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2026-08-12
Before you open rate, shoot the first board with the kerf in frame.
By Mr Ayanda Baloyi, workshop lead
The first board tells you more than the offcut bin later in the day. One photo with the kerf visible, the stock label nearby, and the machine in use gives the next shift a fixed reference for width, edge quality, and which sheet or board the setup came from. In busy bays around Kya Sands, that single image stops arguments about whether the cut wandered at setup or after lunch.
Ayanda wants the photo to show the cut face, the exit edge, and enough of the board to identify grain, coating, or laminate. If dust builds on the flange or resin starts marking the line, the first-board image makes it obvious before a stack gets wasted.
Dont treat the note as wallpaper. Pin it, photograph the first board, and move on. Kerf notes are short on purpose so they survive a noisy floor.
Open the relevant blade path and material path before the camera comes out. The picture matters most when it sits next to the actual disc spec and the stock being cut, whether that is melamine, pine shelving, MDF, or wrapped board.
Stand close enough to show the kerf, but wide enough to include the board face and edge. On Johannesburg workshop mornings, dry dust can mask a wandering line, while Durban moisture can lift fibres or swell a panel edge before the next operator checks it. Take the shot in the power window you have, especially on days when load-shedding squeezes setup and handover into short gaps.
If your stock changes halfway through the shift, the first photo from the morning is no longer enough. File another image under Kerfs when the trolley moves from one board family to another, especially from raw board to laminated sheet. That keeps the handoff tied to what was actually cut, not what was planned at tea time.
Morning: wipe flanges, seat the disc, photograph the first board. Midday: check whether the note still matches the stock on the trolley. Afternoon: write the handoff with the blade and board type in the first line. That rhythm is how Kya Sands keeps scrap from becoming a WhatsApp thread after dark.
After blade fitment, photograph the first clean cut before production speed hides a setup issue. At midday, compare that image against the current board if chip-out, heat marks, or drift starts appearing on the line. Before knock-off, use the same photo when writing the handover so the next operator sees what good looked like at startup.
One image does not cover a whole mixed trolley. If the saw moves from veneer-faced board to OSB, or from coated panel to solid timber, take a new first-board photo and note the change straight away. Keep each setup tied to visible evidence rather than relying on memory after a noisy shift.
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