How To: Add A LED Shadow Line To A Miter Saw (CHEAP!)
In this video I go through the process of adding an inexpensive LED light to my Bosch GCM12SD Miter saw. This little upgrade makes a HUGE difference in the use of this saw. This is a great option for older saws as well, once you use a saw with a shadow line you'll never go back!
This process is somewhat universal to all miter saws, you'll just need to use a different method for attaching the LED to the saw hood, in the past I have used hot glue and gaffers tape to keep the LED to on the saw hood, and its held up great.
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If you have any questions, leave them in the comments! Enjoy!
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Led light:
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Below are some links to tools I use in the shop on a daily basis.
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Bosch Miter Saw ( My Favorite miter saw)
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Wen Tabletop Metalcutting Bandsaw
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Great mod. It makes lining up the kerf so much quicker. I used a somewhat different sewing machine light, but this guide makes it super easy to follow.
After seeing this video, I just taped a cheap led magnetic pocket flashlight (was on sale from haborfreight for under $5) to my miter saw and works great. Just need to change the 3xaaa batteries periodically. Amazing change in using it. Thanks so much for the idea!!!
One of those brilliant ideas. Thanks. Cheers, David
Love this idea. Never seen it before but answering a big need in the shop to line up cuts with less trial and error. Thanks for sharing!
This channel is great! I bought the same light but the bulbous light part wasn't going to fit under the guard of my old Dewalt chop miter saw. I found out though I could disassemble the bulb part and end up with a nice flat LED circuit board. This fit fine under the guard. I cinched it down with a cable tie. This whole shadow light concept works great. I am glad I could mod my old saw for it. Thank You!
Great video. I have the DeWalt with that shadowline. It works way better than the lasers I've tried. My shadow line doesn't show up real well in bright sunlight but even casting a shadow on the saw helps
Great mod, just did it, light was only $13 now on Amazon. Pretty straight forward thanks to your video. Thanks!
I followed your instructions exactly and damn... works perfectly! In fact it’s SO perfect I’m kind of astonished they don’t have something like this standard. It’s so much better than the junky lasers that are not accurate and possibly dangerous. Bravo!
That had to be the BEST tip I've ever gotten from KZhead! I thought I'd tell you that my 12 inch Bosch saw (GCMSD.... which I thought was identical to yours), it turns out it wasn't..... it did not have that black plastic removable piece. I just drilled a hole in the back of the metal raised part and ran the wire thru and it worked great. One thing I did different was to NOT open up the housing at the bottom of the light but instead take a couple of pliers and twisted the gooseneck open to access the wires inside. I cut off a couple of inches of the metal gooseneck and extended the wires that way. Very easy! Thanks again for a great idea.
Chris, watching your videos is a real pleasure. So much good information!
Great mod! I had seen someone else using the led light and thought what a great idea. You know exactly where the blade is going to cut. will be trying to put one on my miter
Thanks for sharing! Another job to add to this weekend 👍
Why are some of the simplest fixes so awesome to see? That's fantastic, nice job! Subscribed!
This is a great idea. I’ve been wondering how to do something like this for a metal cutoff saw. I kept having to cut big and sand to the line. It just took to long that way and was driving me crazy. Thank you
Been wanting to do this for years! Thanks for the video!
Been having trouble aligning my laser since day one. Gonna have a look at my saw tomorrow and see if that light will fit. You're a genius
Thanks Chris, that is absolutely brilliant. (especially the light). That problem has been haunting me for years - it’s my next project. Colin
I saw a friend of mine do this too, excited to add one to mine. I'm older and have a hard enough time seeing the cut line at times, especially if it's not bright out or working with darker materials.
OMG! I’ve been wanting this for mine (Bosch axial) for 10years! Thank you for sharing this!
Brilliant - great idea! Not seen this anywhere else. Also a really good explanation of how you did it. I'll try this on mine - thank you
desreed1 thank you! Let me know if you have any questions I'd be happy to help! Good luck! It's worth it!!!
Fantastic idea, and I have the same saw so this is going to be done by me as well.
I followed your install but I changed it up a little. I installed the switch and driver in the handle. Turned out pretty clean. Thanks for the video, very informative. I would attach a picture but don’t know how.
That is beyond brilliantly simple. Thanks.
Thanks for this video. You saved me at least a hundred dollars. I was able to take the little power supply circuit board and fit it into the handle of my DeWalt miter saw and tapped the 110V input from there also. That way no extra plugs to plug in, and no wires showing at all. I did have to cut the LED board in half though, very easy to do with an abrasive dremel disk. Just had to solder a small jumper on that to power all the LEDs as they are wired in series.
What an awesome idea bro. Using the housing intended for the laser as the housing for a superior product you thought of yourself. Well done Chris, I've also got this saw and the built in laser (which is housed in the black plastic housing you manipulated to suit your led, stopped working a few months ago. A replacement laser is around £70 (I now live in France but bought the saw when living in London a few years ago). So your idea seems way more practical and inexpensive. That's some really dynamic thinking on your behalf, nice one bro.
Excellent idea, I installed it, works very well. Thanks for share.
Fantastic! I just picked up a Bosch yesterday at an estate sale and was surprised that Bosch did not include something considering the retail cost of this puppy. I believe I will do this on my ol' Hitachi also.
I have the same saw and have been looking for a laser guide for it. This is so much better....and cheaper. Great idea! And you now have a new subscriber.....
I just did your mod on my Bosch Glide Miter. Terrific! Great idea and I'm liking it. When I ordered the sewing machine LED they had other choices.....30 and 40 LED versions. All the same price. I was tempted to go with one of them, but was concerned that the dimensions of the light unit would be different. I will try this one out in the sun. If it's hard to see the line, I may upgrade. Can't go wrong for 10 bucks. Thanks
Excellent idea and video , thanks for sharing. I'll be putting this on both my saws.
Not gonna lie, probably the easiest and best mod for any miterbox... Handsdown! Nicely done sir! Thanks for sharing!!!
Great. Now I have to figure out how to adapt this light, or something I can make myself, to my carbide metal crosscut saw. These use internal blade guides, so your method won’t work, unfortunately. But watching this has me thinking about ways to overcome that, so thanks for the inspiration.
I watch a lot of videos, this is up there with the best, what a brilliant idea, nice one mate I'll be doing this mod to my saw thank you
What a great idea I did this today after watching your video thanks next job is to install the remote starter for dust extractor thanks again keep up the good work Craig
Installed the lamp last week. Tried it out today on the job site. Shockingly great results. Do you have any other tricks up your sleeve?
Cool mod. Love the shadow line. You may want to think about adjusting your red kerf boards, they look like they are in the factory shipping position. It's really nice to have zero clearance on those.
I finished installing mine yesterday using a 12" gooseneck light. There was enough wire inside to do a splice and is working flawlessly. There was also enough material in the black cover to grind away and reinstall all 4 screws. Just used it a few times today and perfect lineup. Thanks for posting this!
What is a 12" gooseneck light?
Chris. I was skeptical I could pull it off. But for $9 on amazon I bought 2 lights. Not only did i pull it off ... THANK YOU!... I wired it to the saw power side of the switch and use the common. Now I have 1 plug in with the saw, Light / guide that is ON/OFF when the saw is plugged in... AND and AWESOME saw line thanks to YOU!!!! GREAT IDEA.
Great tip! The best I have already found on internet.
I first watched this video when I got my Bosch saw a couple of months back and realized that paying over $500 for a saw doesn't get you a laser or anything. :( I finally made my next order to Amazon and received my sewing machine light. Time to go do the install now. Thanks for the great idea and instructions. We all go farther when we share these kinds of ideas! Happy Woodworking!
You, my friend are a genius. I had the Dewalt with the shadow line, but sold it to get the Bosch, and the one thing I really miss is the shadow line. Not anymore. Thanks for posting this video.
which model dewalt did you have?
@@ginoasci2876 DSW780 comes standard with it ($600). The DSW779 ($400 for the same saw minus light) is able to install the upgrade kit but they stopped selling them.
I was about to spend 80 dollars on a light for my dewalt, thank God this video came across
Hi Chris, I just bought a GCM12SD last winter and the blade shroud does not have a black plastic cap like the one you modified for your version of the 12” axial glide saw. No matter though, I used your idea and modified the plastic housing containing the LED board instead to give me more clearance when the blade guard rotates over the LED housing. I hot glued EVERYTHING (even LED housing) and I am really impressed with your fix to add a shadow line to the saw kerf! I have to admit it’s pure GENIUS on your part! Thank you very much for sharing this with the community. P.S.- I was never a big fan of hot glue until this project and now I use it more often then of epoxy. I think this an amazing saw and it’s even more precise with addition of your shadow line solution!
I've seen mitre saws with 2 lasers now, 1 for each side of the blade. This idea is soooo much better than a laser or even the 2 lasers gimmick.
Very nice idea. I found a very small laser line generator for the same price that I'm certain could create a line you could see without having to lower the saw down to the work piece (which would be my preference) but I'm unconvinced that it would be as brainlessly accurate as this over time, especially with different kerf width blades and vibration when the saw is running. It's worth noting for users of this saw that on the newest iteration the front guard is all one metal piece making this installation less practical.
NICE! Ive been debating to upgrade my miter saw and ive fallen in love with the Bosch 12 inch glider. The only thing that is keeping me from getting one is no option for shadow line. Im so used to my Flexvolt XPS that i almost went and got another one but saw your video today and now i kinda wanna try this mod. Thank you for sharing this how to!
Chris, great meeting you at Jimmy’s this weekend. Excellent video. Looking forward to checking out more. Hope your puppy adventure went well.
Great video. I have the same saw and I have been looking to add a laser but this works just as well.
Mate! Excellent idea would have never thought about this.
BRILLIANTLY OBVIOUS WHEN YOU KNOW . THANKS A MILLION .TONY
Absolutely fabulous...thanks. Have to see if I can get it to work on my Dewalt Radial Miter. Love your other videos too. Thanks again,.
Great idea thx ordered 1 and will be installing it ASAP.
The laser of my miter saw broke down, so I’m definitely gonna have a look if I can apply this idea. Great job, good tutorial. Tnx!
I'll try it on my RYOBI. Greetings from Spain ;) Canary Islands to be exact
That's a really clever idea. Very well done.
This is the greatest hack in woodworking ever! It's a good time to be alive lol :-)
I added 2 or those same lights to my mill about 4 years ago. Wired it some they come on with the power switch. I plan on replacing my 15 year old dewalt miter saw with this one. Think ill try this mod. Thanks for sharing.
That is a great mod! Thanks for sharing.
I added the LED and it is as good as any laser. Thanks for posting this video.
I purchased the dewalt dws 779 and I couldn’t spend the 110 bucks for their custom light conversion kit. I figured something like this could work, and I assumed someone already thought of this and I searched KZhead and here it is. Great job!
I am so doing this thanks so much! I have the same saw and I love it too.
fantastic. I've always wanted to get one of those led universal screw on light cause I've always though that's the only option. Love this cause you don't need the saw running which doesn't bother me but it not running is much better for lining up. Thanks
Great idea. Thanks for sharing
Wow! That is one hell of a modification...much better than the spinning factory Laser indicator.
Just watched this again. Very helpful! Thanks!
Did this on my 12" Harbor Freight miter saw and it worked perfectly. The guard had plenty of clearance and the light I bought from Amazon was more than bright enough. I'm not sure it will show up in bright daylight but we'll see. Still, it's a great hack!!
BRILLIANT!....such an amazing mod!
Thanks for this one! I gotta do this to my Bosch.
Cool build I've wanted to do this to my saws for awhile. Good call not wiring it to the power supply of the saw!
Dude! That is a sick modification
That's a great idea, I have the same saw and need to do that.
Great Idea!! I have the same saw and love it. I wished I went with the 10" version. because the 12 is a beast to move. I think I will be doing this upgrade
For what it's worth, the 10" is only 1lb lighter than the 12".
Good idea, I have to look to see how I implement it to mine. Thank you. Greetings from Spain
Ruben Paz if you have any questions let me know!
Thanks Chris, but in my little Delta 36-040, things are going to be complicated. But I keep turning to see how I can do something similar.
Ruben, I just looked up the Delta 36-040, I think you could get this to work. I would test proof of concept by removing your blade guard and position a led flashlight above the blade. This will mimic the effect of the LED light I used. If you are able to get a shadow line your good to go! Good luck, if you have any more questions shoot me an email.
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That’s pretty was pretty awesome I am going to try that with my Dewalt metal cutting chopsaw. Thanks for the video.
Great idea! I used a battery powered book light and hot glue total time for installation under 5 minutes. Not bright enough for outside, but perfect for shop. Now to figure out how to add one to the table saw.
That LED makes an amazing line, I wouldn't have guessed it does as well as a laser, I'm going to try it on my Ryobi 10"....
Very clever idea.Congratulations
Best USABLE hack I've seen on KZhead to date. And of course it takes an ordinary man, with a shit load of common sense, to come up with this idea. I was contemplating getting a Lazer for my 12" miter, but not now. Not to mention saving a lot of money. Great video and great job. Consider me a subscriber. 2 THUMBS UP
Thanks for that great idea .
Great tip. Been wondering how I was going to get a light in that spot on my bosch. I'm really surprised bosch hasn't made something yet.
Ordered one of those LED lights from Amazon. Gonna convert my Ridgid 12" saw this weekend.
Heat shrink tape? Where have I been? Great mod BTW - a product waiting to happen.
Great idea. Going to do to my saws and get rid of the battery disc. Way better. Thank you.
thanks man!! Im gonna do that to my saw!
Such a beautiful crips shadow on the wood. That's not a mod, it's an upgrade!
I have 2 different folders I put this kind of videos on. I can't decide if this is incredible enough to go into the genius or belongs in the miter saw folder. Whatever, it is truly a brilliant innovation.
Brilliant- no pun intended- absolutely one of the best tool hacks I’ve seen on YT. WHY didn’t Bosch do this in the first place? You’ve made a popular saw 5x more user and greenhorn friendly / much respect!
Probably because Dewalt has a patent on it?
Dewalt does it and they charge $200 for it >.< it's called XPS technology.
Bosch does have one it's on the European model not Imported here. I've tried to find the parts it replaces to top plastic piece at the end of the blade guard
@@georgebliss7674 Makita has it also. Are they paying Dewalt for the license?
@@XaeroR35, either that or Dewalt's patent ran out
This came as a feature on my DeWalt DWS780. At first I was like "Oh how nice - an LED to better see my work" - - then I actually took a look at the instructions for something else and saw its true purpose - and it is an amazing simple feature that does the job so very well.
George Gibeau we had a dws780 in my high school woodshop I used that thing for 4 years and thought it was just a work light it wasn’t even on 90% of the time because nobody knew it’s use lol
@@grantsdad177 A dewalt saw in a high school woodshop? That wouldn't last 5 seconds with the stuff we were doing in high school shop class. Must've been donated.
Paul Day what do you mean by that? that miter saw ran flawlessly all for every year I had shop class and kids abused the hell out of it but it always stayed true we actually had two but one wasn’t a sliding miter one of them was the teachers personal saw and he used it at job sites during the summers with no problems I personally love dewalt saws
I have that same saw and I love the idea so I'm going to have to try that.
Great Scott! If you have any issues be sure to drop me a line and ill try and help you out.
I really wanted to get this exact saw but as soon as I used a DeWalt at work with the shadow line, it became essential. Thanks for the video. Now I can buy the Bosch and all is well in the world
I have a DW 708 Dewalt Radial Miter. Any suggestions on how you did yours?
Very helpful video. In fact, Craftsman radial arm saws came with a beautiful high power genius riving knife, anti-kickback pawl, blade guard, and incadescent light bulb inside the blade guard, on their early 1970's radial arm saws. I am not sure which model it was, but I got a $75 1978 model Craftsman radial arm saw and I purchased the blade guard with the "light bulb" and riving knife, and installed that onto my 1978 radial arm saw, and now it's SO nice, it is more precise and I can cut tiny pieces of wood with absolute laser precision, a lot safer than a large compound miter saw. The compound miter saw excels in making angled cuts on regular "normal" size materials. The radial arm saw excels in making highly precise cuts on very tiny, super thin, fragile, or hard to hold objects. The radial arm saw can cut a 1/2" wide cube of wood with effortless precision, without any need for a jig or sacrificial fence.
Nice idea, I`m trying this tommorow,will let you know.
Cool idea, thanks! That small amp draw of a little LED wouldn't affect saw performance if hardwired to it.
Brilliant idea mate!😊
Brilliant. Thanks for sharing!
Sir, you rock! Thanks for this.
Thank you! Great idea and great video.
That is very clever. Thanks for sharing.
GREAT THANKS BEEN LOOKING FOR THAT IDEA
Great job! Excellent idea👍🏻