Bosch Axial Glide Mitre Saw Mods & Additions

[Dan Steely]

Hi All,

I thought I'd share my customisation of my Bosch GCM12GDL mitre saw.

Although my small workshop is fairly bright I still suffer with shadows where the blade touches the wood. To this end I've fashioned two small brackets either side of the blade that position LED GU10 lamps. These can be individually powered via the metal box switches up on the saw handle.

The outer switches control the lamps and the centre switch controls my Henry vacuum. Dust extraction on mitre saws are at best only 50% efficient, but it's better than none.

I've made a sacrificial rear fence from 9mm laminated ply which has textured surface to help stop material movement. Similarly, I've made a zero clearance insert also from laminated ply.

The last picture shows a bench extension on left side of the saw. The extension utilises folding gallows brackets which are shimmed to ensure they provide a level surface.

Lastly, just to mention that the lights and metal box mounted on the saw only utilize existing original threaded holes that just required using longer M4/M5/M6 fixings.

Components suppliers:
GU10 fittings, metal box enclosure, single pole switches, LED indicator, cable ties, wire crimps, M4/M5/M6 set screws: https://cpc.farnell.com/
GU10 lamps: Poundshop
Metal strap (used for lamp brackets) Toolstation
Folding gallows brackets: eBay

 

[Droogs]

I like that, certainly makes it far clearer to see i would think. Could I ask for a mini review of the saw itself, This is the model of saw I am thinking of getting next year due to the space saving it affords. How have you found it in use in tems of accuracy, stabillity and repeatability etc?

 

[Myfordman]

I've looked with envy at this saw on several occasions. What puts me off is that is it still huge even with the clever compact mechanism. I don't think they do a 10" (yet?)
Before getting one maybe make a mock up of one to check you enough space for it.
I believe Steve Maskery has one and I expect he will have reviewed it somewhere.
@Steve Maskery

 

[Cordy]

I bought the above Bosch saw to replace the excellent Metabo KGS216M
The Metabo took up too much space, it meant I had to keep it on a shelf and lift it down every time it was needed
The Bosch is indeed a true Tardis !

Edit
The Bosch is much quieter than Metabo and better shavings collection after I had modified the outlet manifold

 

[Dan Steely]

My garage workshop is not huge (certainly not by US standards) and measures 5 x 2.5m. Because of this i am constantly trying to eek out minimal gains on space. With the space issue being a driver I thought I'd upgrade my DeWalt DW708 mitre saw that I'd purchased second hand on eBay some 15+ years ago.
The DW708 is a fantastic saw and is very accurate and repeatable. The downside is the amount of space it takes up at the rear & sides, which is lots.

So my plan was to upgrade to the Bosch and try to sell my old DeWalt to offset the cost. When I'm buying big machines I usually go with Axminster because they are pretty competitive and their support is good. I like the way they don't sell every single model from a manufacturer, just 'the good ones'.

The Bosch delivered cost me £781.00. A few weeks later I sold my DW708 for £365.00 (net of eBay commission) so in real terms the Bosch cost me £416.00.

I've been using the Bosch for 3 months now and here are my initial thoughts:

• Within the first 5 minutes of using it I knew i'd made the right decision - it's lovely.
• It's quieter than the DW and has a soft start.
• It was accurate out of the box and hasn't needed adjustment in 3 months.
• It's compact footprint is much better than the DW and I've gained (potentially) more space because of it.
• The Bosch is much heavier than the DW: 32.1 kg vs 27kg (as the saw lives bolted to a bench it's not an issue)
• The dust collection is poor but there's not a mitre saw that is significantly better.
• The laser blade alignment feature is a bit of a sales 'gimmick'. In the real world I like to align the teeth of the blade to the cut mark. (hence the lamps)

Firm recommendation from me.

P.S. I'm not sure if it's relevant but my thoughts on selling kit on eBay are:

• Clean and tidy your sale item and take the best pictures you can.
• Write a detailed, honest & lucid description and detail any faults.
• Be prepared to post your item. (my DW708 parcel weighed 30kg) But with fruit boxes from Lidl, parcel tape and 1/2 hour of effort it's was worth it...
  • In this case the buyer paid £40.00 for the postage (Interparcel)
• Start with a low starting price to get the bids rolling in.

Cheers guys.

 

[DBT85]

Have a look at Drew Fishers dust collection solution. It's enver going to be perfect or one size fits all, but it seems to help and its for the same saw.

 

[Cabinetman]

Thanks for that DB T, pretty good, and he has a sense of humour and then the outtakes at the end were really good, I thought it was only me that did daft things like that haha. But it did work, that glue he used is that like our mitre glue that is so dangerous it shouldn’t be used according to the instructions? Ian

 

[DBT85]

Ha yes, his channel is excellent and they mostly all follow the same format. Funny and then the outtakes at the end of him showing that he does the same daft stuff we do.

Yes I think it's like the mitre adhesive. It's just CA with some activator I think but any glue should work.

 

[clogs]

nice work Dan.....

 

[Spectric]

Hi Dan

Bosch do make nice mitre saws, had mine for six plus years and no adjustments needed and worked straight out of the box unlike nearly everything else I have brought. The only thing I do question is mine does not have the laser guide, Dan do you find it useful and accurate?

 

[Dan Steely]

Hello there, I only occasionally use the laser because of my additional GU10 lamps I don't really need it.

 

[AJB Temple]

I use the laser on mine. It is set to an exact kerf width and I use it to set the saw on my cut line and as a final visit; check for square. My saw gets moved around a lot. Laser is not really visibly in daylight. Laser vivibility is improved if you use laser enhancing safety glasses.

 

[Blister]

I have one of these saw's , Does anyone know how to adjust the vertical alignment as my saw is a tad out , Not good , Any help / advice most welcome

 

[mynamehere]

To adjust the vertical alignment, check the manual or:

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...FA71267E0155926EF950FA7&view=detail&FORM=VIRE
Cheers!

Ferenc

 

[Blister]

Thanks , I was half way there but did not have the 2 bolts loose on the back as well as the grub screws , Off to try again now

Cheers

 

[Blister]

Now adjusted , No more error , Thanks for the link
I do have the manual it's here somewhere

 

[mynamehere]

I had to adjust mine a few months ago, I would like to know how it could be spot on when I bought it and go out of alignment sometime after...

 

[Blister]

Most mechanical items / tools take some time to settle in ( Bed in ) , movement in and out , up and down knocks the edges off ,Also any knocks and bumps can move things , I accept that as normal .