this video is like being at a job and having one of your older coworkers show you a trick you never thought about and that will change your workflow for ever. thanks for the tips sir!
that's why his son realized this incredible incremental value and recorded & produces videos, which is damn near a stress reliever if you consider the meditating tone mr.craftsman uses
@@Californians_go_home thing is, you always have a knife or so with you anyways and a sharpener will soon get lost or otherwise. and even if you have no knife some other dude near you will have one.
When I teach knife use and safety for our chapter of a scouting organization, where all youth over the age of 6 carry a pocket knife if they demonstrate safe use, I ask them if they can drive a car. No, they answer. Can your dad? Yes, they answer. Right, because your dad has the knowledge and maturity and experience to have earned that privelege. So when using a knife, we will stick to these rules while you learn and grow and demonstrate responsibility, and then in time you will find new techniques and uses that would be unwise for you now.
I still have my Totenchip (?) Card, and I’m seventy. We had to have it if we wanted to use a hatchet or an axe for firewood when we camped out. That was a big incentive to study and get that card. Hey River Yeti, thanks for using your time to help teach our young people how to grow up and be a responsible adult.
That’s how I learned when I was young too. had a pen knife in my pocket sense I was around 8. I’m 25 now and you learn that if you really know the rules you can certainly break them to be more efficient and maintaining safety.
"Rules exist for the strict adherence of fools and the guidance of wise men". Man , I wish I knew that one when I was a teenager . I doubt it would have help my case though .
I'm a project manger/lead carpenter on a lot of jobs, I keep new pencils with me that I ask people to sharpen when they ask me for work, it's a great job interview
One of my art teachers made me sharpen my pencils like this for drawing outside so we could see what people used to have to do. It changes the way you approach drawing when you have to sharpen by hand.
I did drawing classes myself as well and we were taught how to sharpen pencils. I can make them needle sharp for edges or rounded and stocky for smudge shading. Its a neat skill :)
You can still cut away from your body and control the stroke if you do it slowly and use the thumb of the left hand to slowly push the blade away (the other fingers of the left hand are holding the pencil), the right hand is holding the handle of the knife to position the knife but not to provide the majority of the force for the cut
I was looking to see if somebody was mentioning this technique. I also use this technique and work in construction. I learned this from carving with a knife, so it's not that I am not used to cutting towards myself. It really is easier is this way and you get excellent control
I also use this way as I feel you get even more control than the technique shown in the video. I carve wooden figures as a hobby, and also work as a carpenter, so I’m quite used to carve in all kinds of direction. But to each their own!
Nice short, Scott. The other downside to the "whittle away method" is that you're more likely to crack and push the graphite out of the pencil's wooden body.
I’ve been waiting on that quote regarding rules for a long time. My wife insists on always following rules to the letter and I’m always trying to explain that they have been made with idiots in mind. This quote summaries it perfectly and is going up in the house somewhere. Thank you.
I don't know how long you've been married, but I don't think it's a good idea to put up a passive-aggressive sign calling your wife an idiot. By the by, has your social media feed been showing more ads for divorce lawyers? These algorithms are uncanny.
Maybe this video could be expanded into the general principle of "plan your disasters". Think about what you're about to do, figure out how it could go wrong, and decide if that would be acceptable. If not, change the plan. In the case of sharpening the pencil, you have enough control of the blade that it's not going to do anything that will hurt you. Planned disasters are the rule that cover this and pretty much all risk management through life. Riding motorcycles, retirement investment, opening paint cans, etc.
"opening paint cans" I laughed out loud at that one. Every time I go to open a can of paint I think about what's around it and how bad it could go. I guess I never considered applying that same principle to pretty much everything.
This is his way of saying something almost not having much to do about pencils. As always, a man and content from a different, very missed time. Thanks as always.
Great advise. Just another carpenter tip to share. Sharpen both ends. That way no matter what way you grab it out of the bags you can mark something. It also keeps one side sharper for a period of time. It’s especially handy when framing and trying to keep a good pace of production. Seconds add up to hours when framing a large home. Cheers,
Hey I recognize that pencil from my high school construction class in Phoenix. I believe you visited that a few years ago, about a month or two after I had graduated. Was sorry to have missed you.
Any one that carves spoons knows just how misguided the "never cut toward yourself" rule is ;) You just cannot carve a spoon (or whittle most anything) while following that rule. And in fact, the one time I have significantly cut myself while whittling was while following that rule.
Yup, I was going to mention the same thing. In spoon carving, there's all sorts of grips where you cut toward yourself. Each of them though has a way to be done safely with little risk of injury.
Always lots of neat information and enjoyment. I watched your video on "skill saws." Regarding the length of your cord (40 - 60') on the saw. We tried that system for a while; however, we preferred cutting the cord to about 8" and putting a 15 amp twist and lock female plug on the tool. We found role-up time was faster. Also, it was easier to store the tool in the van and not as messy. We changed everything to twist and lock plugs. Nothing like being 15' in the air, and your extension line pulls apart. Of course, that only happens when you send your helper to the store for coffee.
My Dad who was born in 1901 and had more skills than most 100 men of today, showed me that when I was 6 years old, I have never forgotten and get so upset when some snot nose teen knows more than what was taught me 68 years ago. I have passed this method down the pike for many years, thank you for keeping it going.
Cradle pencil in fingers of left hand, hold knife with an over grip with right hand, push/guide blade end of knife casing away from body with LEFT thumb...safe, fast and precise.
I love that your video about breaking rules at the end has EC driving his tractor "unsafely" with the bucket in the air. Sometimes you have to make careful calculated decisions on how to bend rules to accomplish a task.
My best pencil tip- Even though you get the lumberyard ones for free, buy some Dixon Red and Black 997-H (hard graphite) pencils. The harder graphite stays sharper longer and doesn't break nearly as easily. Second pencil tip is from Norm Abram's book- sharpen the flatter sides first, then the short sides.
The maxims your drop are always useful. One of my favs is, "you gotta play the part if you're gonna run the bluff"! If you made these into signs i would buy them for family and friends
Thank you Scott! You are the the defacto patriarch in my life giving me nuggets of wisdom and bolstering my confidence in a way I haven't had since my grandfather died almost 15 years ago. I wish i could come study under you personally for a few months. It wouldn't matter what you wanted to teach me I'd be willing to learn to do anything under your tutelage and consider the time extremely well spent. Keeping you and your family in our prayers and as always, God bless from Florida.
Back in the more enlightened seventies, My Dad and I taught grade school kids how to whittle using the technique you just showcased. Some others in the school were all in a fuss because we were not telling the kids to cut away from themselves but to carve towards themselves. The class didn't last long but it was a fine experiment in creativity and craftmanship.
I always use a angle grinder ,I have it in my toolbox that I always have in a close proximity of 5-10 m,on any job. It helps a lot especially in finish carpentry to have a thin sharp tip on the pencil.
Nice. My favorite quote on that subject is Emerson’s “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” He goes on to name names, but I don’t think that’s helpful or necessary; everybody does it.
Hello from Easton Maryland!!Well done with your method! I use to sharpen my carpenter pencils cutting with the outside way. I’m right handed, I hold my pencil with the left hand firmly I push my knife with my left thumb. In that way I think is better that yours.
I sharpen both ends. Kind of like how I live , burning my candle at both ends lol. But I find it easier to work with. I put it in my side pocket in my shorts so I don't waste time figuring out which end has the lead when it's time to mark. And I don't have to worry about putting it back in my pocket a certain way. Just a little tip ☺️ or two 😉
@@jeffnarum1373 And while this is a somewhat usefull tip, I bet some ... say person to not get in any way insulting ... will manage to stab his hand on a freshly sharpened pencil in some way no one else willl be able to understand ;) Oh, except that person uses one of those pencil sharpeners. I think I broke of more pencils using that piece of garbage than wasting sharpening away from me.
When I first started in my trade (Industrial Millwright) my mentor told me. "Cut towards your chum, not your thumb. You can replace your chum, but not your thumb." He went on to say "If you have to cut towards your thumb, don't be dumb" I still think of this every time I use a knife or have to use that thumb technique you showed. Excellent video 👍
There actually is a way to shave/carve it away from you and do it controlled and precise, And faster than toward you. But just like doing it toward you, the blade must be very sharp because what you do is give it a little twist/curve at the base as you work around it.
Been in the trades for decades and haven’t used a carpenters pencil in over a decade; I switched years ago to mechanical carpenters pencils which work by having multiple leads in plastic tips, you can pull and reverse the lead, and then pull the plastic holder out and push it into the top which pushes out another plastic lead holder out the bottom. I think the pencil has u plastics and they’re sold on their own in grey, blue, and red. I don’t recall the manufacturer but I want to say Irwin. I also like the standard mechanical pencils, including 2mm lead holders; I have a drafting background and like lead holders as they hold up well and are much stronger than the click style mechanicals. I also like marking knives for fine work which leave a much finer line than any pencil.
I love the Dixon model myself. In my trade the dust is so fine I can't have the Hultafors or Pica as the mechanism clog too quickly. On many materials I used my dad's trick for layout for work at the 1/32 accuracy level is just to use a ball point pen.
@@Pinz314: Swanson, that’s the one I use; I couldn’t recall the name when I wrote it. They’re good pencils other than the cheap plastic pocket clips which always seem to break off on me.
@@libertarian1637 yes, they are very nice. Bought one for the gimmick, but I ended up loving it on the bigger stuff. For the small things noting beats a cheap BIC mechanical pencil.
@@Pinz314: It has its place and for fine work, or so much. I use a number of marking implements depending in the job and scale/accuracy needed from a marker, I prefer the Milwaukee branded ones over Sharpie, with the exception of the fine tip click Sharpies, I also use a 2mm lead holder drafting pencils for finer work, or a 0.7mm click style mechanical pencil with an extended metal tip, which works great for getting into places, as well as a marking knife for real fin marking. I also keep around a tungsten strike which can cut a line even in the hardest materials and a wax/oil crayon for marking on things for which nothing else will work. I have a horrible time with setting things down so I have a number of measure/mark stations around the shop each set up the same way with marking implements and a 25’ tape measure because then both a measuring device and marking implements are always close at hand.
I'll try that next time. If I'm in my shop I'll write often use my small Stanley shoulder plane because it's a pleasure to use but I think I'm aiming for the wrong end profile, I tend to make the lead too long and slender, great for paper sketches but not durable when marking rough sawn.
First, score a shallow cut around the wood to give you a nice square reference. Second, remove all wood and lead that you don't need. I started using thick mechanical drafting pencils about a light 1/8" diameter. I can't remember if it's 2mm or 3mm. Cheapo .8mm pencils get used pretty frequently too. I just use my thumb behind the blade if I want to hog off some wood, makes a great pivot point.
I slice and peel spuds the same way with my pocket knife. (I wash it first, I'm not a lunatic.) The fingers are holding the knife while the heel of the hand acts as a depth stop. A few rules I see no way around... like don't eat yellow snow.
I bought and got in the habit of using a 2mm lead holder with a 2H lead. Even dull, it's as sharp as a sharpened carpenter's pencil. And anecdotal testing by me, the lead lasts as long. But ymmv.
Next you should talk about all the ways to form the point of the pencil for different functions. Offset scribe, flat scribe… diff carvings into diff shapes can make that pencil a few tools.
As the company I work for becomes more and more corporate with safety policies I start missing the days of building a back yard deck fir a customer in a quiet neighborhood, a shop in the country, an addition to someone's home. I didn't make much money and there was a lot of worry but it was honest work that I really enjoyed.
Hi Scott, Here's another 'rule breaker' technique that I learned a long time ago from my lifetime carpenter great-Uncle - when you first crack into a new pencil, sharpen BOTH ENDS at that time. I thought it was crazy talk at first until even the best pencil I had went and crumbled the point at an inopportune moment. The same goes for wearing down the point while on a ladder or in a crawl space, etc...you don't want to be sharpening the point while needing both hands for other tasks. Just flip that pencil around and you're set to go. It goes without saying that when one end needs resharpening, do the other too and you'll nearly never be without a good point. PS - I also like to sharpen one end to a point and the other 'flat edge' style. Multiple marking edges for different jobs too.
I was once told that if I didn’t have anything to do on a job I should sharpen my pencil. The truth is that there is always something that should be done.
OMG! what a profound great tag: "Rules exist for the strict adherence of fools, and for the guidance of wise men" Wow........I mean yes sir, apsolutly!!! What a truth speaker, and obviously a very skilled and experienced tradesman! - love this channel !!!
Well done! I use a sharpener only because I’m not practiced enough to do a better job by hand. The wise comment at the end sums up many things in life! Well Said!
I don't do it either of those ways. I hold the pencil in my left hand with the point aiming away. Hold the utility knife in my right hand, then use my left thumb to push the knife away in a controlled fashion. Nobody showed me this, I just kind of figured it out myself after not liking the uncontrolled hacking, and wanting to avoid sharpening toward me. Kind of a hybrid approach. Not that there's anything wrong with the way Scott does it. Just doing it the way I became accustomed to.
Industrial commercial carpenter for 45 years 20 years ago safety discipline in the organization I worked for dictated no more utility knives. Started planning harder for retirement right then.
this video is like being at a job and having one of your older coworkers show you a trick you never thought about and that will change your workflow for ever. thanks for the tips sir!
that's why his son realized this incredible incremental value and recorded & produces videos, which is damn near a stress reliever if you consider the meditating tone mr.craftsman uses
I just bought a pencil sharpener for flat pencils at the hardware store. Seemed to be easier.
@@SecureLemons i learned so much from this channel
@@Californians_go_home thing is, you always have a knife or so with you anyways and a sharpener will soon get lost or otherwise. and even if you have no knife some other dude near you will have one.
Its almost like abortion is a personal choice or something
When I teach knife use and safety for our chapter of a scouting organization, where all youth over the age of 6 carry a pocket knife if they demonstrate safe use, I ask them if they can drive a car. No, they answer. Can your dad? Yes, they answer. Right, because your dad has the knowledge and maturity and experience to have earned that privelege. So when using a knife, we will stick to these rules while you learn and grow and demonstrate responsibility, and then in time you will find new techniques and uses that would be unwise for you now.
Sounds like a grear approach to teaching these skills!
I still have my Totenchip (?) Card, and I’m seventy. We had to have it if we wanted to use a hatchet or an axe for firewood when we camped out. That was a big incentive to study and get that card.
Hey River Yeti, thanks for using your time to help teach our young people how to grow up and be a responsible adult.
@@Hoaxer51 I had that card too and I am 74. Didn't save my card
Using this on my scouts thank you
That’s how I learned when I was young too. had a pen knife in my pocket sense I was around 8. I’m 25 now and you learn that if you really know the rules you can certainly break them to be more efficient and maintaining safety.
"Rules exist for the strict adherence of fools and the guidance of wise men". Man , I wish I knew that one when I was a teenager . I doubt it would have help my case though .
Hey man......we both picked up on that great line!
Yes but nobody thinks they're a fool, so fools don't follow rules.
@@ironpirate8 Fools like MLK , Rosa Parks , Galileo, Nelson Mandela,Ghandi and Jesus as a few examples.
If you were anything like me it would have went through one ear and out the other, going faster out than it went in 😅
Yeap, subbed on that note
I'm a project manger/lead carpenter on a lot of jobs, I keep new pencils with me that I ask people to sharpen when they ask me for work, it's a great job interview
One of my art teachers made me sharpen my pencils like this for drawing outside so we could see what people used to have to do. It changes the way you approach drawing when you have to sharpen by hand.
I did drawing classes myself as well and we were taught how to sharpen pencils. I can make them needle sharp for edges or rounded and stocky for smudge shading. Its a neat skill :)
There is much wisdom in learning what our ancestors had to do.
You can still cut away from your body and control the stroke if you do it slowly and use the thumb of the left hand to slowly push the blade away (the other fingers of the left hand are holding the pencil), the right hand is holding the handle of the knife to position the knife but not to provide the majority of the force for the cut
That’s how I do it. Eager to try this way.
I was looking to see if somebody was mentioning this technique. I also use this technique and work in construction. I learned this from carving with a knife, so it's not that I am not used to cutting towards myself. It really is easier is this way and you get excellent control
I like to use my left thumb as a fulcrum to make a lever with the knife.
I also use this way as I feel you get even more control than the technique shown in the video. I carve wooden figures as a hobby, and also work as a carpenter, so I’m quite used to carve in all kinds of direction. But to each their own!
Nice short, Scott. The other downside to the "whittle away method" is that you're more likely to crack and push the graphite out of the pencil's wooden body.
I’ve been waiting on that quote regarding rules for a long time. My wife insists on always following rules to the letter and I’m always trying to explain that they have been made with idiots in mind. This quote summaries it perfectly and is going up in the house somewhere. Thank you.
Yes ...... Indeed I'm in total agreement :"it's going up in the house somewhere" ....... Love it! 😂😊👍
Rules mandated for the last 2 years have proven we are amongst many fools.
I don't know how long you've been married, but I don't think it's a good idea to put up a passive-aggressive sign calling your wife an idiot. By the by, has your social media feed been showing more ads for divorce lawyers? These algorithms are uncanny.
When Scott tells you to keep up the good work, you know it’s genuine.
Still, I won't ever sharpen that way pulling live blade towards my fingers. And yes, I have been a craftman for many years.
Maybe this video could be expanded into the general principle of "plan your disasters". Think about what you're about to do, figure out how it could go wrong, and decide if that would be acceptable. If not, change the plan. In the case of sharpening the pencil, you have enough control of the blade that it's not going to do anything that will hurt you. Planned disasters are the rule that cover this and pretty much all risk management through life. Riding motorcycles, retirement investment, opening paint cans, etc.
"opening paint cans" I laughed out loud at that one. Every time I go to open a can of paint I think about what's around it and how bad it could go. I guess I never considered applying that same principle to pretty much everything.
I once had a very stiff t-shirt that can vouch for that "opening paint cans" comment lol
This is his way of saying something almost not having much to do about pencils. As always, a man and content from a different, very missed time. Thanks as always.
Great advise. Just another carpenter tip to share. Sharpen both ends. That way no matter what way you grab it out of the bags you can mark something. It also keeps one side sharper for a period of time. It’s especially handy when framing and trying to keep a good pace of production. Seconds add up to hours when framing a large home. Cheers,
Yup, I do that too. You can keep rolling when you break a point and resharpening when it’s convenient.
I sharpen both ends of my pencil so I don't have to stop working. It sucks to break your pencil lead when you are in a bind as well.
Damn, I learn something from you again. This is what i have been looking for. This is how you sharp a carpenter pencil with a utility knife.
A few more gems of wisdom from this man and it proves you are never too far along to learn. Thanks, Scott!
I've recently started using my block plane to sharpen my pencil and it has been giving me excellent results.
Now get a jig block to get the same exact angle every time!
You're on the money there. Was thinking that very thing as I was using it last. Have added it to my looking list of things to do. 😁
Hey I recognize that pencil from my high school construction class in Phoenix. I believe you visited that a few years ago, about a month or two after I had graduated. Was sorry to have missed you.
Damn, Scott! Less than 3 min video and a quote that I'll try to live by from now on!
Thank you!
“The way it’s done and the way you should do it” spoken with the tone of a master!
Any one that carves spoons knows just how misguided the "never cut toward yourself" rule is ;) You just cannot carve a spoon (or whittle most anything) while following that rule. And in fact, the one time I have significantly cut myself while whittling was while following that rule.
Yup, I was going to mention the same thing. In spoon carving, there's all sorts of grips where you cut toward yourself. Each of them though has a way to be done safely with little risk of injury.
Always lots of neat information and enjoyment.
I watched your video on "skill saws." Regarding the length of your cord (40 - 60') on the saw. We tried that system for a while; however, we preferred cutting the cord to about 8" and putting a 15 amp twist and lock female plug on the tool. We found role-up time was faster. Also, it was easier to store the tool in the van and not as messy. We changed everything to twist and lock plugs. Nothing like being 15' in the air, and your extension line pulls apart. Of course, that only happens when you send your helper to the store for coffee.
Your teachings,patience and knowledge would have been enough to keep me in the trades. Thank you sir!
My Dad who was born in 1901 and had more skills than most 100 men of today, showed me that when I was 6 years old, I have never forgotten and get so upset when some snot nose teen knows more than what was taught me 68 years ago. I have passed this method down the pike for many years, thank you for keeping it going.
Cradle pencil in fingers of left hand, hold knife with an over grip with right hand, push/guide blade end of knife casing away from body with LEFT thumb...safe, fast and precise.
My Grandfather had the same comment as your last on this video, It felt good to hear it again after 30 plus years. Thanks
I just found your channel and instantly fell in love. I love to learn and the little jewls you drop at the end.
I love that your video about breaking rules at the end has EC driving his tractor "unsafely" with the bucket in the air. Sometimes you have to make careful calculated decisions on how to bend rules to accomplish a task.
My best pencil tip- Even though you get the lumberyard ones for free, buy some Dixon Red and Black 997-H (hard graphite) pencils. The harder graphite stays sharper longer and doesn't break nearly as easily. Second pencil tip is from Norm Abram's book- sharpen the flatter sides first, then the short sides.
The maxims your drop are always useful. One of my favs is, "you gotta play the part if you're gonna run the bluff"! If you made these into signs i would buy them for family and friends
Thank you Scott! You are the the defacto patriarch in my life giving me nuggets of wisdom and bolstering my confidence in a way I haven't had since my grandfather died almost 15 years ago. I wish i could come study under you personally for a few months. It wouldn't matter what you wanted to teach me I'd be willing to learn to do anything under your tutelage and consider the time extremely well spent. Keeping you and your family in our prayers and as always, God bless from Florida.
Love to hear your tips on what tools every homeowner should have
A mobile phone with data.
A pencil sharpener for rectangular pencils is easy to find and they work great . Nice video.
Back in the more enlightened seventies, My Dad and I taught grade school kids how to whittle using the technique you just showcased. Some others in the school were all in a fuss because we were not telling the kids to cut away from themselves but to carve towards themselves. The class didn't last long but it was a fine experiment in creativity and craftmanship.
I always use a angle grinder ,I have it in my toolbox that I always have in a close proximity of 5-10 m,on any job.
It helps a lot especially in finish carpentry to have a thin sharp tip on the pencil.
I will use a block plane if it's handy.
@@darylullman7083 I tried that too,didn’t work for me.
That, or a belt sander
Nice. My favorite quote on that subject is Emerson’s “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” He goes on to name names, but I don’t think that’s helpful or necessary; everybody does it.
I LOVE the quote at the end!!
After over 50 years in construction, what in the Sam Hill could you show me? "Oh, the shame of it" Thank you. I really enjoy your lessons.
Hello from Easton Maryland!!Well done with your method! I use to sharpen my carpenter pencils cutting with the outside way. I’m right handed, I hold my pencil with the left hand firmly I push my knife with my left thumb. In that way I think is better that yours.
I do the same but not all the time. I think drawing towards you like he demonstrated is a bit better.
I sharpen both ends. Kind of like how I live , burning my candle at both ends lol. But I find it easier to work with. I put it in my side pocket in my shorts so I don't waste time figuring out which end has the lead when it's time to mark. And I don't have to worry about putting it back in my pocket a certain way. Just a little tip ☺️ or two 😉
I see what you did there.😉
All kidding aside, I like that tip².
@@jeffnarum1373 And while this is a somewhat usefull tip, I bet some ... say person to not get in any way insulting ... will manage to stab his hand on a freshly sharpened pencil in some way no one else willl be able to understand ;)
Oh, except that person uses one of those pencil sharpeners. I think I broke of more pencils using that piece of garbage than wasting sharpening away from me.
When I first started in my trade (Industrial Millwright) my mentor told me. "Cut towards your chum, not your thumb. You can replace your chum, but not your thumb." He went on to say "If you have to cut towards your thumb, don't be dumb" I still think of this every time I use a knife or have to use that thumb technique you showed. Excellent video 👍
badass statement at the end, I live my life by this!
Awesome pointers that make life easier, Thank you Sir
Thank you. I'm definitely changing my sharpening methods. You're so correct, the tip would break faster and I went thru pencils faster.
Now I've found you I'm never going to leave. You are the boss.
Thank you
I enjoy your channel
and
I share your passion for craftsmanship!
Yet another Priceless Tip! . .. Many thanks for sharing your experience, Love watching your work . Top guy!
My Irish ☘️ grandfather, carpenter of 60+ years taught me this when I was only 10 years old. Thankyou for reminding me
Love that last quote!
Been awhile since I tuned in. You look great EC!
100% agree Scott , well said and done.
There actually is a way to shave/carve it away from you and do it controlled and precise, And faster than toward you. But just like doing it toward you, the blade must be very sharp because what you do is give it a little twist/curve at the base as you work around it.
Been in the trades for decades and haven’t used a carpenters pencil in over a decade; I switched years ago to mechanical carpenters pencils which work by having multiple leads in plastic tips, you can pull and reverse the lead, and then pull the plastic holder out and push it into the top which pushes out another plastic lead holder out the bottom. I think the pencil has u plastics and they’re sold on their own in grey, blue, and red. I don’t recall the manufacturer but I want to say Irwin. I also like the standard mechanical pencils, including 2mm lead holders; I have a drafting background and like lead holders as they hold up well and are much stronger than the click style mechanicals. I also like marking knives for fine work which leave a much finer line than any pencil.
I love the Dixon model myself. In my trade the dust is so fine I can't have the Hultafors or Pica as the mechanism clog too quickly. On many materials I used my dad's trick for layout for work at the 1/32 accuracy level is just to use a ball point pen.
The Swanson always sharp uses that system.
@@Pinz314: Swanson, that’s the one I use; I couldn’t recall the name when I wrote it. They’re good pencils other than the cheap plastic pocket clips which always seem to break off on me.
@@libertarian1637 yes, they are very nice. Bought one for the gimmick, but I ended up loving it on the bigger stuff. For the small things noting beats a cheap BIC mechanical pencil.
@@Pinz314: It has its place and for fine work, or so much. I use a number of marking implements depending in the job and scale/accuracy needed from a marker, I prefer the Milwaukee branded ones over Sharpie, with the exception of the fine tip click Sharpies, I also use a 2mm lead holder drafting pencils for finer work, or a 0.7mm click style mechanical pencil with an extended metal tip, which works great for getting into places, as well as a marking knife for real fin marking. I also keep around a tungsten strike which can cut a line even in the hardest materials and a wax/oil crayon for marking on things for which nothing else will work. I have a horrible time with setting things down so I have a number of measure/mark stations around the shop each set up the same way with marking implements and a 25’ tape measure because then both a measuring device and marking implements are always close at hand.
For the guidance of wise men ... Love it.
I'll try that next time. If I'm in my shop I'll write often use my small Stanley shoulder plane because it's a pleasure to use but I think I'm aiming for the wrong end profile, I tend to make the lead too long and slender, great for paper sketches but not durable when marking rough sawn.
Good tip! Never seen that before, but that’s how I’m going to sharpen them now!
First, score a shallow cut around the wood to give you a nice square reference.
Second, remove all wood and lead that you don't need.
I started using thick mechanical drafting pencils about a light 1/8" diameter. I can't remember if it's 2mm or 3mm.
Cheapo .8mm pencils get used pretty frequently too.
I just use my thumb behind the blade if I want to hog off some wood, makes a great pivot point.
Thanks for the words of wisdom shadowed by sharpening a pencil.
Thanks for this Scott, I never could figure out why sharpening them bothered me so much.
I’ve been using a regular knife for work pencil sharpening, will give utility knife a try.
I slice and peel spuds the same way with my pocket knife. (I wash it first, I'm not a lunatic.) The fingers are holding the knife while the heel of the hand acts as a depth stop. A few rules I see no way around... like don't eat yellow snow.
Great tip. Thank you! Another TIP: We always sharpen BOTH ends so that no matter which way I grab it, it is ready for use!
Not on my jobsite
By god not on that guys jobsite you wont. It's his and only his, and if he sees you with a two ended pencil, there'll be hell to pay
Your sons and daughters are very lucky to have learned from you!
“Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men.”
― Douglas Bader
Awesome saying on rules
I bought and got in the habit of using a 2mm lead holder with a 2H lead. Even dull, it's as sharp as a sharpened carpenter's pencil. And anecdotal testing by me, the lead lasts as long. But ymmv.
Awesome advice
Funny I like watching and listening to you sharpen a pencil. Nice job
Ur an inspiration sir ! You inspire me to keep going with my UA-cam videos 🤩
Thank you Scott
Is that a J. Golden Kimble quote?
Where did it come from? I love it.
Next you should talk about all the ways to form the point of the pencil for different functions. Offset scribe, flat scribe… diff carvings into diff shapes can make that pencil a few tools.
As the company I work for becomes more and more corporate with safety policies I start missing the days of building a back yard deck fir a customer in a quiet neighborhood, a shop in the country, an addition to someone's home. I didn't make much money and there was a lot of worry but it was honest work that I really enjoyed.
Glad you’re a wise man!
I have been sharpening my pencils this way since I started in carpentry class in high school 40 years ago.
Love that quote!!!!!!!!!
Simple and useful. Thanks man!
I think you talked about this trick in an older video, but its a good one!
Where did the quote on rules come from?
If it’s yours great job. Words of wisdom.
Hi Scott,
Here's another 'rule breaker' technique that I learned a long time ago from my lifetime carpenter great-Uncle - when you first crack into a new pencil, sharpen BOTH ENDS at that time. I thought it was crazy talk at first until even the best pencil I had went and crumbled the point at an inopportune moment. The same goes for wearing down the point while on a ladder or in a crawl space, etc...you don't want to be sharpening the point while needing both hands for other tasks. Just flip that pencil around and you're set to go. It goes without saying that when one end needs resharpening, do the other too and you'll nearly never be without a good point.
PS - I also like to sharpen one end to a point and the other 'flat edge' style. Multiple marking edges for different jobs too.
What a great and simple video. Love it!!!
Pearls of wisdom.
I was once told that if I didn’t have anything to do on a job I should sharpen my pencil. The truth is that there is always something that should be done.
You can do it away from you while using your thumb to push/guide the blade.
How I ALWAYS do it after seeing a guy slice his hand open the other way!
Can’t believe I just watched a bloke sharpen a pencil and I enjoyed it.
Another great video. Thank you.
OMG! what a profound great tag: "Rules exist for the strict adherence of fools, and for the guidance of wise men"
Wow........I mean yes sir, apsolutly!!! What a truth speaker, and obviously a very skilled and experienced tradesman! - love this channel !!!
I use my left hand to both hold the pencil and help push and guide the knife instead of cutting "from my elbow".
"Rules exist for the strict adherence of fools, and for the guidance of wise men."
So good, I'm gonna remember that one.
I'm keeping that bit of wisdom about rules.
Thank the maker. I have been doing it right since i was a kid.
Well done! I use a sharpener only because I’m not practiced enough to do a better job by hand. The wise comment at the end sums up many things in life! Well Said!
I’ve found that using the hook blades in your utility knife makes for the best pencil sharpener
That closing statement should be on a T-shirt!!
you can do controlled strokes away from your body if you use the thumb of the hand thats holding the pencil to push the knife away
Great advice.
I don't do it either of those ways. I hold the pencil in my left hand with the point aiming away. Hold the utility knife in my right hand, then use my left thumb to push the knife away in a controlled fashion. Nobody showed me this, I just kind of figured it out myself after not liking the uncontrolled hacking, and wanting to avoid sharpening toward me. Kind of a hybrid approach. Not that there's anything wrong with the way Scott does it. Just doing it the way I became accustomed to.
Wow, subbed on that last tidbit
I don't know when I learned how to sharpen pencils this way... it must have been something I grew up seeing my father do.
Retired now but back in the day I would sharpen both ends of my carpenter's pencils. That way if you broke one end just flip it around.
Industrial commercial carpenter for 45 years
20 years ago safety discipline in the organization I worked for dictated no more utility knives. Started planning harder for retirement right then.