Bosch GCM 12 GDL review

[Ross Lambert]

Well after battling with a cheap sliding compound mitre saw for many years I decided to spend some serious money and buy the Bosch GCM 12 GDL. It's the one that uses the 2 arms for moving the saw rather than the 2 or 4 glide rods as are on most SCMS. I won't go through all the features here as you can get a great idea of what it does by watching a youtube clip like this one

Bosch Sliding Mitre saw GCM 12 GDL Professional - YouTube

Rather I'll give you my thoughts about whether or not it lives up to it's claims.

The big claim it makes is that the action of the saw is smooth and that it saves space. Both of these are true. The glide on the saw is rock solid and exceptionally smooth. Having all the controls at the front of the saw is very useful. Having flip up stops on the supports is also great for repeat cuts. However the key question for most is how accurate is it given that these saws are really designed for being mobile on job sites. So if you are cutting timber for roofing then this saw I reckon has more accuracy than you will ever need same for finishing out door frames, trim and the like. If you are cutting long mitres for fine furniture then I you might need to forget about the presets and set the mitre angle yourself which is done with the flick of a switch. Out of the box it cut dead on 90 degrees and continued to do so. The top half of the fence on both sides can slide out of the way for 45 degree bevels. This is pretty good. Everything on the saw locks easily and securely and the finish and machining I think is good.

Dust collection is not that great and a shop vac attached to it captures perhaps a bit of over half at a guess. It has lots of plastic bits on it so if you have apprentices or swing around lots of big lumps of wood then the plastic bits will get broken. Some people have said that you need a small crane to more the saw around. This isn't true - you need a big one. At 30 kilos it is very heavy.

My mate over the road has the Festool Kapex 120. The Kapex is a lot lighter, saves as much space with its forward facing glide rods, has a sweet turn handle for adjusting the bevel and apparently collects more dust (far an $800 premium). I reckon the Bosch though is a more solid build and the action is a lot smoother. I'll get back to you about which one is more accurate.

Thats about it. Happy to answer any questions you may have

Ross

[Ross Lambert]

Okay so I spent a few hours this afternoon comparing the Bosch and the Kapex. The Kapex is a nice saw and as mentioned above has a few sweet features but in terms of accuracy it didn't have anything over the Bosch. I know above I said that out of the box the Bosch cut at 90 degrees but under close inspection (with my glasses on, a bright light and a Moore and a Wright set square) both saws needed to be adjusted. It took about 5 attempts to get the Bosch at a perfect 90 degrees. Adjustments of the presets on the Bosch are easy and once done the saw produced dead on, not a hint of gap, mitres. My mate was busy with another job so didn't bother to set the Kapex to dead on. It is probably easy to do but will it include the presets ????. The Kapex is nice and smooth to use whereas the Bosch does have an incredible glide but does kick when started and stopped and if you let go of the handle it crashes to the top position. The Kapex doesn't do this. So the Kapex is smaller, dignified and quiet compared to the Bosch's bulky "what are you looking at!!!" attitude. But in the end they will probably both be as accurate as each other.

[Bushmiller]

Ross

Thank you for your observations. Before this saw was available in Oz I was impressed with it and at that time Bosch Australia maintained there was no plan to import it. I imagine they were keen to clear the existing stocks of the old model.

Why don't I have one of these saws? Well about six months before the GDL was announced I purchased the older conventional model. I haven't been disappointed, but if I was in the market now I buy the GDL in a flash.

Interestingly they haven't done anything to improve dust collection from your comments. It is poor on my machine too and my only real criticism. While ever the saw is in timber it probably collects 75% of the dust, but as the saw breaks through the timber at the completion of the cut very little is captured. It is very much in need of redesigning.

Thanks again for your review and interesting comparison with the Kapex 120.

Regards
Paul

[Ilya]

Hi Ross,

I fully agree with your review - I have similar observations with the Bosch saw. I am very happy with it after almost a year of using it. The dust collection is an issue, so I built a box around it with a 4" port connected to the dust collector. The box still fills up with dust, but at least the (visible) dust doesn't go everywhere as it used to do before. Using trial cuts and digital protractor it is quite quick to achieve cuts with 0.1 deg accuracy. Using the scale on the saw it is accurate to within about 1 deg. Presets are spot on once everything is adjusted. With the kick back I quickly learned to start the saw when it is fully up, and stop it after the cut while holding it all the way down.

[chippie24]

Got this saw about 6 months ago and it is the best saw I have ever used. I do a lot of fix outs and needed a good saw for the job as my makita was a piece of junk. The glide arm is amazing and is still as smooth as it was out of the box. The laser is useless like all saws and there is a problem with dust as mentioned but it cuts nice and square every time. Everyone at work loves it, makes the perfect architrave mitres

[Chris Parks]

Chippie, I would have thought it would be too heavy for a site saw. I agree though it is a nice thing and only death will pry it out of my hands even if the dust extraction is poor. I leave the extractor on after use and just do a manual clean up which is a pain, not ideal but life never is.

[harrysin]

I haven't had mine long but I too am very happy with it. Regarding the twin laser beams, mine are quite accurate however I do have a problem with it. I intended to use a master/slave switch so that the dust collector comes on when the saw is operated. The problem that I encountered was that there is current draw so long as the saw in plugged into the power, presumably instead of switching the mains to the laser power supply they must be switching the DC output, with the result the current is enough to operate the dust collector. I haven't been successful finding a master/slave switch which requires more current draw to operate the slave.

[Ratbag]

I haven't had mine long but I too am very happy with it. Regarding the twin laser beams, mine are quite accurate however I do have a problem with it. I intended to use a master/slave switch so that the dust collector comes on when the saw is operated. The problem that I encountered was that there is current draw so long as the saw in plugged into the power, presumably instead of switching the mains to the laser power supply they must be switching the DC output, with the result the current is enough to operate the dust collector. I haven't been successful finding a master/slave switch which requires more current draw to operate the slave.

I'd suggest there's summat wrong wif your switchgear, as both my auto extractors work as expected connected to the GDL.

Maybe the switch sensor is just too sensitive.

[DIYkiwi]

Well after battling with a cheap sliding compound mitre saw for many years I decided to spend some serious money and buy the Bosch GCM 12 GDL. It's the one that uses the 2 arms for moving the saw rather than the 2 or 4 glide rods as are on most SCMS. I won't go through all the features here as you can get a great idea of what it does by watching a youtube clip like this one

Bosch Sliding Mitre saw GCM 12 GDL Professional - YouTube

.........

Hi Ross

Good review thanks.

I have just bought and un-boxed one of these units and done a couple of quick cuts 90degs - seems to be spot on - but will do more accurate checks in due course.

I'm interested to know what blade came with your unit? The above video is the same used in marketing the saw here in New Zealand and specifically shows/features the Bosch "Top Precision" blade. The distributor I bought my saw from also had supporting text on their website which implies the saw is supplied with the Bosch "Top Precision Best for Wood" blade (72T). However the blade on the saw I have received "out of the box" is a standard 60T Bosch blade. I'm chasing this up with Bosch NZ and the distributor as I'm obviously keen to have the higher quality blade as advertised.

I would appreciate hearing back from you and maybe others as to what blade is supplied with these saws in Australia. I've been told by the Bosch service help desk (Australia services NZ as well) that all the Australasian units are supplied with a standard 60T blade and that Bosch Australia does not (currently) stock/supply the "Top Precision" range of blades.

Cheers

Nick

[Bushmiller]

I have the earlier model Bosch SCMS and until recently I considered the 60T Bosch blade excellent and it is excellent. In fact I have at least three 12" Bosch blades. That is until, on a whim, I bought a Makita 60T Bluemak blade. It is really, really good.

It has made such an impression on me that when next in town I am going to chase up some similar blades for my smaller saws.

Regards
Paul

[FenceFurniture]

Re dust extraction: Festool recommend a 27mm (ID) hose for the Kapex, but common knowledge amongst those who seem to know is that a 36mm hose does a much better job. I'm yet to change mine over. Maybe a bigger hose will do a better job on the Bosch?

[DIYkiwi]

I have the earlier model Bosch SCMS and until recently I considered the 60T Bosch blade excellent and it is excellent. In fact I have at least three 12" Bosch blades. That is until, on a whim, I bought a Makita 60T Bluemak blade. It is really, really good.

It has made such an impression on me that when next in town I am going to chase up some similar blades for my smaller saws.

Regards
Paul

Hi Paul
Thanks for the feedback. Nice to know that the 60T performs well in case I get stuck with it, and also useful to know that there is a non Bosch replacement that is even better!?

I'm looking forward to really testing this axial glide out on some joinery projects - and I'm really keen to get my hands on the Bosch "Top Precision" blade(s) (which I believe are their new generation Bosch blades e.g. the first ones they have released under the Bosch name, since buying the Freud company). This generation of blade is now specified as a 30mm arbor for the GCM12 GDL saw which is their latest configuration for the GCM12 GDL saw - this is the model I thought I was buying based on advertising and specs here (I note Toolmart over there in Aussie is currently advertising this saw using the same blurb) The saw I have is a 54.4mm arbor - which I assume all the prior model GCM12's are.

Also I note the unit I have been delivered is "Made in China" (I'm disappointed as I thought Bosch had maintained European assembly for this "top end" unit! - they have certainly maintained a premium price!) - I'd also be interested to know if the Australian delivered GCM12 GDL units are made in China as well?

Once again asked the Bosch (Australia) Service Help Line and was told "The GCM12 GDL is European assembled?? Also that standard arbor is 30mm.

I know that the unit I have been delivered is probably a very fine saw and is covered by the Bosch 3-year extended warranty but my main issue is that what I thought I was buying based on the advertising, was the latest refinements to this model saw with Bosch's latest (courtesy of Freud) sawblade technology - seems however down here in the Asia Pacific region Bosch are a little dis-organised with respect to their own changes!? Sinically I might say they are getting rid of their old stock but pumping sales with the updated spec marketing...

Bosch Sales Rep here is currently on holiday for a week (Bless him!) - so my apologies for ranting on!

Keen to hear anyone else's stories good or bad with this saw and or dealing with Bosch.

Cheers

Nick

[Chris Parks]

http://www.sydneytools.com.au/produc...with-500-bonus

It is made in China, I have no idea if the assembly is European. I have no pre-conception that the Chinese link makes it any less as far as its designed use or quality goes.

The arbour on mine and in the link above is 30mm.

It has poor dust control but apart from that is faultless in operation.

I am not convinced the blade is the best I have ever used but as yet I have not changed it to compare.


Talking blades, I have a very small Makita mitre saw and I ordered a new blade for it. When the blade arrived I noted it was made in China and was not that impressed. When I used it for the first time I was stunned with how good it is. This blade has to be the best one I have ever used on a mitre saw, a perfect cut in all respects.

[Ratbag]

It's interesting to hear about all the different arbor sizes.

My Bosch glide saw has an inch arbor; 25.4mm. I was a bit off at first, as I'd ordered a replacement 30mm arbor blade. The manual quotes a 30mm arbor in the specs. The shop wasn't keen on me returning the "special order" blade.

After looking at prices, however, I'm actually feeling rather smug that I can get 12" blades with the Yank standard inch arbor much cheaper from the US than the Metric versions locally or from the UK.

Yes the saw is fairly heavy, but it works very well on the Bosch "Gravity Rise" folding trolley. Metabo do an even better looking one, with a much bigger & more substantial extension to the left. I just wish the trolley had solid tyres: mine leak air.

As for the dust.... yes it's not as good as a Kapex, but a quantam leap ahead of a Radial Arm Saw. I've had both these also. The Fess-tool didn't like me one little bit, however, nor I it. The retractable guard only worked when it wanted to, the clearance insert around the blade slot would constantly swell up & distort, and the ergonomics were terrible. I just hated that vertical handle: it was dangerously slippery with sweaty hands. Someone should tell the designers that horizontal handles are much safer for the push-pull down, forward and back action.