Tool Box Buzz

Bosch CM12 Single Bevel Miter Saw

Bosch 12 Inch Single Bevel Compound Miter Saw

4.5/5

Manufacturer: Bosch
Model number: CM12
Price: $340
Power source: 110V AC
Motor size: 15 Amp
Weight: 43 lbs

Bosch continues to focus on lighter, more portable power tools. This is  a very welcome trend as I’m a huge proponent of high performance tools that are easy to move from job to job. As part of that new focus they have released the CM12, a 12 inch single bevel compound miter saw.

After testing this new saw on the job for several months and again in my shop I’d like to share my thoughts on this exciting new product.

Features and Specifications

• Ultimate One-handed Portability-With a compact design, comfortable one-handed rear carry handle and optimized center of gravity.
• Category Best All-around Cut Capacity-6” max crown, 6-3/4″ max base against fence, 2” x 8” at 0° and 2” x 6” at 45° cross cut for professional applications.
• Squarelock™ Quick-Release Fences: High-precision Squarelock fence aligns 90° to table and requires no adjustment; One-touch lock/unlock to slide fence for added support
• Integrated workpiece supports-Expand to nearly 37″ for the highest material support in category.
• Quick-Reach Bevel Lock-Located on the side of the bevel post for quick an easy adjustments.
• Large Easy-to-read Uniform Bevel and Miter Sacles-52° R/L miter capacity with marked detents, 47°L/-2° R Bevel Capacity.
• 33.9°, 45°, 47° and -2° Bevel Stops-For accurate cuts at the most common bevel angles.
• Nine Adjustable Miter Detents-at 0°, 15°, 31.6°, 22.5°, 45° L/R.
• Push-button Miter Detent Override – Easy-to-access thumb actuated control right up front for fine miter angle adjustment
• Ergonomic ambidextrous Trigger Handle -Form fitting handle provides comfort for all day use.
• 15 Amp, 4300 RPM Motor-Professional power and performance.

 Portability, Performance and Precision

Bosch really did a great job with this new saw. I’ve always been impressed with the quality of Bosch miter saws. However, they have always been so cumbersome and heavy that I hated moving them from job to job. With the introduction of the CM12 I can feel confident that whether it’s myself or my crew they can have a really good quality miter saw on the job site that’s easy to transport. Ultimately that means more productivity, less chances for injury and ideally more profits.

Some of my thoughts on the new Bosch CM12 Miter Saw:

• Portability – I’m very impressed with the CM12 design as it pertains to portability. Bosch did a great job getting not only the weight balanced but the saw folds into a really compact shape that is easy to carry. Weighing in at 43 lbs and combined with a large carry handle that allows you to carry the saw close to you body, the CM12 is easily carried with one hand.
• Performance – Portability is great but a jobsite miter saw has to get the job done. First let me say I consider this more of a framing and general construction saw than a finish one. Having said that this saw was built to tackle the day to day repetitive tasks. For example, the 12″ blade is able to cut 2×8’s at 90 degrees and 2×6’s at 45 degrees. While that doesn’t sound overly impressive the reality is that covers a huge majority of the cuts we make.

• Precision – I’ve come to expect precision from Bosch miter saws and the CM12 is no exception. This saw is easy to calibrate and produces accurate miter cuts time and time again. The built-in miter saw detents work as published and also produce accurate results.

Video Preview

Check out my thoughts on the Bosch CM12, Single Bevel Miter Saw.

Final Thoughts

The Bosch CM12 miter saw offers contractors and serious DIY’ers an affordable large capacity miter saw thats extremely portable. Priced around $350 the CM12 is a great value. This is a saw that I highly recommend for anyone looking for an all around general purpose miter saw.

If you’d like to buy this saw you can online at Amazon: Bosch CM12 Single Bevel Miter Saw.

Bosch GTA3800 Miter Saw Stand

I also wrote a review of the Bosch GTA3800 Miter Saw Stand. You can read that review here: Bosch Miter Saw Stand Review.

5 Comments

1. Bob C

   November 18, 2013 at 9:59 am

   Thank you for the review. I have two sliders (10″ and 7 1/2″) and am looking for a 12″ chop saw for crown and base moldings, and maybe some some furniture work. I was leaning towards the Makita LS1221 when I saw this saw with it’s greater capacity.

   But the one thing that concerns me is your statement “I consider this more of a framing and general construction saw than a finish one”. Can you tell mw why you think this? Did you find it not accurate enough for finish work?

   Thank you
   Bob

   Reply
   1. Todd Fratzel

      November 18, 2013 at 2:47 pm

      Bob – Thanks for visiting our site. I said that not because of accuracy but because I prefer sliding miters for finish work because of having a larger cut capacity. I reserve “chop” saws for framing tasks. I probably should re-phrase that so it’s not so misleading. It’s more than capable of doing finish work. Bosch makes great miter saws.

      Reply
      1. Bob C

         November 18, 2013 at 5:44 pm

         Todd,
         That makes sense.
         I like to cut crown nested and taller base (6”) standing up against the fence, not laying flat. Do you think this saw has the precision to do those tasks?

         I had a Milwaukee 12” chop saw that I really liked except the table was about 1/16th inch lower than the side wings. It made cutting good miters almost impossible so I got rid of it and am looking for something with better accuracy. Is the Bosch table flat with the wings?

         I really like your reviews and appreciate any more insight you can give on this or any other 12” saw.

         Thanks,
         Bob

         Reply
         1. Todd Fratzel

            November 18, 2013 at 5:51 pm

            This saw will definitely do that. I found the saw to be accurate and easy to adjust. I’ve been using Bosch miter saws in my shop for years now and still think they are great.

            Reply
2. Bob C

   November 18, 2013 at 4:20 pm

   Todd,
   OK that makes more sense. I like to cut crown nested and base standing vertically and my sliders don’t have the height capacity to do the 6” stuff unless I cut on the flat. So in your opinion would this saw work well for those applications?

   I had the new Milwaukee 12” chop for a while which I really liked, but the table sat lower than the wings and resulted in some miss-cuts, can you tell if the Bosch has this problem at all?

   Thanks again,
   Bob

   Reply

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