Acme DIY Reviews the Bosch 5412L Dual-Bevel Slide Miter Saw
Dual
There is so much to like about this saw. Being true and accurate right out of the box is a great way to start. Upon setting this saw up, we immediately checked it for accuracy on bevels and miters and found it dead-on. Plus, considering the beef that goes into tuning this beast, I think it will stay accurate for a long, long time.
The machine has a 12" blade giving you the largest cutting capacity
you are going to find on a miter
What the Manufacturer Says:
- Upfront Bevel Lock Lever and Range Selector Knob Easily-accessed
controls for quick and accurate bevel settings
- Arbor mounted laser tracking Provides
accurate laser lines for precision cutting
- Multi-Position Main Handle Easily locks
into any of four positions for optimum comfort and control
- Large 25-1/2" Base with Built-In Cast Sliding
Extensions for 40" total length
- Tall 4-1/2 " Speed-Track Sliding Fences For
easy bevel set-ups and increased crown molding cutting capacities
- Built-in Length Stop For repetitive
cuts of the same length
- Easily Readable Bevel and Miter Scales For
easy setting of accurate bevel and miter angles
- Miter Detent Override For fast and precise
angle adjustment
- Exclusive Wedge-and-Slot Miter Detent System Consistent
and precise miter angles over the life of the tool
- Dual Sliding Rail Design For superior
accuracy
- Crown Molding Settings 31.6° miter
and 33.9° bevel detents for quick, accurate crown cuts
- Electric Brake For quick, repetitive
cuts. Stops blade in seconds
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saw. Plus the slide feature gives you
extra capacity for wide boards. According to the manufacturer's
specs, you can cross cut a 4" by 12" or cut a 4" by 8" on
a 45 degree miter with a little capacity to spare.
The laser feature, as is often the case, is nice but not sufficiently
useful. The problem is that the light is often difficult to see when
working outdoors and the dusty safety glasses don't help. Also, it only
comes on when you trigger the saw. Once the blade is spinning, you don't
want to be shifting and aligning your work piece. Some find it useful,
and it doesn't hurt, but after doing enough cuts, you develop an eye
for where the blade will come down and you don't really need the laser
guide.
We mounted this unit, all 75+ pounds of it, on the Bosch TracRac miter
saw stand for our operational tests. Incidentally we love the TracRac
with one exception, the wheels are both too small and too close together.
They got stuck on every tiny pebble and it constantly tipped over sideways
like a piece of cheap luggage. As long as you don't need the portability
feature, it works wonderfully.
Back to the saw, it does not lack for power, we cut large chunks of
maple with no trouble. Of course, we substituted a Freud blade, because
most manufacturers include a very low end blade with their equipment.
In this case, we used the provided blade to chop some framing lumber,
but before long it was spent.
We found all markings to be easy to read, and the controls reliable
and easy to use. The up-front controls for the bevel are a nice feature.
Adjusting the bevel precisely is a little difficult because it is
stiff in its movement. But this is a minor issue. The dual-bevel
feature enables you to tilt the blade left or right to greatly simplify
making complicated cuts.
All in all, this is a nice piece of equipment. The one real fault we
could find had to do with dust collection. It doesn't easily connect
to dust collection systems and the included bag is like an umbrella in
a hurricane - just pointless.
This machine could easily become the workhorse of a small shop, filling
a majority of many woodworkers needs. Pair this with a small portable
tablesaw and you have just about got it covered. We'd recommend this
tool to professionals, and avid woodworkers alike. It is accurate, powerful
and reliable. While list price is nearly $1,200, it can be had for under
half of that. Street price is around $575.
[March 2007]
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