Three years ago Bosch came out with a new axial-glide sliding system for their 12-inch miter saw, a system that uses articulating arms rather than rails to slide the saw blade back and forth. The Axial-Glide saw was the talk of the town, but people also wanted a 10-inch version. Now, just in time for Christmas, the CM10GD 10-inch Axial-Glide has arrived.

If you asked Bosch about a 10-inch model three years ago, they would have told you that a 10-inch version would weigh about the same as the 12-inch, so there wasn’t much of an advantage. Fast-forward to today—and they were right; at 64-pounds the CM10GD is only one pound lighter than its bigger brother. So what has changed since 2010? Maybe Bosch just gave in to what its customers wanted?

The CM10GD does have its advantages though. The weight of the saw does make it more suited for shop use, and shops usually already have a selection of 10-inch blades. The higher RPM’s you get with a smaller blade on the 15-amp motor are also an advantage in certain applications. At $699 it also happens to be $100 cheaper than the 12-inch. Like the GCM12SD, all the controls are upfront and you can back the saw up to within inches of a wall (rail saws need around 12-inches of space). If you don’t need the depth-of-cut a 12-inch saw offers, I believe the CM10GD will probably be the best miter you can get for a shop.

BUY – ToolBarn
BUY – HomeDepot