dewalt 12" instead. Yes the Bosch slider would have taken up less room in my shop but in the 6-7 years I have had it the repeatability of the miter angles on the Dewalt have been rock solid. I check it regularly.

[andrew whicker]

I do have to say, I use a 6 inch carpenter square to check mine both vertically and horizontally before using. Nothing fancier. I use mine mainly for rough cuts and paint grade trim (caulk and paint make you what you ain't). Steve has a lot more real world experience than I do, I would go w/ his recommendation if you're moving it around a lot. I also try to hire out trim because I really don't have a lot interest in doing it. Some people really enjoy that type of work.



I have yet to use it for the serious stuff: stain grade trim. So I will admit I don't require mine to be super accurate. If someone here does stain grade crown, base and case they would be a better resource than me.


(Again, I have the Bosch)

[Jason White]

I had this Bosch saw. Too heavy and awkward to carry around. You’ll want to get the Bosch gravity rise stand with it.

[Eric Arnsdorff]

I have the 12" Bosch and really like it. I've used it for a deck extension and some other miscellaneous exterior house work as well as in my wood shop. I find it very accurate. Last weekend I made a frame with it and the corners are perfect. I did spend the time to dial it in but that was a few years ago and haven't needed to change it since. I did find the Makita 12" crosscut blade to be a terrific and low cost addition. Most of my use is breaking down pieces for my wood shop build. It is used virtually every time I'm in my shop.

It is heavy. I wouldn't won't to lug it around from job to job as a contractor but for my uses it is fine. I have it on a Ridgid miter saw stand which works well for when I use it outside my shop. I suspect there are better stands but I'm happy with it. I would like to build it into a station in my shop.

I did add the shadow light mod that you can easily find on the internet. It is an easy adder that works very well. I can't believe Bosch hasn't added this to the saw.

My take on it is it is a terrific saw and the glider design works very smoothly. I've seen a range of responses on this saw. When I see complaints on it, I always question if they really have the same saw I do. The one complaint I agree with is the dust collection isn't very good - it's better than nothing but I vacuum around it a lot even with a makeshift hood I have on it. That's the only thing that makes me want the Festool but I'm okay not spending that money.

[John Goodin]

If you decide on a Dewalt and can wait till Thanksgiving deals can be had. Usually, Home Depot and Lowes have specials where you but the saw and get the stand for free. I remember seeing the same deal for several years.

I have a non-sliding Dewalt which I love but if I were to upgrade Bosch would make the short list.