Although we haven’t gotten our hands on one yet, it’s clear from the photos and video that Bosch managed to fuse their rock-solid table saw design with their tried and true miter saw. If the Skil Flooring Saw is a Cadillac to all-in-one chopping and ripping, then the GTM 12 is a Ferrari! The fence design and what’s visible of the blade guard for table saw portion appear almost identical to their current table saw designs. No word yet on whether Saw-Stop technology would be implemented into the design. Even if Saw Stop becomes mandated by the CPSC, it’s not clear that the law would apply to this tool since it’s technically not a true table saw. Take that, Stephen Gass!
No matter how revolutionary this tool looks, we wouldn’t be providing fair and balanced coverage if we didn’t point out a couple minor concerns:
Dust Collection
DC is all the rage these days, and it appears conspicuously absent on this tool. For your health and safety, we recommend only using the GTM 12 with safety gear like that gear seen so prominently in the film Outbreak (also known as Contagion, The Original).
Sheet Goods
At roughly 12″+ wide, the table saw seems slightly limited in capacity. I suppose if you’re ripping a 4×8′ sheet of plywood you could probably round up several helpers to assist with the cut freehand. Problem solved! Personally, I think “table saw” is a little misleading. I’d describe it as more like a small nightstand, but I can understand why Bosch didn’t go with Miter Saw / Nightstand Saw Combination.
Paddle Off Switch
Most table saws have a large paddle safety off switch that’s easy to slap. The power off for this tool looks pretty tiny. I’m not sure I could find it in a saw-mishap-induced panic.
Multi-Tasking
What if a user wants to make BOTH a miter cut and a table saw cut at the exact same time? It seems like handling both tasks simultaneously might be tricky, especially with what appears to be a safety device to prevent such work. But we have two hands, why not use each of them for separate, potentially dangerous tasks at the same time? It’s almost like Bosch was deliberately limiting multi-tasking during sawing.
Drill Press
This device is screaming for the addition of a drill press. Why Bosch didn’t think to include one is beyond us. Oh, and a lathe too. And a drum sander. Maybe a scroll saw. And a planer. Possibly a biscuit joiner, but that might be over-the-top. This could have been the next Shopsmith if Bosch had been a little more agressive with multi-functionality.
Despite our minor reservations noted above, it’s clear this product is something a lot of people are excited about! An unnamed potential Bosch rep stated, “Why have a table saw AND a miter saw if you can have both?” Indeed! Like many good things such as marzipan, bavarian beer, and pommes frittes, it appears Europeans got their taste of this product before lawsuit-happy Americans did:
OK, so the video is in German, but you get the idea. There’s actually an English overdub version here, but I liked the teutonic vibe of the original more.
The saw will be hitting the North American market exclusively through HomeFixated.com starting sometime later in the year. Suggested retail on this innovative miter saw table saw combination tool is $4000.01, however we’ll have it available for just $3999.99 (that’s a $.02 savings!) To order, simply send cash (small, unmarked bills only please) to our mailing address via the contact page. Just round up the 99 cents please (still a $.01 savings!). We’ll get the saw out to you as soon as we can.
Is this really coming out in US? And what’s the real price hahaha
For that price I would expect a router extension on the table saw part so you could mount a colt trim router. Obviously.
Definitely gets the clever award. However, it would be rather limited as a table saw without more table. But for a quick rip it might be worth it’s weight.