An interesting and worthwhile article

[lcm1947]

I thought this was really good and thought I'd past it on. http://www.rockler.com/articles/disp...fm?story_id=94

[Tequila]

Thanks for pointing that out.

I picked up one of those incra T-rules a while back, and it's dead on perfect for measuring and marking. I highly recommend them.

[MilDoc]

Thanks for pointing that out.

I picked up one of those incra T-rules a while back, and it's dead on perfect for measuring and marking. I highly recommend them.

Have a few myself. Recommend Pentel 0.5 mm SuperLead refills for your mechanical pencil. Hard - won't break as easily.

[mater]

Very good article. Thanks for passing it on.

[devinjc]

that article was probably expensive.

[cwsmith]

Interesting article! It brings to mind many of the skills that were required on the "drawing board", before layout and paste-ups evolved to the computer screen.

My preferance for both wood working and for the drawing board was the conventional "lead-holder" as shown in the first picture. These held the longer and stronger graphite and one usually had a "lead-pointer" to maintain the sharpness. There was also a sharpening pad that was quite commonly used. Basically it was a flat pine paddle about 1 x 6 x 1/8 inch, which had about a 100-grit sandpaper pad on one side. The pad held about a dozen sheets as I recall. You used it to shape the lead into a blunt end or sometimes a wedge, depending on the line you wanted to draw.

I have several of the 0.5 mm Pentel lead holders and they are okay, but the lead breaks much too easily. If you use one of the "lead-holders", the lead is cheaper, and lasts much longer. I prefer the "F" or "H" as it is darker and is less inclined to break because you don't have to press very hard to make your mark.

However, nothing works quite as well, precision wise, as a marking blade! As you can image, the width of a steel blade edge is very precise. It's only drawback is that it's much more difficult to see with these aging eyes.

You can buy lead-holders, pointers, etc. at most art supply and some office supply stores. Staedler Mars and Koh-I-Nor are the most remembered brands.

CWS

[gad5264]

Thanks for sharing

[drumpriest]

I've always used pentel 0.5 or 0.3 mm pencils, I never understood why carpentry pencils would be attractive for use. I also have one of the incra rules, and use it for layout, love it.

[BobSch]

However, nothing works quite as well, precision wise, as a marking blade! As you can image, the width of a steel blade edge is very precise. It's only drawback is that it's much more difficult to see with these aging eyes.

That's when you take a soft lead pencil and go over the scribe mark and fill it in. Cheating, I know, but it sure helps.

[djmst38]

article was expensive?

[jarhead]

article was expensive?

"Forcing" you to spend money on their marking and measuring tools.