Bosch CM10GD Axial Glide Compound Miter Saw Review

By sbutler
February 11, 2014

As a woodworker with a small shop, I have always considered a dedicated tool like a chop saw a “nice-to-have” tool because table saw sleds and circular saws with guide rails have met all of my crosscut needs to-date. However, moving long pieces of stock through a table saw blade can be challenging due to inertia and friction. The Bosch CM10GD 10″ Axial-Glide Miter Saw affords the opportunity to cut miters, bevels, compound cuts, crosscuts, and dados on stationary stock. As with all saws in this category, the head of the saw does all the moving, in either chopping or sliding motions. For a more compact saw, check out the Bosch 8-1/2″ Single Bevel Compound Miter Saw and also check out our best 12″ compound miter saw shootout.

The Bosch CM10GD miter saw (Compound Miter, 10 in. blade, Glide Dual-Bevel) is a 10-inch dual bevel glide miter saw which forgoes this class of saws’ typical slide/rail arrangement and instead uses an articulated mechanism that Bosch calls Axial-Glide. This articulation permits the CM10GD to be placed against a wall, saving about 10 in. of bench depth, and is described by the manufacturer as resulting in durable, consistent precision.

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Bosch CM10GD in box with manual and two to-be-installed parts: Miter lock knob and Bevel lock lever.

Overview and Features

The CM10GD comes almost ready-to-use out of the box with only two parts needing to be installed by the user: the Miter Lock Knob which is installed by hand and the Bevel Lock Lever which is installed using a supplied socket and a supplied hex wrench as a socket handle. The box itself bears mention because it is incredibly sturdy—so sturdy, in fact, that it was used as seating with no apparent ill effects.

A cursory inspection of the saw reveals limited use of plastic, with applications limited to knobs, kerf inserts, the see-through blade guard, the motor housing, and the main handle. Great thought seems to have been given to the design of the main handle with ambidextrous switch release buttons, texturing on the switch itself, and a dimpled rubberized cover on the front of the handle. There is a hole in the power switch that can be used to lock out the saw with a padlock.

Pretty much everything else on the CM10GD is metal with either a painted or machined finish. This extensive use of metal is borne out in the manufacturer’s stated weight of 64 pounds. By comparison, the DeWalt DW717 has a manufacturer’s stated weight of 51 pounds.

If you’re new to compound miter saws, you’ll find almost a dizzying number of knobs, locks, stops, selectors, and pointers on the CM10GD. The manual is required and easy reading with some helpful tips like how to hold the blade cover up during blade changes and where to store the hex key in the base. The only “gotcha” in the manual is the detailed instructions for adjusting bevel stops on page 22 and then on page 42 a suggestion to not make this adjustment unless the saw has received a hard impact or has been used extensively.

The lower blade guard is held out of the way for blade changes by the link arm.

A material clamp is provided to clamp stock down on either the left or right side of the base. This reviewer prefers to hold material down by hand, when it’s possible and safe to do so, and I found clear hand access to hold stock even when mitering at 45°. The unobtrusive blade cover operated smoothly and did a good job of incrementally exposing and covering the blade as the saw was lowered and raised.

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Using the Bosch 10″ Axial-Glide Saw

It was intuitive and easy to cut miters and bevels in chop mode and to make sliding crosscuts at 0°. The ambidextrous main handle design was easy to get used to and the beefy miter detent lever made it simple to swing the table from left to right when setting miter angles. Disengaging the bevel lock lever took a little more force, but it is hand-friendly and locks the saw positively into left and right bevel angles.

Two red levers are used to lock bevels and miter detents, blue knob is used to lock non-detented miter angles.

Not unexpectedly, some compound cuts can have bevel and miter angle values that result in the fence obstructing the motor housing and the blade contacting the kerf inserts. These obstructions should be detected by moving the saw through its range of motion before actually making the cut. Adjustments to fences were tool-free while kerf insert adjustment was accomplished using the hex key that stores in the saw’s base. (Note: The kerf inserts had previously been adjusted by the operator from the factory-set maximum opening to very close to reduce chipping during sliding crosscuts. If kerf inserts had been left as set by the factory, the blade would not have contacted the inserts during compound cuts.)

Details of the Axial-Glide (TM) system that replaces the usual slide/rail mechanism.

The Axial-Glide system was smooth throughout the range of motion on all cuts, including cuts made with the non-dominant hand. The only noticeable hitch was that a wheel on the lower blade guard bound a little bit when making compound miters, but this behavior was easy to glide through when anticipated. As to accuracy, it is possible to push the saw head laterally while cutting and get less than perfect cuts. For example, with a little sideways effort, the saw head can be deflected by about .01 in. Learning to operate the saw without imparting this error is probably a learned skill. During the review, paintable joints were achieved right away and stainable bevels were achieved on the third try. Four 12” sliding crosscuts yielded lengths that varied by about .007 in. on one end as measured by feeler gauges and touch.

A hex key stores securely in a rubber grommet for tasks like blade changes.

Overall, the CM10GD is an approachable, easy-to-use saw. It is obvious to this woodworker how this class of saws is the go-to tool for framing carpenters and perhaps even has trim applications. The saw’s thoughtful design includes good operator controls, bold and easy-to-read gauge markings, brush cap access that is front-and-center on the motor housing, and a hex key that stores in the base to enable blade changes, kerf insert adjustments, and miter detent adjustments. Included with the saw are a 10 in. 60T blade, a material clamp, and a dust bag.

Manufacturer’s benefits and specifications are as follows. The only feature the reviewer would add to the manufacturer’s list is the existence of a depth stop that can be used to crosscut dados.

Bosch CM10GD Benefits

Axial-Glide System: durable precision – consistent precision over tool life; compact workspace – saves up-to 10 In. workspace; glide action – unmatched smoothness of cut
Expanded cutting capacity: 12 In. horizontal capacity (nominal); 5-1/2 in. vertical capacity against the fence (base); 6 in. crown capacity against the fence (45° spring)
Upfront bevel controls – all-metal bevel lock lever and range selector located upfront for quick and easy bevel settings without reaching behind the saw
Chop/crown lock : locks head in place for maximum chop cutting capacity for upright base molding and nested crown molding
Tall sliding 4-1/4 in. fences: for easy bevel set ups and increased crown and base molding capacity
Large easy-to-read uniform bevel & stainless steel miter scales: 52° left/60° right miter capacity; 47° left/47° right bevel capacity with marked detents and roof pitch angles
Adjustable miter detents: detents at 0°, 15°, 31.6°, 22.5°, 45°, 60° right super-accurate and durable design
Push-button miter Detent override – easy-to-access thumb actuated control right up front for fine miter angle adjustment
Bevel detents: 0, 33.9°, 45° left/right for accurate cuts
Category best 90% dust collection – optimized for cutting 2x material with a vacuum
Ergonomic ambidextrous trigger handle with soft grip – large form fitting ergonomic handle provides comfort for all-day use