Pencil sharpeners

[Harlan Barnhart]

I am looking for a quality pencil sharpener. I once used an old cast hand cranked model that would put a point on like I have never seen before or since. Unfortunately I can't remember the brand. Does anyone have one in their shop that works exceptionally well?

[Dave Beauchesne]

I am looking for a quality pencil sharpener. I once used an old cast hand cranked model that would put a point on like I have never seen before or since. Unfortunately I can't remember the brand. Does anyone have one in their shop that works exceptionally well?

Harlan:

APSCO were the ones we had in school as a kid - six holes, quarter turn to remove the shavings - Google APSCO PENCIL SHARPENER

Dave Beauchesne

[Gary Herrmann]

I've got an old Boston pencil sharpener in my shop.

[Russell Johnson]

Harlan, Walmart carries the Xacto brand sharpeners like they have in schools. It's about $6-8 and does a great job. It also has a suction base so it can be put away when no needed. Thing is all plastic but has taken a good beating from my 3 year old with no issues as of yet.

[Ernie Miller]

I was given this as a "going to school" present when I was four years old. That makes it 62 years old. I use it everyday and don't know what I'd do without it. You can keep your plastic, guaranteed to break, electric powered pieces of junk. This one is built to last - the way things used to be built. Made by Boston (Boston Champion).

Ernie

[Mitchell Garnett]

After trying less expensive sharpeners, I bought the "X-Acto Ranger 55 Table or Wall-Mount Heavy-Duty Pencil Sharpener." I now have two - one in the house and one in the shop. Highly recommended. Should be able to find around $32.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41EFAEUVnrL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

[Derek Cohen]

Well believe it or not, I have a review on my website!

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolReviews/Anotsohumblepencil.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Koepke]

I used to have a Boston sharpener, but left it in our California house. Those get my recommendation for a good hand crank sharpener.

For many years I have also had a DUX sharpener. It is one of the small ones with a small razor like blade. The body is brass and I bought some extra blades when the sharpener was bought. That stays in the shop. I also bought one that looks is made of cast iron (?) and uses a similar blade. It is supposedly from the late 19th - early 20th century.

Both are made in Germany and both will take a continuous shaving off of a wooden pencil until their is a perfect point.

There is also a pointer on my electric eraser and a Koh I Noor hand spin pointer in my shop for drafting pencils.

jtk

[Darnell Hagen]

I like KUM brand handheld sharpeners so much I built one into my bench.

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s168/DarnellHagen/P1030108-1.jpg

[Jeff Wittrock]

I have a cast one that belonged to my Father in Law that works well. It was made by Chicago probably in the 20's.

-Jeff

[Andrew Gibson]

I must say, I use a knife to sharpen pencils in the shop or use mechanical pencils.
all of my important marking is done with a knife.

[John Coloccia]

Surely there's someone here who's made their own sharpener out of A2, brass and Bubinga with carved wheat. Anybody? :)

Personally, I've mostly switched to mechanical pencils in several different size leads. I just find them more consistent, but if I had high quality pencils and a great sharpener, I might change my mind as I just really like the feel of a pencil vs a mechanical pencil.

[James Scheffler]

I am looking for a quality pencil sharpener. I once used an old cast hand cranked model that would put a point on like I have never seen before or since. Unfortunately I can't remember the brand. Does anyone have one in their shop that works exceptionally well?

I have this one from LV:

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=32542&cat=1,42936,42452

Not a hand-crank sharpener, but it works extremely well.

Jim

[Don Dorn]

I have one of the Boston "X Acto" in the shop - really dislike it. Very frustrating in that I get all wood on one side and pecil lead on the other. It will also chew through an entire pencil in no time.

I welcome this thread and hope the information here leads me to something that's useful. Thanks to the OP for bringing it up.

[Ernie Miller]

You can still find the original Boston Champion on the web. Here's one selling for $16.50. (http://www.etsy.com/listing/58406771/vintage-boston-champion-desk-pencil)

[David Keller NC]

I am looking for a quality pencil sharpener. I once used an old cast hand cranked model that would put a point on like I have never seen before or since. Unfortunately I can't remember the brand. Does anyone have one in their shop that works exceptionally well?

Harlan - This is probably not the answer you're looking for, though I would also recommend the antique Boston sharpeners. In my opinion, the best ones ever designed.

But...The problem with any mechanically sharpened pencil in the shop is that it gives you a conical point, which is not ideal for laying against a square and marking a line. The metal blade on the square will bear on a tiny area on the side of the conical point, and the force tends to snap it (the point), especially if you're using the ideal hardness for marking wood, which is in the B and softer range. Harder pencils like the 3Hs will stand up better, but yield a much fainter line on wood.

So there's an easy solution - sharpen your pencil on sandpaper attached to a wooden block. Leftover 220 grit will make short work of sharpening a cedar pencil, but the real reason to use the sandpaper is that it is very easy to form a chisel point on the lead. When oriented correctly on the side of a square's metal blade (with the flat of the chisel point riding on the square's blade edge), a pencil lead formed into this shape won't have the breakage problem that a conical point will, and the chisel edge will yield a very tight, very dark line on the wood that's near garanteed to be perfectly aligned to the square's edge. Doing this allows using leads as soft as 3B, which are a heck of a lot easier to see on wood than a line marked with a sturdier pencil.

One could achieve a chisel point shape with a knife or a chisel, but this isn't nearly as easy as it sounds - in softer pencils, the pressure from the knife often breaks the point off that you're working on. Sandpaper doesn't have that problem.

[Johnny Kleso]

I say get a mechanical pencil

http://davesmechanicalpencils.blogspot.com/

I like the 6th picture down as far as the style and they have special sharpeners like the bottom pic on in Derek's link

[Andrae Covington]

Depends on what type of pencil you use.:D

I use a knife for most layout tasks, but sometimes I prefer a pencil. When I do, I use a mechanical drafting pencil and associated "pointer" aka sharpener. The lead pointer was made by Staedtler but I'm sure there are other alternatives, both vintage and new.

I use an F lead which is inbetween HB and H. Mainly I use it because that's what was left when I unboxed my long-forgotten drafting supplies. It is hard enough to make a groove in softer woods, so if a visible mistake is made, that would have to be planed / sanded out.

For other non-precision marking, like making triangular "witness marks" across boards, designating the waste area for dovetails, guideline for rough cross-cutting etc. I use a child's HB (aka #2) pencil. I find the larger diameter a little easier to grip. I use a handheld razor-blade style sharpener. Because I can see what is happening, I can sharpen the pencil "just enough", because I don't really want a super sharp point. (Particularly stubby example pencil in the photo below, about time for a new one.)

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=168267&stc=1&d=1290712701

At one point I purchased a tabletop crank-operated pencil sharpener, it happened to be made by X-acto. However, to my dismay, the fat pencils won't fit. Measure twice, buy once; measure twice, buy once...

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=168268&stc=1&d=1290712701

[John Neel]

Here is another shot of the Staedtler sharpener with a Staedtler pencil, I should call it a lead holder since that is what the manufacturer calls it. I purchased both at an art supply store within the last year.

The Staedtler sharpener can produce two different sharpnesses, but I can tell very little difference in them.

I have also attached a photo of 4 lines. The first is drawn with a .9 mm mechanical pencil, the second with a .7 mm mechanical pencil, the third with the Staedtler using the less sharp point, and the fourth with the Staedtler using the more sharp point. The arrow pointing at the fourth line shows where the lead broke as Andrae Covington said it would. You can see that the line is wider after the break point.

I usually use the less sharp point and it doesn't break often. I tried to measure the end of the Staedtler lead when sharp and it appears to be about .2mm or 1/128"; .9mm is just over 1/32".

[Johnny Kleso]

Let me add you might like a Staedtler 2 mm lead pictured above which is much harder to find than a .09 or .07

I checked and Amazon has two seller of these Lead Holders next best place I found was in Hong Kong

[Mark Dorman]

But...The problem with any mechanically sharpened pencil in the shop is that it gives you a conical point, which is not ideal for laying against a square and marking a line. The metal blade on the square will bear on a tiny area on the side of the conical point, and the force tends to snap it (the point), especially if you're using the ideal hardness for marking wood, which is in the B and softer range. Harder pencils like the 3Hs will stand up better, but yield a much fainter line on wood.

So there's an easy solution - sharpen your pencil on sandpaper attached to a wooden block. Leftover 220 grit will make short work of sharpening a cedar pencil, but the real reason to use the sandpaper is that it is very easy to form a chisel point on the lead.

One could achieve a chisel point shape with a knife or a chisel, but this isn't nearly as easy as it sounds - in softer pencils, the pressure from the knife often breaks the point off that you're working on. Sandpaper doesn't have that problem.

Not sure how this makes the chisel point but I thought it was intersting.

http://www.keson.com/images/products/marker_06.jpg

[john brenton]

HAHA! good one!

Surely there's someone here who's made their own sharpener out of A2, brass and Bubinga with carved wheat. Anybody? :)

[David Keller NC]

Not sure how this makes the chisel point but I thought it was intersting.

http://www.keson.com/images/products/marker_06.jpg

Yep - That's precisely the idea I was trying to get across, though I would make one modification - I usually make about a 15-25 degree slant along the long axis of the chisel point that ensures that the entire width is contacting the piece to be marked while being held at a comfortable angle. A straight-across chisel point means that one either needs to hold the pencil at 90 degress to the work, or that the near edge of the point will wear in a few seconds and will widen considerably as the line is marked.

[Maurice Ungaro]

Reviving an old thread here, I know...but recently went down the rabbit hole of vintage sharpeners. They are pretty cool, and some of them have the best industrial designing from the early to mid 20th Century. That being said, I gave up on the über nostalgic concept (though it would look suh-weet hanging on the wall), and went ahead and ordered refills for my vintage Koh-I-Nor lead holder (2mm). I went ahead and ordered an additional holder to take the white leads for darker woods. Since I've been gearing up for a mahogany table build, this will be perfect. BTW. You go and try to find white lead refills. Not many out there.

[David Ragan]

Reviving an old thread here, I know...but recently went down the rabbit hole of vintage sharpeners. They are pretty cool, and some of them have the best industrial designing from the early to mid 20th Century. That being said, I gave up on the über nostalgic concept (though it would look suh-weet hanging on the wall), and went ahead and ordered refills for my vintage Koh-I-Nor lead holder (2mm). I went ahead and ordered an additional holder to take the white leads for darker woods. Since I've been gearing up for a mahogany table build, this will be perfect. BTW. You go and try to find white lead refills. Not many out there.

This is from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Metaphys-Locus-Lead-Holder-Refill/dp/B001V0OI6K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437655441&sr=8-1&keywords=white+lead+2mm

Would it work for dark woods?

[Maurice Ungaro]

David, that's exactly the product I ordered! I ordered from Jetpens.com, free shipping, since I ordered a few more things. Will let you know how it works out. I know Derek Cohen uses white lead too, just haven't asked him what brand and where he gets it.

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Maurice

I have white and yellow leads, from Cult Pens in the UK. It's not cheap (compared with standard graphite). Cult Pens also sell the Geddess Lead Pointer, which is THE BEST sharpener for clutch pencils.

Be aware that the white "lead" is very soft and breaks easily.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Rob Luter]

I use lead holders aka chuck pencils aka drafting pencils. I use a K&E lead pointer like the one shown below for sharpening. I have the original I used as a draftsman back in the day, as well as a spare I found in an antique shop for a couple bucks. They're both cast metal and heavy duty. If I need a chisel point I use a small file or sandpaper.


317945

[Maurice Ungaro]

Hi Maurice

I have white and yellow leads, from Cult Pens in the UK. It's not cheap (compared with standard graphite). Cult Pens also sell the Geddess Lead Pointer, which is THE BEST sharpener for clutch pencils.

Be aware that the white "lead" is very soft and breaks easily.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Derek, thanks for the Cult Pens tip. As for the white lead, I know it's not graphite - many people are befuddled by that! Do you sharpen the white lead in the same pointer?

[Maurice Ungaro]

I use lead holders aka chuck pencils aka drafting pencils. I use a K&E lead pointer like the one shown below for sharpening. I have the original I used as a draftsman back in the day, as well as a spare I found in an antique shop for a couple bucks. They're both cast metal and heavy duty. If I need a chisel point I use a small file or sandpaper.


317945
Rob, I also have an old square base K&E pointer, buried deep someplace. It came from my fathers design studio. It's been too many moves to figure out exactly which box it's in....

[george wilson]

I have an old hand cranked Boston in my shop. It works fine. The electric one I had at work really worked well,too. Must be getting lazy. Most of my life I used a knife. Super fine points can be made quickly with a bit of 220 grit garnet paper to "strop" on.

If you have ever studied old drafting books(I taught it at one time),there are quite a few different points you can put on a pencil.

[Derek Cohen]

Derek, thanks for the Cult Pens tip. As for the white lead, I know it's not graphite - many people are befuddled by that! Do you sharpen the white lead in the same pointer?

Maurice, yes, I use the same pointer ... but very gently!

This is an original Gedess (the modern copy is either red where the black is, or clear plastic) ..

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolReviews/Anotsohumblepencil_html_749b2af0.jpg

It is a classic and award-wnning design from 1941.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Robert Engel]

Hands down the best pencil sharpener I've ever used:

317949

[John Coloccia]

I have an old hand cranked Boston in my shop. It works fine. The electric one I had at work really worked well,too. Must be getting lazy. Most of my life I used a knife. Super fine points can be made quickly with a bit of 220 grit garnet paper to "strop" on.

If you have ever studied old drafting books(I taught it at one time),there are quite a few different points you can put on a pencil.

I often take a mechanical pencil and make a bevel point on a piece of sandpaper. That's perfect for marking the nut against the neck when you're trimming it to size. I guess it's perfect anytime you need to make one thing flush with another thing.

I still have an old Boston hand crank in the shop (gave the electric to the wife for her office), but I've mostly switched to mechanicals. I still use regular pencils for rough work so I don't destroy the mechanical ones (I tend to buy nice ones...and they tend to be a little expensive to be trashing every day). I do tend to actually put some sort of point on the mechanicals though, which I think is not that common unless you're using a lead holder and sharpener (and I use that too for layout sometimes).

[Maurice Ungaro]

Years ago, in drafting class we all had to learn how to use a paddle with abrasive to refresh the point, even though we used wooden pencils. I remember seeing my dad's draftsman, in his studio, using a paddle for repointing from time to time, even though he had mechanical pointers.

[paul cottingham]

Surely there's someone here who's made their own sharpener out of A2, brass and Bubinga with carved wheat. Anybody? :)

Personally, I've mostly switched to mechanical pencils in several different size leads. I just find them more consistent, but if I had high quality pencils and a great sharpener, I might change my mind as I just really like the feel of a pencil vs a mechanical pencil.

Of course, the question remains: bevel up or bevel down? If bevel down whats the best way to set the chipbreaker?

[Bill White]

Boston KS here for the wooden pencils.
Berol Turquoise 14 for the drawing pencils.
Bill

[Tom M King]

I have a couple of xacto's, and several Berol's scattered about, as well as some replacement cutters when one wears out, but so far none have needed to be replaced, to sharpen my hoard of Berol Mirado no. 3's and 4's.

[Allan Speers]

I've got an old Boston pencil sharpener in my shop.



Same here.

You can't beat the coolness factor, esp if you're a galoot.



Odd thing, though: I tried to sharpen my mechanical pencil with it, and it made this strange grinding noise. :(
Maybe it needs new bearings?

[george wilson]

I used those type paddles in the beginning 60's when I was taking drafting in college.

[ian maybury]

Must say I've always used a sharp knife, or better still a sharp chisel - sharpeners tend to put too short a point on for my taste for a lot of draughting jobs and the like...

[Chris Parks]

Heresy time, I sharpen a carpenters pencil on the side of a bench grinder wheel, ten seconds and I have a chisel point that will cut the skin it is so sharp and fine. It depends on what I am marking as to what pencil I use, dark woods a soft one etc. This method gets the pencil as sharp as a marking knife and just as fine. If a hard leaded pencil is used it will actually cut into the wood as a knife does.

[Brian Holcombe]

I use a fine mechanical pencil :D

I find .3mm fine enough, but I like the white 'lead' idea I may put that to use!

[Maurice Ungaro]

Heresy time, I sharpen a carpenters pencil on the side of a bench grinder wheel, ten seconds and I have a chisel point that will cut the skin it is so sharp and fine. It depends on what I am marking as to what pencil I use, dark woods a soft one etc. This method gets the pencil as sharp as a marking knife and just as fine. If a hard leaded pencil is used it will actually cut into the wood as a knife does.
Nice idea, Chris! I'm still unpacking my shop, and plan on setting up my sharpening station today. I'll give it a whirl.

[Megan Fitzpatrick]

No love for my favorite, the Little Shaver? You can put a chisel point on the lead (OK, graphite), and the blade can be resharpened...allowing for another rabbit hole discussion of the best techniques and stones for the purpose :-) http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,42936,42452&p=68746

[Maurice Ungaro]

Megan, the Little Shaver is the bomb! However, it does not operate optimally when wall mounted :rolleyes:. Can you get that with a PMV11 blade?
Love the name though. When I was a youngster back in the 60's, my father had a carpenter who would do remodel work for us. He was a classic, fine old gent (Mr. Schroeder). Always showed up in a white Oxford shirt, a fedora and his tool tote. Anyone young enough to be in elementary school, he called "little shaver".

[Dave Cullen]

I use a fine mechanical pencil :D

I find .3mm fine enough, but I like the white 'lead' idea I may put that to use!

Me too. I have a .5 mm that's the go-to, and a .3mm for fine stuff. But for carpentry I'll either use a flat carpenter's pencil sharpened with a knife, or the standard old #2 stuck into an electric sharpener from Staples.

[Maurice Ungaro]

If you've never tried a 2mm sharpened to a fine point, you might want to try it. Held in a lead holder, it is very sturdy, and offers much less breakage.

[Allan Speers]

No love for my favorite, the Little Shaver? You can put a chisel point on the lead (OK, graphite), and the blade can be resharpened...allowing for another rabbit hole discussion of the best techniques and stones for the purpose :-) http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,42936,42452&p=68746


That's pretty neat, but what you REALLY want is a tiny little shooting board, and a Stanley #1. :)

[Matt Lau]

Reminds me of when I was a wee lad.

At age 4, my dad had an unorthodox way of babysitting.
My dad would plunk me down to a drafting book, a pencil, and a neon orange pre-schooler T-square.
He's say, "Kid, do excercise 1-20. Then get back to me."

There were 4 different ways to sharpen a pencil, 5 if you include the abrasive paper for finessing the lead.

He didn't talk to me for a month when I told him I was going to be a dentist.

[Michael Ray Smith]

You could try one of these for very large pencils. :)

318280

[Rob Luter]

You could try one of these for very large pencils. :)

318280

That's what I'm talkin' about...
318283

[Michael Ray Smith]

[Most of my life I used a knife. Super fine points can be made quickly with a bit of 220 grit garnet paper to "strop" on.

If you have ever studied old drafting books(I taught it at one time),there are quite a few different points you can put on a pencil.[/QUOTE]

That reminded me of the one-semester drafting course I took in college. Every engineering major had to take it in the freshman year. We had to buy a kit of drafting tools, and it included a sandpaper strop for sharpening pencils. About the only thing I remember from that course is that they taught us to twirl the pencil as we drew lines with a straight edge. I never needed those skills for any of the jobs I had, which is fortunate because I was terrible at it. Gosh, how I hated that class. Haven't thought about it for years. So thanks for spoiling my afternoon, George! :)

[Maurice Ungaro]

Yup, ALWAYS twirl that pencil when making a line!. You want even wear.

[John Coloccia]

What I don't get are the twist sharpeners for carpenters pencils. This whole "they're flat so they don't roll away" business is nice, and maybe even has some truth to it, though I suspect this was just a happy accident after the fact. The point is to have a large, flat lead that can be sharpened to a fine line, or even better, bevelled. This lets you get in tight and scribe accurate lines.

I do the same thing with my mechanical pencil when I really need it perfect. I rub it on some sand paper at an angle a couple of times, and I get a very sharp beveled edge, but because it's a cylinder, it only contacts in one spot and dulls almost immediately. A nice, flat carpenter pencil will let you make a lot of lines without breaking or dulling too badly....unless you use that stupid round sharpener contraption! :)

[Maurice Ungaro]

John, I'm definitely trying the previously mentioned method of sharpening a carpenter's pencil against the side of a grinding wheel.

[george wilson]

There was a Japanese drafting student who was making perfect,thin,even ink lines using a Japanese brush! When he was asked how he drew thicker lines,he said "Bear down harder!" That would have taken better nerves than I had!!!!

[Maurice Ungaro]

Well, just got this vintage Dixon, model 15 "Pointer" in the mail today. Works wonderfully, and looks cool to boot. Still use my drafting lead holders too.

[Alan Caro]

Harland Barnhart,

If you are very particular about pencil sharpening, and various diameters, different point depths for different hardness pencils and work then you might consider the Dahle Professional (mechanical). This is adjustable for taper / fineness and diameter. When I use a hard lead- drafting- I like a long taper / fine point, whereas colored pencils use a short, wide tip. The Dahle also adapts to pencils of different diameters automatically- without the diameter dial. The Dahle costs as much as a good electric, but the cutters are very high quality and last. It's the only sharpener I've found that doesn't constantly break off the tips of expensive color pencils. The numbers of times I've sharpened a Prismacolor three times and lost 3/8" to have a surviving point would pay for the sharpener. I don't use pastels, but the Dahle is supposed to be able to sharpen those too- so it's accurately made. This also comes apart for cleaning and this is an advantage.

[ Optional alternative to sharpening: Of course, if you're using pencils for marking out cuts and holes in a shop, this may not apply, but I've found a very convenient mechanical pencil. After decades of chewing up Faber-Castell wood drafting pencils I'm only using colored pencils these days, ast I've found Pentel "Twist Erase" mechanical pencils excellent for drafting and sketching. These come in .5, .7, and .9mm leads. Of course, as mechanical pencils they don't need to be sharpened, but this means no chisel point for lettering. These do have a reservoir for extra leads that feeds though new leads as they're used. When the lead is down to last 1/4", you pull out the stub end, shake the pencil and a new lead falls into the advance mechanism. The important feature of all is the eraser- my best friend- which is fed out by turning the upper half of the pencil. I can use one of these for months without adding leads or running out of eraser. The erasers are hard and pure white so they don't stain the paper pink- or harden. These are inexpensive so I have six of them, both .7 and .9mm and with different hardness leads. ]

Alan Caro

[Mike Null]

Paddles, wow that brings back memories. We used paddles in my 8th grade shop class--that was in 1949. Today I use an electric X-acto. Gave my Boston crank version to my grandson.

[Metod Alif]

A block plane. Maybe not appropriate for woodworkers, though.:)
Best wishes,
Metod