After a 2 day adventure to Bosch Tools North American home office in Mount Prospect, Il it is hard not to still be excited about all the cool new stuff coming. So many new products to such a wide range of fields from woodworking to concrete to metal working to cordless and so on. Maybe they put something in the water but it was very impressive to see so much innovation from just 1 year ago. We will work hard to get several posts up over the next few weeks, in the mean time we will do our best to focus on thing at a time.
Starting at the top, the Crown Jewel of the event would have to be the new Axial-Glide 12” Miter Saw GCM12SD. Available shortly at Ohio Power Tool with a current target price of $799; although no official dates on when these will hit the shelves… we are hoping soon! (Update: 10/1/2010 first shipment ready to go out, as of today units currently available) Of course the new Bosch GCM12SD will share/improve upon some of the great features on the current Bosch 12” Miter 5312 ($599, Ohio Power Tool) including upfront controls and built-in material support extensions.
As you can see in the pictures (more in this 32 Pic Album) the slide arm is the biggest innovation here but if you look close it is actually 2 arms working together, one on X and other on the Y axis. This mechanism is an extremely sturdy feat of engineering, and my last reservations were cleared away when the Bosch product manager started swinging a 2×4” at it like Mark McGwire in ‘98. The bearings are also sealed so no matter how much saw dust or debris gets on the arm, the travel will not become jerky unlike other slide saws where the rails are exposed.
Another great benefit an event like this offers is to have all the competitors’ latest & greatest models in one place to inspect and test alongside the Bosch. It takes great confidence in your products to set up a demo like that and while there were no price tags on the units it was pretty obvious the Bosch offered a clear advantage over the competition in terms of depth of work area used. For more details on the new Axial-Glide Miter Saw GCM12SD read the full Bosch Press Release below.
Mount Prospect, Ill. – The first thing users will notice about Bosch’s latest 12” dual-bevel miter saw is that it looks nothing like any miter saw they’ve ever seen. The moment they power up the saw on a project, they’ll notice that it feels like no other miter saw they’ve ever used. The innovation responsible for both the unique appearance and the unparalleled level of performance is Bosch’s patented Axial-Glide™ system. Making its debut on the ground-breaking GCM12SD 12” Dual-Bevel Glide Miter Saw from Bosch Power Tools & Accessories, the new system will revolutionize what users expect from a miter saw.
Beyond giving the GCM12SD its distinctive profile, Bosch’s Axial-Glide system eliminates three key challenges miter saw users have endured since the first slide systems debuted many years ago. While the traditional sliding compound miter saw approach enables users to make wider cross cuts, that system takes up more space and is prone to misalignment and stickiness over time. By replacing the sliding rail system with a hinged or articulating glide arm system – similar to the linkage used in a four-bar suspension design – Bosch created a more compact miter saw that delivers durable precision, remaining true and smooth over time.
The Axial-Glide system operates by folding the articulated arm flush with the back of the saw, saving up to 12” of workspace versus a traditional sliding compound miter saw and enabling the saw to be operated with almost no clearance behind it; ideal for jobsites and cramped workshops. By removing the rail assembly and replacing it with robust cast-aluminum arms, Bosch has built a saw that remains aligned and calibrated even in harsh conditions. With 12 sealed precision ball bearings in place of the sliding-rail interface, the saw provides infinite smooth travel and better control at all miter and bevel angles for the life of the tool. As an added measure of control, a glide damper enables users to increase or decrease the glide action to meet their exact needs.
The new Axial-Glide system also offers expanded cutting capacity. The GCM12SD Glide Miter Saw provides 14” of horizontal cutting capacity, a 6-1/2” max vertical cutting capacity against the fence (for base) and a 6-1/2” cutting capacity when cutting crown molding (45◦ spring) against the fence.
As with other Bosch miter saws, Upfront Controls eliminate the need to reach behind the saw to make adjustments. The all-metal bevel lock lever and range selector are conveniently located at the front of the saw for quick and easy bevel settings. Another popular feature retained from other Bosch saws, combined with an innovative new approach to fence alignment, is the Squarelock™ Quick-Release Fence system. Factory machining automatically aligns the two-piece high-precision Squarelock fence at 90◦ to the table with no additional adjustment. Cast-in scales and the ability to attach sacrificial fences or jigs also enhance the feature.
Unique to Bosch, two sliding material supports are integrated into the stable, tip-resistant base, and, with a total extended length of 40”, the GCM12SD offers 60 percent more left-to-right material support than the leading competitor. A dual purpose dust port also adapts to standard 1-1/4” and 33 mm vacuum hoses without a separate adaptor while offering up to 90% dust efficiency cutting 2x material with a vacuum.
When it comes to dialing in the saw for precise cuts, Bosch’s GCM12SD makes it easy. The easy-to-read, precision-engineered etched stainless steel miter scale aligns with 10 adjustable miter detents for maximum flexibility over the saw’s entire 52◦-left and 60◦-right miter range. A miter detent override on the front of the saw can be activated for even more precise adjustments at fractional measurements. High-visibility scales enable users to easily adjust bevel angles 0-47◦ left or right, and two 33.9◦ bevel stops are built in. An ergonomic ambidextrous soft-grip trigger handle offers comfort and control, while the clear lower guard delivers unobstructed visibility throughout the cut. Along with its innovative design and superior adjustability and precision, Bosch equipped the saw with its proven 15 Amp motor. Providing 3,800 rpm and 3 HP (max), the GCM12SD powers through cuts with authority, time after time.
