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Milwaukee 6955-20 SCMS or the Bosch GCM 12 SD Glide?

Mike-D | Posted in Tools for Home Building on October 4, 2010 04:49am

Hey,

I’m in the market for a new SCMS because my 15 year old Makita LS1011 is no longer true. I’m looking for a top of the line SCMS that I can use for everything from cross cutting 2x’s to mitering crown molding and other fine trim work. Weight and size are not the most important factors – the saw will spend most of it time in my shop.

After reading some reviews last week I was leaning towards the Milwaukee 6955-20 but I stumbled on the Bosch GCM12SD Glide today while I was looking for additional reviews. It sounds like the “press” is very impressed with the new Bosch and it does look like a clever idea, but beyond the cleverness is it really such a revolutionary tool?

Has anyone seen one of these in the real world yet? Or had a chance to try one? Amazon says they’ll start shipping the Bosch on October 25thbut it looks like Acetoolonline.com has them in stock and is shipping them.

What do you guys think?

Thanks, Mike

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Replies

  1. sapwood | Oct 05, 2010 11:32am | #1

    I have that Milwaukee saw and it is a fine tool. I haven't seen the new Bosch but if I were in your shoes I'd go look at one. The Bosch's ability to be set right up flush to a wall would be worth the price of admission to me. If it performs as well as the Milwaukee, buy it.

  2. toolpouchguy | Oct 17, 2010 08:05am | #2

    bells and whistles

    the new makita seems nice if your old ls 1011 lasted, I am sure the new makita would aswell .

    I find the new saws way to fancy, to may things to go wrong to heavy .digital this laser that ,now if they had a laser that coud cut that would be handy .

    I like to keep it simple  but that's just me

  3. FHB Editor
    JFink | Oct 18, 2010 09:20am | #3

    Hi Mike, I've spent some

    Hi Mike,

    I've spent some time with all of these saws, so maybe my quick thoughts on each will help you lean one way or the other:

    New Bosch - still has up-front controls, which are great. The hinge-arm mechanism allows the saw to get right up tight to the wall, which is a huge space saver in a shop setup, and the hinge setup is far more stable and true than any rails I've ever seen. The downside here is the big price tag ($800, I believe), and the heavy weight. I'm also not sure of the dust collection capabilities, as I haven't played with this part of the saw yet. One other thing to consider is the placement of the handle on this Bosch. As you can see from pictures of the tool, the point at which the head of this saw pivots (like when you're making a chop cut) are positioned a little differently than on common miter saws. I found this different pivot point to make for slightly choppier chop cuts (not as smooth of a downward pull motion; a bit more jerky). I expect this may just be something you get used to, but I can't say. I wonder if it would be an issue for short guys.

    Milwaukee - This is the saw I use day to day, so I've got a good sense of it after a year or so of work. Despite being large, it's fairly easy to move due to good handle placement. The dust collection is surprisingly effective, and the little bag on the back of the saw actually fills up, without the help of a vac. I cut crown molding nested against the fence, and baseboard, etc in the upright position, so I rarely need to bother with the bevel lever in the back of the saw, but it is large and easy to grab from either right or left side. It's easy to dial in accurate tenths of a degree, and the digital miter readout is awesome, in my opinion. I truly think the only big downside...which is really just an annoyance...is that the fence on one side of the blade doesn't slide, you have to lift it off completely. I'm told this is because Bosch has the patent on that setup.Beyond that, I think this is one of the best saws on the market.

    1. Earl Smith | Feb 19, 2011 07:30pm | #4

      Bosch GCM12SD

      I think I'd only get this saw if there was a good cart for it. It just seems a little heavy

      Earl

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