Spent 4 hours cleaning a band saw that should have taken 30 minutes

I let my apprentice run the band saw for a week straight without cleaning it. By Friday the blade was gummed up with fat and bone dust so bad it wouldn't track straight. I spent 4 hours scraping everything down with a putty knife and degreaser because he didn't do a single end-of-day wipe down. Does anyone else have a system to actually get apprentices to clean as they go, or is it just me?

3 comments

3 Comments

noah9171mo ago

The checklist idea sounds solid on paper but does anyone actually follow through with it? My problem is they treat it like a piece of paper not a real task. Do you make them stand there and watch you check each spot before they leave or just trust the initials?

butler.brian1mo ago

Make them initial right in front of you or it never happened.

maxm501mo ago

I read somewhere that some shops use a "clean as you go" checklist taped right to the machine with a dry erase marker next to it. The apprentice has to initial each step at the end of their shift. Seems like a pain but at least you'd have proof who didn't do it. Also heard of guys making the apprentice buy the next round of beers for the crew if they skip cleanup. Peer pressure works wonders sometimes.