The $35,000 Pencil Mark: Saw Angle References That Replace a Second Band Saw
A simple pencil reference mark lets one pivoting band saw return to exact angles job-to-job instead of buying a dedicated second saw.
- Creator
TheAMEConnect- Improvement date
- June 16, 2024
- Company
Southwest Steel Buildings- Wastes
The band saw head pivots to cut different angles, but the team could not accurately return it to a repeated angle. So they cut all the 90 degree cuts at one time, staged them, then reset for the next angle. Without a reliable reset reference, the alternative was buying a second band saw dedicated to one angle.
They added a simple pencil mark reference on the saw so the pivoting head can be repositioned to the same angle accurately every time. Now one saw handles multiple angles job-to-job without the batch-and-stage workaround and without a second saw purchase.
Make a proven setting visible and repeatable so one tool does the work of many.
What is a The $35,000 Pencil Mark?
A saw angle reference mark is a physical index, here a pencil mark, that captures a known-good angle setting on a pivoting saw head. When the operator needs that angle again, they line the head back up to the mark instead of measuring and dialing it in from scratch.
The band saw in this example has a head that pivots to cut different angles. Getting it back to an exact prior angle by feel or by eye is unreliable, which forced the team to batch all cuts of one angle together to avoid resetting. The pencil mark removes that unreliability.
The team nicknamed it the $35,000 pencil mark because that mark let them skip buying a second band saw. A cheap, visible reference captured the knowledge of a correct setup and made it reusable on demand.
Why it works
The mark turns a one-time correct setup into reusable, mistake-proofed knowledge anyone can repeat.
- Captures a proven angle setting so it does not have to be re-discovered each job.
- Makes the correct position visible, so operators reset to it instead of guessing.
- Lets one saw cover multiple angles, avoiding a redundant second machine.
- Removes the batch-and-stage workaround caused by unreliable repositioning.
Evidence: The team calls it the $35,000 pencil mark because it avoided purchasing an additional band saw.
How to create this idea
- 1Find the repeated setting
Identify an angle or position the machine must return to across jobs but currently cannot hit reliably.
- 2Dial it in accurately once
Set the pivoting head to the correct angle using your normal careful method and verify the cut.
- 3Mark the reference
Add a permanent pencil or scribe mark where the moving head aligns at that setting.
- 4Reset to the mark
Train operators to reposition the head to the mark instead of re-measuring or eyeballing.
- 5Retire the workaround
Stop batching all one-angle cuts together once the reset is reliable, and reconsider any planned duplicate equipment.
Best used when
- pivoting or adjustable tooling
- repeated angle setups
- avoiding duplicate machines
- job-to-job resets
Less useful when
- single fixed angle only
- settings needing high precision indexing
- no repeatable position
Products and tools mentioned
- Band saw: Continuous blade saw for cutting wood, metal, or plastic stock.
Tags
- Problem
- inaccurate resetredundant equipmentoverprocessing
- Lean methods
- visual controlmistake-proofingstandard setup
- Application
- band sawangle cuttingmachining
Captured from TheAMEConnect at Southwest Steel Buildings in the video "AME 2 Second Lean Tour: Southwest Steel Buildings", at 00:27:37. On Lean Toolbox. Watch the original video on YouTube ↗
