Bosch Compact Table Saw

[Stuey]

Bosch GTS1031 Table Saw Review via TG

To be honest, I was a little skeptical about Bosch's newest table saw. Its main selling point is how portable it is, so I wondered what was sacrificed. A was a little surprised to find that there's actually nothing wrong with, it's a nice saw.

Hit:
*Easily stores on its side (great for small shops - right now it's under my workbench until I'm ready to donate it)
*Can use dado blades
*Safety accessories are easy to setup
*All removable accessories can be stored inside or under the saw

Miss:
*The fence's locking lever was a little stiff, or my hands need more muscle
*The riving knife heigh adjustment locking knob is in a cramped corner
*A bit weighty

(Photos and full review is on website, link above.)

Overall, it's a very nice compact table saw and I think it's going to be quite popular.

(Disclosure: The saw was provided to me by Bosch for objective review)

 

[ash95608]

Nice saw, I have been looking at getting that myself. I have a Delta X5 table saw which is very big and fixed but the Bosch would be great for off site jobs.

 

[american lockpicker]

Made in China?

 

[Stuey]

Nice saw, I have been looking at getting that myself. I have a Delta X5 table saw which is very big and fixed but the Bosch would be great for off site jobs.

The Bosch can be carried one-handed, but it's still a bit heavy for my frame. I didn't mention it in the review, but the saw works very well as a portable solution when paired with its matching stand.

Made in China?

Taiwan. Even so, I found the build quality to be quite good. As mentioned in the full review, it was square and accurate straight out of the box, something I also did not expect.

 

[scott37300]

I have the big brother, 4100 and love it. I got it on a really good sale at menards with the stand for 419.00. It does everything I ask of it and more.

 

[spv]

Made in China?

I noticed yesterday that a lot of Bosch gear at my local hardware store is built in Europe. They had $150 (cheap here) orbital sanders that were made in Switzerland. I purchased a belt sander that is made in Hungary. I will check the COA of my Bosch drop saw..

 

[Stuey]

I noticed yesterday that a lot of Bosch gear at my local hardware store is built in Europe. They had $150 (cheap here) orbital sanders that were made in Switzerland. I purchased a belt sander that is made in Hungary. I will check the COA of my Bosch drop saw..

Some of the handheld tools (e.g. higher-end jigsaws) are made in Switzerland.

 

[american lockpicker]

I've seen stuff from Bosch made in Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Israel, Czech Republic, USA, Mexico and a few other places.

 

[DaMaN]

Sweet nice review. I always wanted a table saw but didn't want to lose more space in my tiny garage shop. I'll be sure to check this out in the future. Thanks.

 

[Stuey]

Sweet nice review. I always wanted a table saw but didn't want to lose more space in my tiny garage shop. I'll be sure to check this out in the future. Thanks.

In case this helps, here's a quick photo of the saw next to a Craftsman chest on the bottom of my main workbench.

I also have a Dewalt saw on-hand for review, and it's sitting in a closet on top of a small cabinet unit.

 

[DaMaN]

Nice picture. It really gives the reader perspective on size and storage. I'll be looking forward to the review on the Dewalt as well.

 

[Stuey]

In a head-to-head showdown, the two saws are tied. Personally I like the Dewalt design a little more due to being turned off by Bosch's stiff rip fence lever, but the Bosch offers slightly more capability since it can be used with a dado stack. Moving both saws with two hands, I prefer the Dewalt over the Bosch. Storage-wise, the Bosch wins hands-down.

It's a really, really tough call. If right now I would have to make a choice, which to plop down $400 on, I would be stuck in indecision limbo.

I have a showdown article pending editing, and if you can't wait for it to go live I can send you a copy of the draft. A standalone review of the Dewalt is likely 1-2 weeks out at the moment, but I can give you an informal review if you need more details ASAP.

 

[route246]

Which DeWalt? The 745 that was $279 on Amazon awhile back? I got that one at the time, set it up but haven't cut anything with it yet. It's a replacement for my contractor's saw.

In case this helps, here's a quick photo of the saw next to a Craftsman chest on the bottom of my main workbench.

I also have a Dewalt saw on-hand for review, and it's sitting in a closet on top of a small cabinet unit.

 

[tatra]

stuey , i think the dust collection abilties are worth exploring ...........hate cutting wood because of all the dust and am now in the process of looking at saws where dust control is probably going to be the biggest deciding factor for me..........just some food for thought............maybe ask the suppliers to also let you test vacs, collectors etc?.........

 

[Toolfool]

I've been using a Delta portable saw with a Rousseau (?) folding table set-up for almost 20 years now with excellent professional results. Do these set-ups offer 4' outfeed tables ? 32" rip width ? I'm always open to improving my on-site capablities.

 

[Stuey]

Which DeWalt? The 745 that was $279 on Amazon awhile back? I got that one at the time, set it up but haven't cut anything with it yet. It's a replacement for my contractor's saw.

Yes, that's the one - DW745, normally ~$360-380 or so.

I'm not completely sold on the rack and pinion fence design, but it works reasonably well in practice.

stuey , i think the dust collection abilties are worth exploring ...........hate cutting wood because of all the dust and am now in the process of looking at saws where dust control is probably going to be the biggest deciding factor for me..........just some food for thought............maybe ask the suppliers to also let you test vacs, collectors etc?.........

I was not able to test the dust collection of these saws since I lacked the necessary adapter at the time. I haven't heard too many complaints about their dust collections shrouds, though. After looking into it, I'll be ordering a few adapters this week.

I too HATE dealing with wood dust, so I splurged for a Festool plunge saw and dust extractor combo. The Festool tools work remarkably well together, but they cost so, so much. I also have a small air cleaner (Jet) and fine-particle cleaner (ShopFox) that deals with airborne particles. Cheap temporary laminated flooring and plastic-sheet wall barriers (FastCap 3rd hand or Zip Poles) helps contain dust and debris.

I don't have the room for a dust collector at the moment to test, and have sworn off Shop Vacs in favor of Festool's dust extractor.

I've been using a Delta portable saw with a Rousseau (?) folding table set-up for almost 20 years now with excellent professional results. Do these set-ups offer 4' outfeed tables ? 32" rip width ? I'm always open to improving my on-site capablities.

As far as I am aware, neither of the two compact table saws mentioned (Bosch & Dewalt) can be expanded with extension tables, at least not with Bosch or Dewalt attachments. The as-is rip capacity is 18" (Bosch) and 16" (Dewalt). Although, the Bosch 4100 does feature a 25" rip capacity that may be easier to extend to 32".

There are no outfeed accessories offered by either brand; unfortunately you have to configure your own setup.

 

[Stuey]

Just ordered an adapter to test out the dust collection, and if it that doesn't work well I pay pick up a larger hose.

 

[tyyost]

Stuey

I'm on the fence. I like the Bosch, saw one at Menards two weeks or so ago, like youI'm not sold on the rack and pinion fence on the DeWalt. While shopping, I looked at the big brother Bosch saw refurbished for less than $40 more.

Really, I am tossed up on what I need vs what I want. I have a 3 Hp Grizzly cabinet saw in storage, and I really want the ability back to rip plywood, so the portable may be out. I am leaning to biting the bullet on the Festool T55 and setting up a work table for it. I have some cabinets and a laminate floor job coming up around the house, so any will do the job. Got any thoughts?

 

[RKA]

FWIW, the Dewalt DW744 is a bit larger but they make side and outfeed supports for it (and it's fence will go to 24.5"). I haven't purchased the supports for my saw, so I can't comment on how sturdy they are, just mentioning it. Unfortunately it's not quite the compact package that the new Bosch is, but it's certainly more portable than the Grizzly.

 

[Stuey]

Stuey

I'm on the fence. I like the Bosch, saw one at Menards two weeks or so ago, like youI'm not sold on the rack and pinion fence on the DeWalt. While shopping, I looked at the big brother Bosch saw refurbished for less than $40 more.

Really, I am tossed up on what I need vs what I want. I have a 3 Hp Grizzly cabinet saw in storage, and I really want the ability back to rip plywood, so the portable may be out. I am leaning to biting the bullet on the Festool T55 and setting up a work table for it. I have some cabinets and a laminate floor job coming up around the house, so any will do the job. Got any thoughts?

A lot of folks use the Festool's TS55 with the multi-function table to geat results, although it should be possible to make your own mulit-functional table for less money. The TS55 is a very nice circular saw, and I really like using it with Festool's tracks. I don't regret the purchase one bit, and with the Festool dust extractor there's very little to clean up. There are other track saw combos available besides the Festool, though, incl. one by Dewalt.

Although I don't have any large projects in the works at the moment, I strongly prefer the TS55 for large plywood rip cuts. For ripping boards into thinner sections, I prefer a table saw, even a portable one, for its greater repeatability. For a cabinet construction and laminate flooring, the TS55 may be all that you need. If you purchase it from a retailer with a great return policy (e.g. Amazon or a local dealer), you can always return it if it doesn't suit your needs.

If you have a cabinet saw in storage, a portable saw will have limited use for you once youf find the space for the Grizzly. Even with the larger table saw, a plunge saw, track saw, or plain circular saw with edge guides may be easier to use to break down plywood. If you search around on woodworking forums, you'll see even numbers of people on both sides of the fence.

FWIW, the Dewalt DW744 is a bit larger but they make side and outfeed supports for it (and it's fence will go to 24.5"). I haven't purchased the supports for my saw, so I can't comment on how sturdy they are, just mentioning it. Unfortunately it's not quite the compact package that the new Bosch is, but it's certainly more portable than the Grizzly.

Even so, balancing a large piece of plywood on such a relatively small surface doesn't strike me as ideal. The DW744 with wings/outfeed support are well suited for jobsite construction needs, but may not provide enough control for cabinet construction. Plus, if the saw will be used primarily in one's shop, it's possible to build a large support structure around the saw to be used as infeed, outfeed, and extra rip cut support. This can be said for almost any portable table saw make or model.