When it comes to woodworking, accurate measurements are key to create the perfect masterpiece. And when it comes to getting an accurate measurement, a carpenter must know how to sharpen his woodworking pencil.
A sharpened woodworking pencil gets the job done. It gives you fine and accurate lines to know where to drill or cut. This leaves you little to no carpentry errors.
Here’s how you can sharpen your woodworking pencil without using the carpenters pencil sharpener.
3 Steps to Sharpen Your Woodworking Pencil
It is a common practice among carpenters to sharpen their woodworking pencils with a knife. By taking the steps below, you can properly sharpen your handy pencils with less time and mistake.
What you will need:
- Utility knife
- Grit sandpaper
(60-80, 220-335)
- Leather gloves
- Safety goggles
Step #1: Positioning
Hold the pencil near the point, about 1 ½ inch back from the end, with one hand. With your other hand, point the utility knife towards the pencil at 45° angle. Point the knife at about ½ inch from the end you’re going to sharpen.
Note: Utility knives are a great alternative for carpenters pencil sharpener. However, only use a sharp utility knife when sharpening your woodworking pencil. A good indicator that the blade is sharp is that it cuts through the wood easily.
Step #2: Exposing the Graphite
Push the blade through the wood carefully. Hold the knife at an optimum angle and whittle away the inner and outer wood at all four edges. Do this until you see about a ¼ inch of graphite is showing.
Using 60-80 grit sandpaper, sand off more the wood that was left the graphite. Lay the sandpaper flat on a smooth surface. Hold the pencil by the wooden part and sand off the remaining wood. Try not to disturb too much graphite.
Once you remove the pencil’s wooden protective casing, make some outward final stroke for polishing.
Step #3: Honing the Graphite
Refine the graphite tip with 220-350 grit sandpaper. Again, lay the sandpaper flat on a smooth surface. Hold the pencil by the wooden part, and then gently sand the graphite tip edges until you get a long, straight, and sharp V point.
It is also common for some carpenters to choose a different way of shaping the graphite. Some prefer the tip to be steep on one graphite side and flat on the other. If you want this, you should only sand one side of the graphite with 220-350 grit sandpaper.
Maintaining the Sharpness of Woodworking Pencils
When the woodworking pencil dulls, simply repeat Step 3 to sharpen it again. Do this also before performing any critical measuring and marking.
If the graphite can no longer be sanded, bring out your utility knife and repeat all three steps.
Bonus: How to Remove Pencil Marks from Finished Woods
If you run out of pencil eraser, don’t worry. You can erase pencil marks from your finished work with a little solvent.
Both denatured alcohol and acetone work well in removing pencil marks without raising the wood grain.
Sharp tools make for better work, and this goes for woodworking pencils too. Don’t forget to sharpen your woodworking pencil every now and then to get accurate measurements for your next masterpiece.
If you don’t own a carpenters pencil sharpener, use a utility knife to do the task.
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