# Mechanical pencils



## caboxmaker (May 3, 2017)

After reading the thread talking about pencil sharpeners I started thinking about mechanical pencils and the benefit that they never need to be sharpened. The point is always the point. Never sharper nor never dull. I've used mechanical pencils ever since I started woodworking. How many of you folks go mechanical over standard lead pencil? Here are my two goto pencils. If I need something sharper than .5 or .9 I use a knife to mark lines.










BTW, the wood in the background is NOT alder.


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## Chashint (Aug 14, 2016)

Kinda looks like alder though.
My mechanical pencils tend to evaporate…..no other plausible explanation for their total disappearance.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

It took me several years to go through a gross
of cheap mechanical pencils. I prefer them
too but I've been using regular pencils for
a few years now.


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

Definitely a mechanical guy. As you said…always sharp. I started using mechanical pencils in college because I hated having to carry a bunch of #2s to class and have used them ever since. I used to have 6 or 7 of them laying around the shop but over time they've been lost or broken so it is time for another box of 12 Pentel Cometz for $12 from Amazon. Last box lasted 9 years! Cheap and functional. I find that 5 mm is too flimsy for most woodworking and 7mm is only used when I cannot find the go-to 9mm that I normally keep in my shirt pocket.


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## Finn (May 26, 2010)

I also keep a #9 in my shirt pocket. My 9MM is in my pants pocket. <grin>


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## caboxmaker (May 3, 2017)

> I also keep a #9 in my shirt pocket. My 9MM is in my pants pocket.
> 
> - Jim Finn


Grin?? So, you've got a pencil in your pants…


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## Fthis (Feb 11, 2018)

I was late to the party but finally starting doing the mechanical pencil thing a few years ago. It changed my woodworking for ever.


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## Magnum (Feb 5, 2010)

I studied as an Architect. I always used *"Staedtler Mars-Lumograph" Mechanical Drafting Pencils. 
*
They are somewhat larger and stronger than your Standard Mechanical Pencils. (59 Years Later I'm still using the same Pencils and about a Million Leads.) ..lol..

They also supply* EVERY Hardness of Lead that you would ever want,* from "HB" (& Down, Soft) to about "6/8H" (Very Hard) in a plastic tube. 2H is ideal for General work.

You can change Leads in about 20 Seconds. You might have to go to a Drafting Supply Store to get them. It's Worth It!

Thought I had a Pic on here but no luck. I'll see if I can find one.

GOOGLE Found them for me. ...LOL…



















Regards: Rick


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## fivecodys (Dec 2, 2013)

I use both depending on what task I am doing. Mechanical pencils seem to break their lead real easy when drawing a line but I like them for more precise marks. 
I can't ever seem to cut right to the line anyway so not sure why I even bother!


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## Magnum (Feb 5, 2010)

> I use both depending on what task I am doing. Mechanical pencils seem to break their lead real easy when drawing a line but I like them for more precise marks.
> I can t ever seem to cut right to the line anyway so not sure why I even bother!
> 
> - fivecodys


" Mechanical pencils seem to break their lead real easy." Have you tried a Larger (2 mm.) and a Harder Lead, 
say 2H or up to 4H?

Rick


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## caboxmaker (May 3, 2017)

Regards: Rick

- Rick
[/QUOTE]
Rick, is this a tutorial on how to put lead in your pencil?


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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

I use mechanical pencils exactly like the one shown above as I spent a few years in architectural design.
And, my wife always tells me to *"get the lead out!"*

I also have one of these (not my photo)!










A.W. FABER-CASTELL LOCKTITE 9600 0.45×2.4MM *FLAT* DRAFTING PENCIL


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## Magnum (Feb 5, 2010)

> Rick, is this a tutorial on how to put lead in your pencil?
> 
> - caboxmaker


NAH! Staples didn't have the proper Lead!


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## Magnum (Feb 5, 2010)

> I use mechanical pencils exactly like the one shown above as I spent a few years in architectural design.
> And, my wife always tells me to *"get the lead out!"*
> 
> I also have one of these (not my photo)!
> ...


I REALLY Don't want to ask this -----But----What is that WHITE Stuff coming out of the end where the LEAD should be? (Now I'n Gonna Be In Trouble!)

Now I see why "oldnovice" said *"I also have one of these (not my photo)!"* and I Fell For It!










*Not Little Ricky's Picture! *


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## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

I have a box of carpenter's pencils that my youngest son bought me for xmas many years ago. Before that, I had bought the Staedtler's 2mm mechanical pencil for gross marking. Depending on what I am cutting, I usually use a steel scale graduated in 1/64th inch increments. There, I mark the line with whatever, and cut at one edge of the mark. Easier to see by contrast than a score line with a marking knife…unless it is black pencil on ebony. 

I have big enough mitts that I have to use a .7 mm pencil at the least, because the .5 mm lead just breaks off.


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## MarioF (Feb 6, 2009)

I use a Pilot .5 only with Incra rules because it is what fits in them, for absolutely everything else I just can´t let go a good quality wooden pencil, there is just something about them, I do run through one every week, have to keep it sharp as a needle…....maybe helps with deadline anxiety…pencils anybody?


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

I've had and use the same mechanical pencil since 1972 when I took mechanical drafting and drafting technology in college….It came in a drafting kit I got made by Post….dividers, triangles, pencil, an eraser bag, and a tri-angle 12" 3 sided ruler…along with a Post t square….The pencil has all the red paint rubbed off just about….I keep an assortment of leads for different applications…..I carry it all the time in the shop…It stays in my apron..I have been known to use a #2 "old yeller" pencil…..!!


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## caboxmaker (May 3, 2017)

> I ve had and use the same mechanical pencil since 1972 when I took mechanical drafting and drafting technology in college….It came in a drafting kit I got made by Post….dividers, triangles, pencil, an eraser bag, and a tri-angle 12" 3 sided ruler…along with a Post t square….The pencil has all the red paint rubbed off just about….I keep an assortment of leads for different applications…..I carry it all the time in the shop…It stays in my apron..
> 
> - Rick Dennington


Rick, since 1972? That must be a record for never having lost it.


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

Yep….since 1972…..No joke…and I've never lost it, or misplaced it….I'd know where that pencil is before I'd know where my wife is….!!!


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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

*Rick*, the white stuff coming out the end is not really white, it's bright chrome and is the sleeve that supports the lead!
When you sharpened one of these with hard lead on a sandpaper pad you could draw lines extremely fine and, if you used really hard lead you could cut right through the vellum.
These pencils are still available on ebay for as little as $65!

If this forum is a history of old drafting equipment I have stuff I can share including a homemade K&E lettering tool.


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## OleGrump (Jun 16, 2017)

Haven't had to BUY any pencils since I was a teenager. There are a lot of wasted materials at the corporation where I work, pencils being among them. Some of these people will use a pencil once or twice then want to trash it. Or worse, if they decide there are supplies which are "too old" they want to throw them out. These have a habit of coming home with me. So, until I can retire, the old school wooden pencils literally "rule" in the shop. (Sorry, couldn't resist that….) Besides, the nubs still fit in my old school style compass.
Growing up here in the Washington, DC area, the only mechanical pencils I ever saw were green and stamped "SKILCRAFT US GOVERNMENT". Half the kids I knew brought these to school. I was well into my teens before I knew mechanical pencils were available form other manufacturers and sources.


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

My mechanical pencils are the cheap Bics from the Dollar Store. 7mm #2. Can't remember how much I paid but there are six in the pack. 
I use a Stanley pocket knife for exacting stuff. Cuts the grain so that I get less tear out. But, it's getting harder to see those knife cuts.
Still, it's better than how my dad told me about measuring and marking wood. " Measure with a micrometer, mark with chalk and cut with a hatchet."


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## GR8HUNTER (Jun 13, 2016)

Dixon Ticonderoga #2 is better for me then them lead busters I.M.O. :<))


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## Tony1212 (Aug 26, 2013)

I've been using mechanical pencils for writing since I was in high school back in the early 90's. I studied engineering in college and loved my mechanical pencils. 0.5mm #2 lead. So when I started woodworking, I naturally brought the mechanical pencils with me into the shop.

That lasted about a year. The 0.5mm lead was too flimsy and kept breaking. I was going through lead like crazy. The 0.7mm lead seemed too fat to mark 1/32" accurately.

I ended up with a regular old pencil that I could sharpen to a thin point but was sturdy enough to not break so often.

I've actually started using a fine tip sharpie more often. It gives a nice, dark, thin line without breaking.

I do like that Staedtler, though. If they're not too expensive, I may give it a shot.


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## bonesbr549 (Jan 1, 2010)

Me personally, use to think a pencil is a pencil is a pencil. That is not true. My son who is an artist, and showed me his, and he is woodworker too. I like the staedtler 925. I use two diff one is a .05 and also a .07. Their graphite erases well and the barrel lenght at the tip is longer, so it makes it better for slipping into incra rules and similar brands. If i need the fatter line (eyes) i use the .07, main stay is the .05.

I also recommend the staedtler block eraser as it's latex free and removes graphite well. (I use to think an eraser was an eraser too.

Those aren't cheap, but you get what you pay for.


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## MinnesotaSteve (Dec 17, 2015)

I use a .7mm mechanical pencil for making notes and such.

If I want precision I use a marking knife.


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## d38 (Sep 6, 2017)

I mainly use mechanicals because I also like the consistent lead size all the time.
Just bought a 12 pack of Bic .5mm for my Incra rule like pictured in the first post. 
Also use .7 mm for other work since the .5 brakes easily.


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## Magnum (Feb 5, 2010)

> I ve had and use the same mechanical pencil since 1972 when I took mechanical drafting and drafting technology in college….It came in a drafting kit I got made by Post….dividers, triangles, pencil, an eraser bag, and a tri-angle 12" 3 sided ruler…along with a Post t square….The pencil has all the red paint rubbed off just about….I keep an assortment of leads for different applications…..I carry it all the time in the shop…It stays in my apron..I have been known to use a #2 "old yeller" pencil…..!!
> 
> - Rick Dennington


Hey Rick! ! Nice to hear from you! Still doing the Bass Masters thing?

Regards: Rick (#2)


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## Commarato53 (Dec 13, 2013)

I like the black .5 MM Pentel which I believe you have the .7 MM version showing in the Yellow. Incra rules only take the .05 point, if I'm not mistaken. The Pentel mechanical pencil is bulletproof and still made in Japan. I remember my Dad using these in the mid 1970's. A really good product.


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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

+1 on Pentel pencils, I have some of those too!


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

> I studied as an Architect. I always used *"Staedtler Mars-Lumograph" Mechanical Drafting Pencils.
> *
> They are somewhat larger and stronger than your Standard Mechanical Pencils. (59 Years Later I m still using the same Pencils and about a Million Leads.) ..lol..
> 
> ...


I have 2 of these that live on the workbench. One I keep with a sharp tip using the pointer in the cap. The other I have a small piece of steel with sandpaper glued on it that I use to sharpen it to a knife-edge for scribing finer lines or filling in lines from my marking knife.

I also have a .5mm pencil specifically to use with my Incra rule.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

> I like the black .5 MM Pentel which I believe you have the .7 MM version showing in the Yellow. Incra rules only take the .05 point, if I m not mistaken. The Pentel mechanical pencil is bulletproof and still made in Japan. I remember my Dad using these in the mid 1970 s. A really good product.
> 
> - Commarato53


That is what I use, as well, the P205 Pentel. Keep one on the bench and use another at work.


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## msinc (Jan 8, 2017)

> Kinda looks like alder though.
> My mechanical pencils tend to evaporate…..no other plausible explanation for their total disappearance.
> 
> - Chashint


Mine too…glad to see someone else has the same problem. I need two just to sign my name!!! I just use a regular pencil when I need one…I would like to have a really nice mechanical, but knowing it wont be around at the end of the day kills spending $65.00 on a decent one. I remember my grandfather asking us, "what in the hell did you clowns use to mark those cut lines? A can of spray paint?"


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## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

I have a dozen or so Pentel 0.7 mm P207 pencils floating around the shop and office. I also have a couple of the 0.5 mm version that I use now and again. A couple of them are over 30 years old, from when I took a drafting class in college.










For dark wood, I use a Fons and Porter white lead fabric pencil that TungOil recommended.










For jigs, I use a sharpie so I can read whatever I wrote on the jig the next time I want to use it.


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## caboxmaker (May 3, 2017)

Earl, thanks for the tip. I just ordered a Fons and Porter.


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

After retiring with 60 years of drafting experience under my belt, I have an infinite supply of pencil leads, mechanical leads, wood pencils, ball point pens, erasers, etc. I will never have to buy a lead of any kind for the rest of my life. I use 4-h pencil leads in my compass, .05 and .09 mm leads for marking and even carpenters pencils for rough work.


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## MrSmith670 (Jan 26, 2014)

I use a traditional wood pencil mostly, but i do use a .3mm mechanical to darken knife lines.


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## patcollins (Jul 22, 2010)

> I use a traditional wood pencil mostly, but i do use a .3mm mechanical to darken knife lines.
> 
> - John


0.3mm? Holy crap, I can't use a 0.5 because I constantly break them. I discovered 0.9mm mechanical pencils and that is all I will use now. They are harder to find though.


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## caboxmaker (May 3, 2017)

I just ordered a box of 12 .9mm Pentels. Someday I'll find the 36 I've lost. Can't figure it out. When I find them I'll have a sale…


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## surveyorb4 (Oct 6, 2016)

As a surveyor for many years, mechanical pencils were the norm, but I never have liked to mark on wood or other stuff with them so now being retired I carry a regular pencil. I'm starting to run short on those little clip things though and can't find them in the stores any more. I sharpen them with an old pencil sharpener or my knife. I think I'll look up "pencil clips" since I brought this up.


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## surveyorb4 (Oct 6, 2016)

Dang it! They are $1 a pop!


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## caboxmaker (May 3, 2017)

Michael, look at them as 10 for $8.99. Seems better that way. Like you're getting a deal…


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## LesB (Dec 21, 2008)

I use wood pencils most of the time because they are inexpensive and I can have them scattered all over the shop. Of course they are always scattered in the wrong place when I need one. The type with the H3 or harder lead is generally better for fine lines other wise I use a common #2.
The Incra rule pictured in the top picture is something I use often but the .5 led for that is so fragile you have to be extra careful not to keep breaking it off. This reminds me to look for a stronger .5 lead but then the line will not be as dark and harder to see.


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## surveyorb4 (Oct 6, 2016)

http://imgur.com/iwsByNJ

Ok I found 2 old freebies and one had the clip that will work. No $8.75 to Evil-Bay yet.


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## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

> I use a traditional wood pencil mostly, but i do use a .3mm mechanical to darken knife lines.
> 
> - John


I had a .3mm mechanical pencil for drafting. I dropped it once, and it landed on the wood floor business end first, and stuck in the floor. It was never the same after that.


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## caboxmaker (May 3, 2017)

> I have a dozen or so Pentel 0.7 mm P207 pencils floating around the shop and office. I also have a couple of the 0.5 mm version that I use now and again. A couple of them are over 30 years old, from when I took a drafting class in college.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Just tried the .9mm fabric pencil on some dark walnut and it works great.


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## ChicksWithTools (Sep 17, 2016)

I've always used mechanical pencils. I can't operate without them. At work I've always searched for the right phrase to label on my tools and mechanical pencils so the guys at work won't steal them.


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## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

I have a large collection of drafting lead holders and leads of practically every hardness left over from school.
They work great for general labeling and coarse marking on wood simply because the tips don't break. I never sharpen these. For detail marking I love the 0.5mm (#2 lead) pencils with the extended steel tip. The steel tip glides along rulers and squares for accurate lines. These also of course don't need sharpening. Other shop duties get the standard 0.7mm since it is a bit stronger (and also never gets sharpened)

Basically the never-sharpen is what I like 8^)


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## mramseyISU (Mar 3, 2014)

This is one of those it depends sorts of things for me.

My go-to is a cheap bic .007 pencil. I have a whole box of them. For when I need to use my incara centering ruler I pull out a nicer .005 mechanical pencil, I can't remember the brand. Lastly if I'm cutting rough sawn stock or 2X lumber I have a standard carpenters pencil.


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## CL810 (Mar 21, 2010)

Thanks EarlS for the Fons and Porter. I received mine today and it works great on walnut just as caboxmaker said.


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## BoardButcherer (Feb 21, 2018)

Japanese 2mm pencil with hard lead for adding color to knife marks. Trying to get away from using anything but a knife for my layout. We'll see how long that lasts….


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