Bosch GCM 12 GDL Professional

[oldbeginner]

Now that I am finishing work it is time to do some of the things I have been putting off till now. So I need to buy some new tools. The first big buy I am looking at purchasing is a compound mitre saw. The one that I am looking at is a Bosch GCM 12 GDL Professional. I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with one, or have heard any good or bad reports about them. Any feedback would be appreciated thankyou

[Anodyne]

I have one, it hasn't had a huge amount of work but is silky smooth in the glide action. It can be positioned closer to a wall( doesn't need tracks behind it) and the tracks don't gum up. Only negative was that my laser failed after a few weeks and the repair was slow. I wish they would provide a longer warranty ( as they have done for the professional range of cordless).

[pkjames]

http://www.woodworkforums.com/f13/best-sliding-compound-mitre-saw-134313/

there was quit a bit of discussion about it. I think it is at later pages.

[Chris Parks]

Bloody heavy but apart from that a really nice saw, probably overkill for the average woodie in some ways I suppose. Mine has been faultless, BTW but they are made in China if that is an issue for you

[isa]

I don't mean to be resurrecting an old thread, but I'm looking to purchase a mitre saw myself and was also looking at this particular model due to the proximity to wall/lack of hindering tube arms/slides issue.

How has everyone that has used this finding it now?

Are there any other mitre saws like this (preferably sold in Australia, and even more preferably sold in Melbourne) that has this feature? IE, without the sliding bars, where the arm still "stretches" back and forth?

[Chris Parks]

I think it is unique and Bosch may even have a patent on it but I may be corrected there by others. There are now two models 10" & 12" to choose from and I have never had any issues with mine. They are a heavy saw so if you intend to move it around a lot keep that in mind. The dust control is abysmal and there is a thread on that in the dust extraction forum.

[code4pay]

I have this, works well I cut alot of 45x200 treated pine sleepers for landscaping and also use it for fine trim work https://www.bunnings.com.au/dewalt-216mm-slide-mitre-saw_p6260347

[code4pay]

I forgot to add it can sit flush to a wall

[homey]

Dust collection on this saw is woeful, even with a dedicated shop vac. We have this saw at our Men's Shed and it gives a great cut. Very powerful but watch for the kickback on startup - best to start it in the 'fully up' position. It's probably much bigger and more powerful than we need, but the ability to push it back against a wall was attractive to us. Overall a good saw and no problems after a year or so of use, but the poor dust collection and the jolt on startup are the downsides.

[efleming]

Hi there,

Another owner - i'm a DIY guy who bought it in preparation for building my own house.

Very accurate, very smooth and easy to use - but as homey said, dust extractoin is crap. That said, to me it's great value - I bought mine from Sydney Tools and even with the the mitre stand it came with, was cheaper than the alternatives from Milwaukee and Dewalt.

One other thing - if I was a tradie who had to bring this to and from jobs daily, I'd definitely give it a second thought. It's bloody big and bloody heavy. But for me, for the most part it will sit in my workshop and never move so that's not an issue. Blade it comes with is also excellent.

[homey]

Sometime in the New Year I plan to build or buy a canopy hood for the saw so all the sawdust that gets thrown to the back and sides will hit the canopy and slide down into a bin. That's the sawdust that the dedicated vac doesn't collect. What I have in mind is something like the FastCap Dust Hood.

Good point about the weight - we made a rolling box base for the saw so we can store stops, lamps, blades and safety gear right there to hand. Today we rolled it outside to cut a lot of 200x50 cypress pine sleepers for raised garden beds. Wouldn't want to be carrying this monster around!

cheers,

Brian

[bettatek]

I also have one, bought from Sydney Tools in Fyshwick. The laser in mine also failed within a month of purchase and was repaired under warranty within a few more weeks. I initially mounted mine on top of an old B&D Workmate stand but found that too awkward to maneuver around the garage so ended up buying the portable gravity stand on wheels. So far I am totally happy with the saw after getting use to the initial kickback on startup. The other benefit of the gravity stand is that I can wheel the saw out of the garage and onto the driveway when I want to use it. The poor sawdust collection is then no longer an issue for me.

[Superbunny]

I've had mine for 18 months now and using it to build my new house which is almost to lock up stage. No, it has not taken me 18 months to build the house but I have been using it extensively over the last 6 months. I got this just for the house build but will now be keeping it in the workshop as it's just too good to sell on. I got mine with the stand at the WWW Show, in Brisbane, and I saved about $200 and got the stand and a new place free at the time. Yes, the dust is a problem but they all got some sort of a dust problem based on my experience of other brands in the past. When I'm finished the house I plan to mount it in a set place in the shed on put some wheels on the stand to move it about, I haven't decided yet. I can live with the dust problem as it's so useful for a quick cut rather than my table saw. I run mine on a generator at the house build and it goes fine and a good blade also. Would I buy it again? Yes, I think so as It does a great job, easy to set and cut, lots of power and robust. My 2 cents worth.

SB

[Shedhand]

The laser WILL fail as mine did. Mine was poorly put together and I spent a day dismantling it and tightening everything up. The back rest halves weren't straight such that once the cut was completed the object timber pinched at the back of the cut and splintered it. Dust collection is a word that can't be used in relation to this Saw or the 10". Abysmal!!
If you're retiring with a decent payout do yourself a favour and get the best, a Festool Kapex. I had one and stupidly sold it. I'm an idiot. Yep, an idiot.
Just remember the woodies lament, you only get what you pay for, quality is NOT cheap.
cheers

[Chris Parks]

Both the Bosch and the Festool have their critics nearly in equal numbers, you pay your money and take your chances I suppose as both are at the high end of the scale as afar as performance goes. There are even critics of the Festool dust extraction which I find a bit hard to believe, they sure haven't tried the Bosch in comparison.

[Pearo]

Both the Bosch and the Festool have their critics nearly in equal numbers, you pay your money and take your chances I suppose as both are at the high end of the scale as afar as performance goes. There are even critics of the Festool dust extraction which I find a bit hard to believe, they sure haven't tried the Bosch in comparison.

I had a fair old play with the festy. Its dust extraction is certainly much better than the bosch, but its no angel either.

[richmond68]

You are right Chris, everything has its critics. But aside from dust collection, the only thing I wish the Bosch had from the Kapex is the rotary bevel adjustment. I bought a Starrett mitre saw protractor ($30) so finding the exact angle isn't a problem, just a bit fiddly getting the machine set to it. I paid $500 for a slightly used GDL and stand, and I wouldn't have a snowflakes chance of finding a Kapex at that price, so I can tolerate the minor inconveniences. There's often debate over which is best, but best that you can afford usually sorts that problem for you.

My other bugbear is the trenching stop, the maximum is about 50mm which isn't good enough for a saw that cuts 104 depth, and is easily dislodged. But I haven't found a good trench stop on a mitre saw yet.