Customer Reviews

Bosch DWM40L Miter Finder 17-Inch Digital Protractor

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Initially when I looked at this tool, I thought that it was a bit pricey for a digital protractor. Now I find myself using this tool for framing, trim work, and saw alignment. It has been invaluable in checking miter gauges for accuracy, you could use a protractor or speed square, but this is more accurate than a speed square and much quicker than either, especially if you need to make adjustments. This tool impressed me when I was checking alignment on my sliding compound miter saw. I wanted to verify its accuracy out of the box so I dialed into 90 / 0 degrees, the BOSCH protractor read 90.3, flipped it over and measured the other side of the blade and it read 89.7. Definitley much quicker than the conventional way, and you can easily use this with the table saw. Typically over time ( about 5 months now ) this tool reads between 0.0 and 0.1 accuracy, and like most scales you can check its accuracy and know what your margin of accuracy is. The back spring angle feature is very handy for crown molding, and for checking corners the back edge is rounded so as not to foil your reading in an inside corner measurement. This tool does so much more than I have mentioned, these are just tasks that I have used repeatedly and successfully. A carrying case would be nice, as this unit is nicely machined, it has a level built in which is handy and for quick checks, it saves holding two tools. So far, I am very satisfied with this tool.

To those of us, who are new to the molding world, in addition to accurately determining the angle in degrees to a tenth of a degree on anything you need a measurement on, it has this cool built in crown molding feature. First you determine the spring angle, (which is the angle the crown molding sits on the wall). With the tool in place you press the button, it memorizes the spring angle which is shown in degrees, and the letters SPR appear. Then place the tool on the corner where the molding is to be installed, it displays the corner angle in degrees, press the button again, the letters CNR appear. Simply press the button once again, and it automatically calculates the Mitre Angle to set your Mitre saw, and by pressing the button once again, it gives you the bevel angle to set saw to as well. Lay your molding flat on your COMPOUND mitre saw and cut perfect moldings every time. If your saw has dead on accurate gauge settings according to the scales, then all you have to do is dial it in, and cut away, if not this Bosch unit will give you the ability to set your saw accurately as well. Another reason why this tool is so important, is that a lot of walls are not really set at a true 90 degrees, so a detent setting on your saw, at the common crown molding setting, is not always the proper angle.
It is great for setting up any kind of saw. All of these things can be done with a square, bevel gauge, and protractor, but not with the ease, time savings, and micro accuracy of the Bosch. (Not that we need a tenth of a degree to cut a molding.)
The unit is actually 17 inches long. The inexpensive, optional extension available for this unit, will increaase your usability, and give you the capability of measuring on shorter surfaces.
One other feature is that it has a hold button, so if you are on a scaffold, or ladder, and reaching for a measurement, you can hit the hold button while in place, and it will hold the display of the measurement, even if you bump it to a new setting.
All in all the tool is super well engineered. After hearing everybody raving about it, and checking how high it was in the Amazon sales rank, I decided to give it a try. I am glad I did. What a universal tool. Precision made. Lightweight, since it is housed in Cast Aluminum, and built for strength and durability, even in a harsh environment. The directions say, if you get it wet from submerging it in water, it must be dried out, before it gives you accurate readings again. You have to respect that kind of durability.
One final note, it does not come with a carrying pouch. It has built in bubble levels, both for vertical and horizontal at the same time, but I would treat this with more respect than an aluminum level you may throw in the back of the truck. Therefore the Yellow Smart Tool carrying bag from MD Building Products makes a good addition to your purchase. It is a longer carrying case than the Bosch, but it fits it in every other dimension like it was custom built for it. It showed up when I added the Bosch to the shopping cart, as an item that others most frequently bought with it.
It is a profit maker in the time it will save, and the quality of the product it helps to produce. This product, brings the task into the 21st Century. I like the old ways, but just think in 50 years, this will be the old way. :-)

I purchased the Bosch DWM40L Digital Protractor/Angle Finder to install baseboard, shoemolding, and crownmolding in an older home. Naturally, there wasn't a square corner in the entire project. The Bosch tool made exact measurements for calculating miter angles for each piece of trim. You take its measurements and calculations and then transfer them to your compound miter saw. Nothing could be easier. It took hand fitting and guess work out of the job. This a fabulous invention and it's miles ahead of the older, but timeless tools such as a square, bevel, and protractor. It also doubles as a carpenter's level. This Bosch tool is also extremely well built and cosmetically pleasing--its heft feels good in your hands. My toolbox is now in the 21st Century--what would my Grandfather think? He'd probably say that I have it too easy now that I own the Bosch DWM40L Digital Protractor/Angle Finder. Sorry Grandpa.

I have started a project to install crown molding in my private residence. I bought all the books on how to install this type of molding, because I have not done it before to this extent. I quickly found out that trying to find that "sweet spot" for the miter corners can be a real bear. You can burn up a lot of good molding trying to find these angles on your compound miter saw. I was looking for something that would give me a fighting chance. I think I found it in the "Bosch Miter Finder." When it arrived, I too was surprised by its size. It was much larger than I thought. The quality of the construction was first rate. It is very simple to operate. Once you know the "Spring Angle" of the crown molding you are using, you just enter this angle in and push a button. You then measure the angle of the inside or outside corner you intend to use it on and then push the same button and it reads out the "miter and bevel" angles. I then use the Bosch Miter Finder to set miter and bevel on the miter saw. You cut and that is it. It uses 4 AA batteries and is build like a tank. Try it you'll like it.

All of the previous reviews contain real nuggets of information. The ones that refer to the tool's inability to store the spring angle illustrate the only real criticism I have about this tool. However, using my also-newly-purchased Bosch 4410 10" Compound Miter Saw, I created a jig out of 1x material that effectively solves this problem.

When you open this tool you'll notice that there is a piece of metal that reenforces the strength of the tool where the two legs pivot. I simply cut the 1x material to a length that stops the tool exactly at 38 degrees when the tool is closed onto the wood ... and the wood is resting against that metal reinforcement. I plan to cut more of these pieces, one for each spring angle of common crown moulding manufacturers.

This was a precise procedure ... I found out shaving the width of a human hair off the length of the jig resulted in a difference of about .2 degrees. It'll take a few tries to get an exact 38 degree jig ... but it'll be worth it. I can now set the spring angle in seconds.

Hope this helps.

mmortal666@hotmail.com

If you do any amount of trim work you need this tool. It's more than an expensive bevel gauge. Yes it measures angles ,inside and out, but it does a whole lot more. We have specific angles and bevels we use for cutting crown mold. What if the angle of your corner is not 90 degrees? By following the instructions and pushing a button a few times , this baby will do the math for you. Giving both bevel and miter angles for any wall angle. What if the crown you bought has a different back angle than what you are accustomed to ? This will help you find that too . It really saves valuable time. The only thing I would like to see is a smaller version to get into tighter places. Oh well I do have a bevel gauge and a protractor.

Tired of missing the complementing angle to a piece of crown molding? Want to make your sliding compound miter saw sing you songs of praise? Want to go from good job, well done to PERFECT fit?

Then the Bosch DWM40L Miter Finder Digital Protractor/Angle Finder is the ticket. Not only will it provide you with dead nuts accuracy, it will allow you more time for fit and finish on your trim work project because it will totally eliminate the countless hours of manually calculating the angles as well as STOP all trial cuts! Bottom line: One measurement, one cut, and your done!

This little gem would be a great gift for the woodworker/carpenter who has everything. It will tickle their fancy and have them scratching their head wondering how they ever got by without it.

I had my doubts when I ordered this item - but I'm glad I did. We hang a lot of trim - especially crown. It's a great miter saw assistant. It's bigger and heavier than I thought it would be. However, I love it's accuracy and simplicity. You don't need an engineering degree to use it. I'm going to order the extension leg. You'll need it if you measure any angles with legs shorter than 16". Potential improvements on the next version: 1) Ability to store the crown spring angle in order to avoid redundant inputs. 2) A button to input a 90.0 degree (MT/BV) angle versus manually opening the angle finder to 90.0 degrees in order to calculate perfect outside crown corners for cabinetry. 3) A button to divide measured corner angles by two to avoid calculating baseboard and chair rail miters. Also, a smaller, lighter version of the same thing would be nice.

This is a really well constructed tool. Design quality and craftmanship are all well spoken for with this unit. The accuracy and overall utility this tool provides is astonishing. But it has one crucial flaw...Just one and previous reviewers have addressed this so please excuse the redundency. This unit should be able to manually set and store the spring angle of your molding. Molding spring angle doesn't change! Why does this tool require that we either measure it each time or open the legs to the spring angle? This is nerve racking as this unit is acurate to 0.1 degrees and it is difficult to set the legs to a reading of exactly 45.0 or 38.0 degrees. I mean you get 45.1 or 44.8 back and forth until you get it set to 45.0...What needless pain. If you know your moldings spring angle then you should just be able to set it (via the buttons) and set it once! Sometimes I think that the design engineers (they did a great job for the most part) lack the experience of practical application. This leads to lack of forsite and ultimately the exclusion of a simple and needed feature of manually setting and storing the spring angle. Oh well, i guess we just cant have perfection. They came real close though...

I gave this unit four stars but if they had included the missing features (so easy) I would gladly give it 10 stars... I hope someone at Bosch is reading this. Maybe they could add this feature in and before it is released allow me to test and review it; of course I wouldn't give it back...

I bought this tool primarily because it seems like a nice gadget to have to make sure my carcases and cabinets are square. But after getting it, I find myself using it for a new purpose all the time. As with all Bosch tools, the construction of this digital protractor is excellent. Checking the accuracy of the protractor with a few expensive engineering squares showed that the protractor is dead on. I think I can finally build that corner cupboard I have always wanted to. Perfect birthday or Christmas present for the woodworker in your life.