Customer Reviews

Bosch 1640VSK Fine Cut Finishing Saw Kit with Miter

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The Bosch 1640VSK fine cut saw is an electric hand saw. It has a rapid short stroke and flush cutting design that allow you to cut in tight awkward spaces. The blade changing system is well designed and easy to do. The Miter kit has a limited cutting range due to the length of the saw blade. It can't be used for anything much bigger than a 1x3 or toe molding. It is an interesting little saw but with many limitations.

Pros:

- "Flush Cutting" means the blade literally slides on the surface and cuts protruding wood to that level. For example, you can cut a piece of wood poking out above a sub-floor so it's flush, since the blade will slide on the sub-floor itself. Of course, you can cut above the surface, as when shortening door-jambs because you are now installing ceramic tile and you want it to be under the door trim. In such cases, this little gem of a tool is a God-send. I'm not aware of a competing electric tool, and although a manual saw could work in a pinch, this saw does a much better and faster job.

- The flush-cutting blades are quickly reversible, so you can cut right to left or left to right; depending on which is more convenient.

- Accessories include other types of blades, with rougher teeth or for ferrous metals (aluminum, brass, copper).

Cons:

- While the Bosch Fine Cut saw is a first rate tool, the miter table attachment is nearly useless. During a recent house renovation, before my DeWalt sliding compound saw was on site, I tried one last time to use it for productive work. No luck. This table attachment was so unsatisfactory, it was tossed it in the trash. The piece of wood to be cut vibrates way too much, even when clamped, for a quality cut. Besides, the unit itself, including the "fence" is just too darned small for most woodworking tasks. It might do a barely passable job, if you plan to grout the joints, and paint the work, but it is wholly impractical for a cut that needs to be smooth and accurate. Any electric miter saw, or a decent manual miter saw, would do a significantly better job than this tiny miter attachment.

- Of the half-dozen Bosch tools I own, this is the only one with a lousy tool case. It's cheaply constructed with plastic latches, plus the electric cord, saw, and accessories all have to be perfectly situated for the lid to close.

Summary:

- The 1640VS (Bosch Fine Cut Power Handsaw) does not include a tool case, miter table attachment, or clamps.

- The 1640VSK includes the tool case, the miter table attachment, two Gross Stabil 6" F clamps, and a clamp to hold wood to the miter attachment, while cutting.

The saw itself is mainly for remodelers or serious do-it-yourself types, since it's a speciality tool you won't use very often. When you need it, however, you'll be mighty glad you own one.

My advice is to get the saw only (Bosch 1640VS) and a decent aftermarket tool case. Amazon sells the Gross Stabil clamps individually. Also, search Amazon for "miter saw" and you'll find some electric models for $100 or less. You'll spend a bit more in total, but have a much better setup.

5 stars for the saw and two Gross Stabil clamps, 1 star for the tool case, 0 stars for the miter table attachment.

If you are making picture frames, installing flooring, crown molding, or base boards then this is the saw you won't want to live without. It leaves a very fine cut, with a little tear out. Not near as much as you get with circular saw type mitre saw. The angles for the included mitre box are dead on accurate. If you want to cut lumber for a woodworking project this is not the tool I would choose. Setting up the saw is quick and easy. Bosch did an excellant job of design in this regard. Two clamps set up the mitre box. The saw fits onto two posts on a hinged tab. A long thumb screw secures the saw to the tab. The only shortcommings to the saw are; small cutting capacity, and vibration (mine has vibrated the clamps loose twice). I'd like to see a wider variety of blades. A metal cutting blade, and a blade with a larger length (for more cutting capacity) seem the logical next step for Bosch to take. Add those two blades and this saw would get 4+ stars from me.

While I don't entirely disagree with the gent who gave this saw only three stars because it has "limitations" - yes, there are bigger reciprocating saws with much greater capacity - I still think this saw is a dynamite product for the kind of *very fine finish work* it was designed for.

It has other uses, too: I would particularly recommend this saw, with its accessory miter box, to model makers - a group Bosch apparently hadn't thought of... It quickly makes very fine, accurate, repetitive cuts that are extremely difficult to do by hand. If you construct any sort of wooden or plastic models, in any scale, this saw will quickly become essential, surpassing even your trusty "Moto-Tool". There's simply nothing like it on the market.

I have been using the Bosch 1640VSK for about a year now, and can say that is definitely a very handy little saw for clean cuts in awkward spots and for light trim and finish work. Although it is a small capacity tool, it does have the ability to produce, and is great for those little jobs that don't require your bulky, high production compound miter or chop saw. It also easy on your back when carrying it and doesn't take up a lot of room in the truck when transporting it from one job to next.

It is much more versatile than an ordinary flush-cut jamb saw, but it is not a free standing tool when using it with the miter box accessory, meaning you have to use the supplied clamps to secure it to a sawhorse or workbench to keep it upright and stable. You can use screws and washers to fasten it to a 2X4, then to an unfinished wood sub-floor in a pinch.
I use it routinely on small jobs to make very clean, accurate cuts on non-metallic raceway, small diameter PVC conduit, wood baseboard and trim.

The tools only real drawback, at least for me, is that it cannot be used to cut even light gauge metal. I can't tell you how many times over the past year I'd wished Bosch had a metal cutting blade available for this tool. With that blade, it would also be perfect for other materials I commonly use and need to make clean cuts on, such as, small metallic raceways, thin-wall tubing, and strut. I recently contacted Bosch's Tech Support to see if a metal cutting blade was going to be available any time soon, but was told that there were no plans to produce such a blade.
Aside from this limitation, I would recommend this saw for individuals who need to make clean flush-cuts or accurate miter-cuts repeatedly in small size wood trim and other non-metallic materials.

I was installing wood floors and was advised to get an undercut saw to trim around the door jambs. At my favorite store, the only saw available was the model noted and it was only available as the kit. However, it seemed that it might be useful so I bought it. In general, I have been very please with the saw. I don't know how well other undercutting saws work, but this one really does the job. I found the saw easy to handle and up to the challenges that I gave it. Now, regarding the miter kit, I am not pleased with it. I have tried a variety of methods to attach it to a workbench, to a stool, to a table, and so forth with mixed results. Using it to cut miters has been a real challenge, especially cutting small stock such as quarter-round molding. The piece vibrates violently unless I secure it with my free hand. I have found the clamps not to be very helpful so far. However, I do like the pre-sets on the miter and have found them capable of giving me the cut that I need. The blades dulled pretty quickly, but most of that problem is because of the hidden staples and nails in the door jambs when I was cutting them. Once I find replacement blades, I'm sure that I will continue to use the saw whenever I can. The miter attachment - well, that's another thing. Overall, the saw is very good, but the miter kit is a questionable value.

I own a few other Bosch tools, and they work flawlessly (especially their famous jig saw); however, I was a little disappointed with the 1640vsk fine cut saw. The tool works fine for flush cutting, but I bought it for moulding and picture frame mitering. On every type of moulding or frame I tried to miter there was left a small piece of tear-out...just enough to ruin the cut. It worked fine for 90 degrees, but it consistently left the tear-out at 45 degrees. I would loved for it to work as it is perfect in theory...small, easy to set up and use, easy to line up on a mark...but it just didn't work for me.

Powerful and very steady balance. I have used this to cut door jams for laying tile. When I first turned it on, I was a bit skeptical; not wanting to loose a digit. Amazing power for such a small unit, but the balance of it at full power allows for an amazingly clean, and even cut w/ no kick back.
Expensive for a niche tool, but you would be amazed at the labour time it saves.
For door jams, you basically have to eye the amount to cut. I would suggest cutting the jam at least 2 times, the cut is so clean that if you over estimate the tile height, your can use one of your cuttings, to glue back after the fact.
I have also used this unit to "shave" interior window trim, that came out a hair too long on a miter saw.
This is a must have for a tile or window installer, for a homeowner; you will find uses for it.

I am a home repair contractor and I have several other Bosch tools, and nothing bad to say about any of them. This tool I'm not so sure about yet. I bought mine today to cut oak coveing to trim a countertop. I did not have my 10" Bosch Slider with me and I really wanted to get this project done.
It did not do too bad a job on the 45 degree angles, and it was not too difficult to clamp down on the top 2x6 rail of a deck where I was working.
The problem I had was holding the stock in place from vibrating.
I had cut some materials to a 42 in length but could not hold it down on the miter table to make a full cut or to finish the angles. It vibrated out of my hands and onto the floor about three times before I finally got it cut.
I was short a few feet of finishing the job so I'll get a chance to try it again later.
I would never try to do any major trim work with it. Like I said I have a slider for that. But for smaller jobs of cutting a few pieces, it could be a suitable alternative. It sure takes up a lot less space in my truck and can be kept there full time.

If you are in the business, then you know what a pain it is to set up your dewalt miter saw for punching out apartmenst or any area for second trim (shoe molding or scribe molding). This tool is the one for that job. I have owned three of them. of course it will not do what a top grade miter saw will do. but it is not suppose to. it also works great for thresholds and for trimming doors for flooring. i am in the fire and water restoration business and i believe you will find this tool very helpful.