Thread: Carpenters pencil

John, I use anything except those silly bloody blue plastic sharpeners that appeared near cash registers on hardware shop counters a couple of years back.

Barry Hicks

I've always thought that it was so it kept its edge.

Because its only purpose is to draw straight lines, it doesn't need to be symmetrical, and giving it the longer section gives it lots of strength so it doesn't break when it hits a knot or whatever, and it'll stay relatively sharp (usable) for a long long time.

Cheers,

P

Originally Posted by munruben

So how come a carpenters pencil is so shaped. I always thought it was so it could be sharpened with a chisel but I read somewhere recently it was to stop it rolling off sloping surfaces. Has anyone given this a thought or know any other reason it might be this shape.
How do you sharpen your carpenters pencil ? do you use a chisel ?

I've got one of those combination disk/belt sander machines, I use the belt!
Works like a charm.

Must say that I use a carpenters pencil less and less these days, my most used pencil in the workshop is a .5mm Pentel mechanical pencil, very fine, I also have a .9mm for less accurate requirements.

Being a " wing nut" I always thought it was designed that way to fit behind the ear.

I don't know why it's that shape but maybe it's easier to grab it out of the tool pouch and less chance of it breaking if you lean against it and I just sharpen mine with a chisel and if I want a nice sharp edge on the lead I just touch it it up on a piece of 120 grit sandpaper.

All you wanted to know about a carpenters pencil and afraid to ask.

http://www.pencilpages.com/articles/carpentr.htm

And also here.

http://www.ronhazelton.com/tips/Carpenters_Pencil.htm

Thanks for the links Bazza. I usually sharpen mine with a Stanley knife.

Use a chisel

Chisel, stanley knife, concrete slab, rock...

Carpenter's pencils actually make up a very small part of my pencil collection

There's someone who has a pencil collection? The winter nights must just roll by at his place...

Originally Posted by silentC

There's someone who has a pencil collection? The winter nights must just roll by at his place...

Someone I know collects pens with advertising on them from all over the world. He has this huge custom made cabinet with slide out drawers housing all these pens, don't know how many but must be thousands!

Every time we go away we usually bring a few back from hotels etc.

Takes all kinds I suppose, not that different from collecting stamps or butterflies (beer mats?)

Yeah, I suppose. My MIL used to collect spoons. I guess people will collect anything. Had a matchbox label collection when I was a kid...

Never thought that hard about my pencils, but I generally use an old draftsmans clutch pencil with HB or 2B 2mm inserts.... sharpened with sand paper *shrugs* I've got a huge stash of inserts that my father had from his drafting job 25 years ago.

I like all these theories, so heres mine. I use the pencil 2 ways - for a fine line on its edge for marking a cut etc, i also turn it perpendicular to give a 5mm wide dark pencil mark so it can be seen easily on walls, brickwork, concrete etc. marking out a fram on a floor would be a tad tricky going back to find your artfully drawn 0.5mm wide line????/

so thin line for joinery and thick lines for rough as guts building! hence "carpenter!

Originally Posted by pharmaboy2

I like all these theories, so heres mine. I use the pencil 2 ways - for a fine line on its edge for marking a cut etc, i also turn it perpendicular to give a 5mm wide dark pencil mark so it can be seen easily on walls, brickwork, concrete etc. marking out a fram on a floor would be a tad tricky going back to find your artfully drawn 0.5mm wide line????/

so thin line for joinery and thick lines for rough as guts building! hence "carpenter!

Wouldn't use a .5mm line, artfully drawn or otherwise, for setting out frames on a floor, in fact normally don't use a pencil at all, carpenters or otherwise.
For those sort of uses I use a chalk line, if I have a 12m long frame line to set out, where do I find 12m straightedge to use a pencil against. Chalk line is the go here Oh and when I set out all my lines on the slab, used a few spray cans of clear to protect them from the rain, scuffing etc. Works for me!

However when I do precise work, such as veneering or boxes, my artfully draw .5mm line is much easier to work with, rather that a 1-2mm thick line from a carpneters pencil line. What do they say? Horses for courses, that's it!