Anyone use carpenters pencils?

[LCHIEN]

I use them sometimes. Mostly I use 0.5mm pentel type mechanical pencils.

If you use the carpenters pencils, how do you sharpen them?
they sell special sharpeners - but I find them not to my liking. Can't get a fine enough point.



So usually use a 1" belt sander to put a sharp edged point on it to mark close to rulers or straight edge. The good thing is they are really durable.

[Jim Frye]

Nope, just plain old #2 lead pencils. Unfortunately, we have this huge stock of black ones from the blackfoot tribe and I'll be gone before they are. Being black, I'm constantly misplacing them, so I have them scattered all over. I have an old Boston hand crank pencil sharpener (old grade school throwback) screwed to the shop wall by the door.

[Black walnut]

I use them for carpentry projects. I sharpen them with a knife. For woodworking projects I use a regular #2 pencil, sharpened to a fine point. When I start a project I usually have a number of them ready, usually one on top the rip fence, another on the non cutting side of the rip fence, and if I am wearing a cap one stuffed up by an ear, although I no longer wear a ballcap in the shop; hair is long since gone.

[cwsmith]

Back when I worked with my Father, sixty-five plus years ago, he always had a couple carpenter's pencils in his apron. I used them several times, but once on my own, I found the good old #2 more handy.

I basically use a utility knife to sharpen carpenter pencils, but honestly that isn't nearly as efficient as just puttin the tip of a #2 in a sharpener designed for that purpose. I have both the old fashioned 'turn the handle' type that was popular in every classroom, but I also have an electric (wherever I put that).

I have several 'lead holders' used on the drawing board, and of course 0.5 mm mechanical pencils for use around the office, etc.

Like we did a couple of years ago with some popular tool (I don't remember what that was), I ought to gather my collection of pencils and post a photograph pf of my collection

CWS