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Bosch 12” Glide miter saw


Jamie

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Hey guys! Been to long!

 

I bought the Bosch 12” glide saw after staring at them online for about 3 years. Bought this to replace my dewalt single bevel saw that I’ve had for years. I had a %10 off coupon at home depot so ordered it up. Got the saw delivered in January and it sat in the box till a few weeks ago. Got around to putting in place on the stand which took quite a few hours to change the dust collection hood and get the saw set to the height of the tables. I decided to extend the fence system just close enough to the saw to avoid hitting it with a miter cut. 
 

First impressions of the saw was “man this thing is big”.  I was impressed on how smooth the saw moved and the overall finish of the saw. After a quick check for squareness it seemed pretty close out of the box. 

With the saw set in place I fine tuned the squarenesses of the saw and proceeded to move onto my next project.  After cutting many parts and taking those boards across other equipment I was finding the cuts to not be square.  Went back and checked the miter saw and sure enough it was out of square.  So readjusted and made a few test cuts.  First cut would be square and the next wouldn’t be.  Left me scratching my head.  Lost some sleep over the whole deal and got up early to check over a few things.  Found out the the back fences are not in plane with each other.  Seems to be an issue in the manufacturing where the fence is secured to the saw.  
 

Long story short Home Depot is taking the saw back and gave me a discount on the Mikita 12” slider.  I have read that basically every saw made has had an issue like this to some extent.  Needless to say my 3 year long dream hasn’t been much fun.  After using the saw for a short period I couldn’t recommend getting one.  Take away the not being square thing and I still wouldn’t.  
 

The handle on the saw wasn’t comfortable and the safety lock seem awkward to use.

Blade changes we not easy to do, came from the factory so tight that I thought I broke the blade lock.

Blade guard is so bulky that you can’t see your cut very well.

Hooking dust collection up is a waste of time as it collects maybe %25 of the dust.  

 

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1 minute ago, Coop said:

Hey Jamie! So to be clear, the second part of the post, after HD replaced it with the Makita, the issues now are with the Makita?

Hey coop! 
Sorry I should’ve explained a little better. I have yet received the Mikita, just ordered it in today. I should mention that hd sold the Mikita to me with a %20 discount. 

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Sad to hear this review as this is my second favorite saw on the market and probably the one I would have gotten if I needed to replace the Kapex.

Assuming the Makita you picked up is a slider, check it for square when extended.

Thanks for posting the information Jamie!

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Thanks for the sympathies. 

I was upset about it as well @Kev looking at it for as long as I did along with watching a ton of reviews I was thinking it would be a good one to have.  Im sure its just a fluke and can chalk it up to the luck I have.  After getting the bosch and looking at other reviews there were things different on the saw I had vs ones in some of the videos.  The biggest difference I noticed was the safety lock on the switch.  The saw I have its on the bottom and in an awkward place to get with your thumb, also have to push it quite a ways to get it to allow the switch to be turned on.  Just not a very natural feel.  

I was also looking at the kapex to when I bought the bosch and just recently to replace the bosch.  I just cant bring myself to spending that kind of money.  In all honesty I dont cut that many miters with the majority of my cuts being 90 degrees I just mostly need something to cut square.  Maybe should've let the old dewalt stay in place.

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thats rough to hear Jamie! That was going to be the saw I got if I ever got rid of my Dewalt. I guess I will need to rethink it when/if the time comes.

Will definitely be interested in how the Makita works for you ... I am pretty sure TWW did a miter saw review on that and the bosch awhile back ... I think he found the new makita slider wasnt square either ... if its the video I am thinking of ... 

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4 hours ago, Woodenskye (Bryan) said:

Sorry to hear you got a lemon.  I haven’t looked at miter saws in quite some time, but looking at your set up, aren’t you going to have issues with the depth of a Makita slider?  

Thanks,  I do have 30" to the actual wall from the front edge of the counter.  The white that you see behind the saw now is there to mostly cover up the dust collection.

 

3 hours ago, Bushwacked said:

thats rough to hear Jamie! That was going to be the saw I got if I ever got rid of my Dewalt. I guess I will need to rethink it when/if the time comes.

Will definitely be interested in how the Makita works for you ... I am pretty sure TWW did a miter saw review on that and the bosch awhile back ... I think he found the new makita slider wasnt square either ... if its the video I am thinking of ... 

I seen the video TWW did and that really pushed me into buying the bosch, I dont believe he had any issues with it is why he recommended it over the kapex.  I know he had a makita that he was going to try out along with the bosch but liked the bosch to much to even try it. 

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49 minutes ago, Woodenskye (Bryan) said:

Jamie.  Is there any way you can just get a refund from HD.  It may be worth looking at the hitachi saws from Lowe’s.  I have the 12” slider that can slide forward or back.  It is built like a tank, but it has been accurate and remains that way even after I move.  I don’t have space to keep set up permanently.

You know I have never looked at the hitachi till just now.  That thing does look like a tank and at a nice price point.  Im sure I could return the mikita if I needed to.  Thanks for the info!

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5 hours ago, Bushwacked said:

I am pretty sure TWW did a miter saw review on that and the bosch awhile back ... I think he found the new makita slider wasnt square either ... if its the video I am thinking of ... 

 

1 hour ago, Jamie said:

I seen the video TWW did and that really pushed me into buying the bosch, I dont believe he had any issues with it is why he recommended it over the kapex.  I know he had a makita that he was going to try out along with the bosch but liked the bosch to much to even try it. 

The Makita issues weren't part of the miter saw video but, BW is correct which is why I mentioned it..

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  • 2 weeks later...

New saw got delivered last Friday. Did take a little time over the weekend to get it in place. Didn’t take much adjustment to the saw stand fences to make it all come together. Will have to buy a new stick down tape measure. Fences aren’t bolted down into place yet. 
 

The Mikita saw wasn’t quite perfect out of the box. Went through the directions and got it set up. The nice thing was that the fence system on the saw was co planer! Did have to square the cut to the fences but was a simple process. Overall first thoughts on the saw is that it is pretty impressive piece of equipment. Tons of adjustment built in. This is the first saw that I have had with a laser on it and despite being skeptical about having it, I must say the few cuts I’ve made on this saw it has been pretty handy.  Will give it a little more time and let you guys know what I think.
 

 

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9 hours ago, Kev said:

Congrats!

I've got a killer laser on a Festool Kapex and don't trust it either.  🤣  I know it's good, just can't bring myself to trust it..

Yeah I wouldnt trust it for a finish cut, but for rough cutting it works nice.  Made a few rough out cuts the other day and it takes some of the guess work out of lining things up.  I mean these boards I was cutting were some scrap pieces to put under a chicken waterer, not much accuracy needed in that situation.

 

8 minutes ago, Bushwacked said:

awesome, glad you got it all worked out it seems!! How is the sliding action? Smooth? 

Thanks! It slides pretty smooth.  Not as smooth as the glide mechanism on the bosch, but for a pipe system it is about as smooth as expected. I really like the soft start motor on it.  Its gentle but starts a lot quicker than the bosch.

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27 minutes ago, Jamie said:

Thanks! It slides pretty smooth.  Not as smooth as the glide mechanism on the bosch, but for a pipe system it is about as smooth as expected. I really like the soft start motor on it.  Its gentle but starts a lot quicker than the bosch.

ya that is one thing I dont like about my dewalt ... you start it up and you better have a grip or it will pop out of your hand. 

I was also looking into the light attachments for the dewalt, their version of the laser I guess ... definitely just a fun add on and not needed. 

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6 hours ago, Bushwacked said:

ya that is one thing I dont like about my dewalt ... you start it up and you better have a grip or it will pop out of your hand. 

I was also looking into the light attachments for the dewalt, their version of the laser I guess ... definitely just a fun add on and not needed. 

I like the light system idea, seems like it would be a lot more accurate than the laser.  

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