# Wooden Pencil, Mechanical Pencil or Marking knife?



## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

For me, it is wooden pencil - but not just any wooden pencil. Lee Valley sells some special pencils designed for woodworking. The points hold up, even when being used on some moderately rough wood.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=32538&cat=1,42936,43509&ap=1

I prefer the 2B pencil.

I keep an electric pencil sharpener in my shop and in just a couple of seconds I have a fresh sharp point. Does an electric pencil sharpener qualify as a power tool? I want to get my power tool count as high a possible.

Mechanical pencils and me do not get along. I think I want the real thin leads, but they keep breaking.

My eyesight is just not good enough to work with a marking knife. The marking knife gives you the most precise mark, but if you cannot see it, what good does that do?


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## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

I use a marking knife, but I find the line almost invisible on darker woods and end up going over them with a mechanical pencil.


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## Grandpa (Jan 28, 2011)

If I use a mechanical pencil I use a Pentel that uses .9MM lead. It Doesn't break. I generally use a regular wood pencil and a hand crank sharpener. That covers me because I don't have many hand tools. LOL


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## Jeff28078 (Aug 27, 2009)

Always use a 0.7 mm Pentel in the shop. I'm a science nerd so mechanical pencils are kind of part of the uniform. I use a 0.3 mm Pentel at work.


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## PeteMoss (Nov 24, 2008)

I prefer the same Lee Valley pencils in B.


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## Woodwrecker (Aug 11, 2008)

A good old pencil for me!
I keep a sharpener and a mug of pencils on the bench and it works out just fine.


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## DMIHOMECENTER (Mar 5, 2011)

Conastoga Pencils and Marking knife for me. I use my thumbnail on soft wood trim at the miter saw, though.


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## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

Depends on what I'm doing, and I need REALLY good light to use a marking knife. Usually a pencil. .7 MM mostly, but I have a 2 mm Staedtler (made in Chinee, go figure) and a pile of those regular marking pencils.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Usually I have a .7mm mechanical pencil around and that is
what I use in woodworking for general marking. Precise marking
for hand tool cuts I use a knife for.

I despise regular pencils for marking because the line is not
consistent unless they are meticulously sharpened at all times.


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## jusfine (May 22, 2010)

Loren, I don't think you can despise something that can't despise you back… 

I use a couple of mechanical pencil brands, one is a blue german Staedtler with a 2 mm lead, the other one a pencil from Lee Valley that cost a fortune (Fixpencil) but works better on rough lumber, 3 mm thick lead.


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

Like Loren and others I use a mechanical pencil but I use a .7mm, it doesn't seem to be quite as fragile and I got 20 boxes of leads at the dollar store for how much? oh, yeah… a dollar.

My boss has a .9mm pencil made by Pentel, and I would like to find one, but then again, finding spare leads might be difficult other than at an office or engineering supply.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Littlecope had an excellent tip tonight which I can't wait to try. He applies tape to the wood and then marks the tape. I have trouble following a pencil line on darker woods with my bandsaw and this should help. It should also help solve the pencil lead wanting to follow the grain rather than the straight edge. Tips like this make LJ a great resource for us learners.


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## TCCcabinetmaker (Dec 14, 2011)

Some old country boy trim carpenter once told me, in a voice that sounded like huckleberry hound….

The finer your mark, the more accurate your cut will be.

Thus I use .5 mechanical pencils


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## Tootles (Jul 21, 2011)

In the days when I did technical drawings using pencil and paper, I learned that you have to use wooden and mechanical pencils differently. You always push a mechanical pencil (otherwise the lead breaks) but always pull a wooden pencil. With wooden pencils you should also simutaneously rotate the pencil to prevent a flat spot from developing at the point which then results in a thicker line. I still use these techniques today even with wood.

When using a marking knife on light wood, take a pencil and draw in the line after cutting so that you can see it. You could probably do the same on darker wood if you used a white colouring pencil. Remember that cutting lines is often useful for locating either tools or an edge of the wood so the point of cutting lines is to be able to feel the lines rather than see them.


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## derosa (Aug 21, 2010)

I alternate between mechanical and wooden pencils based on which one I find at the moment. I'm constantly misplacing them somehow. The wooden pencil I sharpen on the grinder which can be made to produce a really nice point.


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## jbertelson (Sep 26, 2009)

OK, here is a challenge. We need a marking knife that simultaneously lays down a pencil mark….......don't you think?

I use 5mm because it fits in my Incra rulers. The lead does break now and then, but it is easy to extend more lead and lead is cheap.

Thanks Toodles, I will try more pushing…......


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## planeBill (Oct 21, 2011)

I use a .5mm drafting pencil that I can charge with any hardness of lead I choose but hate using it on open grained woods because of breakage. I have been looking at a marking knife from this guy http://www.bluesprucetoolworks.com/tools/index.htm
He makes some really beautiful tools, as I am sure many of you already know.
I also have been admiring his drawbore pins.


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## Stephenw (Nov 14, 2011)

I use a regular pencil if I don't need to be real accurate. I use a mechanical pencil with .5mm lead for precision cuts.


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## Kirko (Dec 28, 2011)

I use a knife or a scribe and feel for it. If I use a pencil I sharpen it on sand paper and use 2 converging marks, to make a "v".


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

After reviewing some very good comments, I am going to agree, that, to some degree, what you use should be a function of what you are doing. In general, I seldom do anything where my wooden pencil (with a sharp point) is not the right option but there may be a situation where the additional accuracy of a marking knife or mechanical pencil may be the right choice.


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## agallant (Jul 1, 2010)

Mechanical pencel if I can't find it which is quite often I will use my knife to make a mark…..


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## KenBee (Mar 9, 2011)

I use both mechanical throw-a-way pencils (.7mm) and marking knives. I also have a Koh-I-Noor white lead pencil for dark woods like walnut, etc.


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## DS (Oct 10, 2011)

All three, actually-whichever one I find first!


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## Egor (Aug 2, 2007)

I use all three. For throw away the best I have found are from Office Max, their brand.


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## TCCcabinetmaker (Dec 14, 2011)

Kirko,

That is what framer's refer to as a bird's mouth. It comes from them lol.


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## Sawdust4Blood (Feb 16, 2010)

chalk to lay our my rough cut plan on raw lumber, a carpenter's pencil for finer lines, and a marking knife when I get down to the super-fine dimensions.


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## cloakie1 (May 29, 2011)

.7 Staedtler for me….and sometimes a craft knife with a breakable blade if i want to fit something tight


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## HawkDriver (Mar 11, 2011)

I use the Skillcraft 1.1mm black body black eraser mechanical. They are available at work in large quantities since the lead won't break in a rattle can helicopter when you're trying to copy down clearances. I have looked around online for places to buy them and they are available, but it takes a bit of hunting.


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

Rich, these look just like regular drafting pencils. HB is a common grade for drawing leads. You can probably get these cheaper at Staples or Hobby Lobby. Any art store wood have them. You can also buy these in loose leads and get the holders and a small pencil sharpener that works with these leads.

I also have a hard time seeing the mark from a good marking knife.

helluvawreck
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com/


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## mtenterprises (Jan 10, 2011)

I don't want to get anyone angry at me or start a fight here but, a throw away mechanical pencil, isn't that being environmentally incorrect? And isn't that counter productive to the idea of a mechanical pencil?
Oh and by the way I use my 2 pencil stubs and a marking knife mostly and sometimes crayons colored pencils and chalk. And my sharpener is an Armstrong model.
MIKE


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## kizerpea (Dec 2, 2011)

I use a razor knife most of the time…its always in the pocket of my carpenter jeans. an i do keep a penciel in my bucket boss apron.


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## SnowyRiver (Nov 14, 2008)

I just use a #2 pencil. I put the little troll on top so I can find it amongst the wood and tools.


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## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

Marking knife 98% of the time.


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

I like mechanical pencils for most things. But for dovetails I prefer a marking knife. You can fit your chisel right in that scribe line.

(World's best woodworking show is now online!)


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

I'm with you, *Wayne*. Good old number two pencils. There's always two of them in the bib pocket of my overalls.

My HB's are in my drawing and art box.

helluvawreck
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com/


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## mtenterprises (Jan 10, 2011)

Wayne great idea with the troll. But with my pencil stubs there would be more troll than pencil.
MIKE


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