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Bosch chopsaw and pin nailer pack in the value

Asa Christiana, editor, Fine Woodworking magazine

2 users recommend

The Bosch FNS138-23 pin nailer promises all the power and even more convenience than pinners costing $50 more. The tip offers excellent sightlines for precise placement.

Innovative rubber fingers keep the nails aligned to prevent jams, and the trigger locks out only when every last nail has been fired.

The new CM12 single-bevel miter saw has built-in work supports and a handy workpiece clamp. The crosscut capacity is 8 in., which is plenty for cutting most boards to length, and moldings to fit.

With its usual attention to the user experience, Bosch made the bevel lock more accessible than other saws do.

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While others race to fill out their product lines with me-too products, Bosch watches and waits. Their new pin nailer is a good example. Seeing a hole in the marketplace, between expensive industrial-level pinners and light-duty DIY models, Bosch's product guys went to work on a midlevel model that does everything most woodworkers need, with a few features that even the big nailer companies don't have.

While some high-end nailers shoot pins up to 2 in. long, some headed and some not, Bosch focused on the most common and effective size, 1-3/8-in. headless pins. But the Bosch FNS138-23 promises more power than models costing $50 more, with some unique features to boot. Their "zero-nails dry-fire lockout" means the gun won't stop shooting until every nail is gone. Others lock out with nails still in the magazine. The tip is rubber coated yet very narrow with excellent sightlines for precise nail placement. Another innovation is the little rubber strips that rise up inside the magazine to keep nails perfectly postioned, preventing jams, Bosch says. And the little things are done right, too, like a very comfy overmolded handle and trigger, and even rubber strips on the housing so the gun doesn't get pulled off your benchtop. You'll get all this for street price of $140-$150, starting Sept. 1.

It looks like Bosch considered every detail in its new single-bevel miter saw, too, the CM12. A value-packed takeoff on Bosch's market-leading sliding miter saws, winners of past reviews in FWW and FHB, the new 12-in. chopsaw also puts controls where they are easy to reach, and packs in the helpful features. Bosch is pushing the fact that the saw is relatively light, and easy to carry with one hand. That might be helpful if you tend to store your saw when its not in use. The CM12 is available now for a street price of $330 to $340, which is hundreds less than its sliders. The crosscut capacity is 8 in., but of course you can flip a wide board over and finish the cut that way.

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