With a Bosch saw as my pick in a recent head-to-head test of non-sliding 12-in. miter saws (FHB #249), I couldn’t wait to test out Bosch’s newer sliding miter saw, model CM12SD. I found the saw to be almost perfectly aligned right out of the box. I only had to make a small adjustment to the 0º bevel stop to get the saw cutting perfectly. While the saw looks like just about every other sliding miter saw, it has a surprising cutting capacity. It can crosscut 14-in. material up to 4 in. thick, and it can cut up to 6-3/4-in. crown molding or base upright against the fence. I often use 14-in.-wide shelves in built-in bookcases and wine racks, so the extra crosscut capacity is a huge bonus for me.
Flush with features
I am a big fan of Bosch’s built-in table extensions, which slide in tight to the saw table when not in use. They help support longer stock without taking up any space during transport. Another plus is that the table sits 4-1/2 in. tall, making it easy to support long boards by stacking three pieces of 2x material. The saw also has plenty of power. I didn’t ever feel or hear it bog down, even when crosscutting 4×4 ipé posts.
With this saw, Bosch has introduced a new feature it calls a “crown chop lock.” Flipping down the chop lock and tightening the locking knob on the rail positions the head for maximum cutting capacity against the fence. While some might find this useful, I found that I could get the same capacity without using the feature simply by positioning the head myself.
A few complaints
This saw’s handle is a few inches higher than the handle on other sliders I’ve used, and I found this position to be somewhat less comfortable. I also was annoyed by the overly taut springs on the head, which cause it to spring up violently unless you hold onto the handle as it returns to its upward position after a cut. Although the saw is very accurate generally, I found that there was about a 1/4° of movement within the miter detents. Tightening the locking knob solves the problem, but using the knob for common miters is a bit of a pain.
The bottom line
There are no gimmicks with this saw; it’s designed to have as large a capacity as possible while being very accurate. It’s powerful, and all the functions and controls are easy to use. If I were in the market for a new 12-in. slider, this is the one I would buy.
 |
 |
| Cutting capacity is impressive. With the ability to cut 63?4-in. baseboard or crown against the fence, Bosch’s CM12SD stands out among sliding and nonsliding miter saws. Crosscut capacity is also impressive: 14 in. with up to 4-in.-thick stock. | Bevel control moves back. Bosch eliminated the upfront bevel control found on its previous 12-in. sliding saw and moved it to the right rear. The bevel adjustment, which maxes out at 47° in both directions, is smooth and easily accessible. |
 |
 |
| Chop crown lock is new. Similar to the lock found on Festool’s Kapex sliding miter saw, Bosch’s “chop crown lock” positions the blade for maximum depth of cut. | Dust collection is so-so. Despite a pair of flexible rubber flaps, dust collection was poor with only a dust bag, although it improved with a vacuum. The author found the rubber flaps cumbersome when cutting and positioning stock. |
Comments are closed.