My favorite new tool, and only $3.98

[Rick Potter]

For those of you who skip to the end.......it's a pencil sharpener.

For years, I have tried to come up with a good place to put an old fashioned wall hung pencil sharpener. No matter where I tried, I didn't like it. It was in the way mounted to the bench, awkward to reach on the wall, etc. So...a year ago I got a cheap electric one, and put it with the battery chargers. It was OK, but I never liked it much, being a cheapie. Being a cheapie myself, I couldn't bring myself to get a good one.

It quit working the other day, and I took it apart but there was nothing I could fix so I was back to square one. Walking through Lowes yesterday, I happened onto a package of Hanson pencils, made in the USA. Remembering the thread on good pencils I took a look, and found it included a small pencil sharpener like kids use at school, except this sharpener was heavier duty and had a hex shaft on it that fits your screw gun or drill.

I bought it for the pencils, and when I got home I tried out the sharpener. WOW! It's like an electric sharpener on steroids, and it takes up no space. I sharpened 27 pencils in no time. It worked well on my 500 RPM screw gun, but smoother and quicker on my 1500 RPM impact gun. The single blade on it will not last forever obviously, but it is held in with a screw and could probably be honed a few times.

Like I said, it's my favorite new tool......for $4.

Rick Potter

[Joseph Tarantino]

got a sku or product number from lowes so the rest of us can see about getting one?

[Todd Burch]

Find and old 1/4" drill, chuck it permanently to the drill, and then look for a place to mount the drill!! HAR HAR. (But, it would be a one-handed operation at that point. ("point" = no pun intended)

[Rick Potter]

Joseph,

Just happen to have the bill in my pocket. Lowes SKU 210021. It was in the tool department, on an end cap, near the Sharpies. Look for a plastic tube the size of a tube of caulk.

I'm gonna get another to put in my tool bag.

Rick P

[Bob Faris]

If you want to see what the carpenter pencil version looks like, a picture is at the bottom of this link. http://chhanson.com/markingPencils.html

[Jeff Duncan]

Gotta go with what works for you....but I love my electric pencil sharpeners. I have one I picked up from the dump, and another I'm not quite sure where it came from, but they just come along every now and then and work great for my needs.

JeffD

[Joseph Tarantino]

thanks. i've seen those in HD just didn't think they would work that well. good to know they perform so i'll keep an eye out when next in a big box store.

[Steve Beadle]

I now keep my old-fashioned hand-crank pencil sharpener mounted to a block of wood which I can mount in my vise anytime I need it. I keep it on the workbench when it's not in the vise, so it's always handy.

Steve

[Doug Morgan]

Found it at my store for $4.08 LOL you got a better price

[Bill Huber]

You call that tube thing a pencil sharpener:D

Now this is a pencil sharpener......

[Keith Weber]

What's a pencil sharpener?

I just buy a bag of those bright-colored, disposable mechanical pencils. I find that the magic number to avoid wasting time looking for a pencil is to have about 10 of them strategically placed around the shop. They seem to migrate, but with 10 of them migrating, I always seem to be able to spot one before I've wasted too much time looking.

Keith

[Rick Potter]

OK,

It's official. Bill wins. I will borrow that next time I need to take 3 or 4 feet off a pencil.

Sheeesh, first guy doesn't have a chance:mad:.

Rick Potter

The scary part is that it looks like might actually be used. Nice Halloween segway.

[Kevin Presutti]

Bill,

I have a couple of electric pencil sharpeners, considerably lighter duty but more on the space save side. LOL

[Steve Beadle]

I would LIKE to use mechanical pencils, but I have no luck with them. Usually, they won't keep a grip on the lead. The lead keeps slipping up inside the barrel. And then, when I forget it's a mechanical pencil, I ruin my pencil sharpener when I put the pointy end in the sharpener and give it a few cranks. Makes a bad noise, too. ;>)

[Rian de Bruyn]

what do you do with 27 pencils

[Keith Westfall]

Wears out his new pencil sharpener...! :D

And Yes, Bill's the pencil sharpener winner!

[Jim Neeley]

You call that tube thing a pencil sharpener:D

Now this is a pencil sharpener......

Now just add an twin-turbo auto-start diesel generator to power it and you're off...

[Rick Potter]

Rian,

Pick an answer.

1. I have a family of five living in my shop for the last few months, and pencils seem to grow legs and disappear.

2. I was having so much fun with my new toy, that I went in the house and found another box of pencils.

3. Both the above.

Rick Potter

'Pencils Sharpened Here'
'Will Work for Pencils'
'Pssst Buddy, got a pencil?'
'Honest Ms. Crabapple, the dog ate my pencil'
'Don't ask what your pencil can do for you, ask.....

I'm here till Friday.

[J.R. Rutter]

Brings this to mind:

http://www.artisanalpencilsharpening.com/

http://www.artisanalpencilsharpening.com/images/main_home.png

The amazon book reviews of "How to Sharpen Pencils" are priceless.

[johnny means]

Rick, I've been using those for a while now and I'm always surprised at how much attention they get on the job site. Guys see me sharpen a pencil real quick and are really impressed by it's handiness. I keep mine chucked up in a little Bosch 12v drill. Plus, the pencils are way better than most anything else out there.