MDF pencils

[Ruperto Mendiones]

All of the pencils I buy and the freebie ones I encounter are made of mdf. They have no mechanical strength. They break in my pocket. In sharpeners they shred.

Has anyone found a reliable source of good, hardwood pencils? Are there any sharpeners that work well on these mdf clones of a real pencil?

Ruperto

[Mel Fulks]

Seems kind of strange that people think we will keep a pencil with their company name on it ,when it can't be used to write. The only reasonably priced pencil that I can sharpen and make work is the Mirado Black Warrior.

[Tony Joyce]

Real wood pencils
http://www.dickblick.com/products/di...encils/#photos

Sharpening
http://www.artisanalpencilsharpening.com/

I'm afraid I don't take my pencils quite as seriously as some, I use a Pentil-P209 mechanical pencil.

Tony

[Larry Edgerton]

I buy Ticonderoga #2's at Office max by the case. Still Cedar, lead is centered in the pencil, and they don't break like the ones you are speaking of.

For a sharpener I found that the Exacto sharpener at the same store is faster and more accurate than any elactric that I have ever owned.

Larry

[Jim Koepke]

I bought some from Quill.com recently. The reason was they were the only place with #1 lead in stock.

I bought 5 dozen, the shipping was free. They are cedar and so far seem to hold up quite well.

I wonder why they would try making them out of manufactured wood, it seems like a waste to make something that doesn't work.

jtk

[Bruce Page]

MDF pencils!?!? Sheesh, I never even heard of them!
I've been using mechanical pencils for as long as I can remember.

[Matt Meiser]

Office Max and Staples have them.

[Mel Fulks]

They also make plastic ones. I don't think it has anything to do with saving wood. Probably cheaper machines.

[John Coloccia]

Lee Valley pencils are quite nice. Pencils I pick up at Dick Blick are nice. Staples and Office Max pencils are absolute junk. Good pencils cost a few cents more than junk pencils. I now use mechanical pencils for most things. I like my Staedtler lead holder when I need it SHARP (and I have their sharpener). I have a .03" for drafting. My .07"s for general marking. .05" for most precision work. Like everything else, pencil quality has gone to hell. Spend a few extra bucks and get real pencils from a reliable supplier. Office stores are NOT a reliable supplier IMHO and will just give you junky, off center, unsupported, and frustrating leads.

edit: I can't even tell you how embarrassed I am to have to make a post suggesting that you have to be careful buying a stupid pencil. Seriously, does EVERYTHING have to become so unreliable and cheap? How difficult could it possibly be to make a decent pencil, anyway?

[Peter Kelly]

Sharpening
http://www.artisanalpencilsharpening.com/

His book on the subject is pretty hilarious.

[Curt Harms]

MDF pencils!?!? Sheesh, I never even heard of them! I've been using mechanical pencils for as long as I can remember.

Me too. .9mm leads seem pretty durable on reasonably smooth wood and the width of the line doesn't change. Don't the Incra marking rules take .5 mm pencils?

[Ron Natalie]

Hardwood? The classic wood for pencils is Western Red Cedar.

[Mel Fulks]

You guys are really organized if you can keep up with mechanical pencils. That would be an expensive habit for me .Usually lose or break every one I get the first day. The inferior pencils, files, etc proves "all the worlds a stage" much of what we buy comes from the prop room.

[John Coloccia]

You guys are really organized if you can keep up with mechanical pencils. That would be an expensive habit for me .Usually lose or break every one I get the first day. The inferior pencils, files, etc proves "all the worlds a stage" much of what we buy comes from the prop room.

For just rough and tumble use, I use regular pencils or dirt cheap, practically disposable mechanicals (which are far better than cheap wooden pencils). My wooden pencils, though, are all brand name and high quality. They cost a few cents more, but I have several dozen Office Depot pencils that are useless and a far bigger waste of money than the extra cost I spent on good pencils that are really well made and usable right up to the eraser.

[Kevin Groenke]

I prefer a lead HOLDER with an aluminum body like a Koh I Noor or FixPencil. With this sort of "instrument", you can point the lead with a sharpener, flatten the lead on sandpaper or just use the round lead for rougher materials or coarser markings.

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Hardwood? The classic wood for pencils is Western Red Cedar.

Actually, the classic wood for pencils is Incense Cedar, a relative to Western Red Cedar but smaller trees with a finer grain. Typically found in dryer environments than Western Red with a more southern range from Central Oregon all the way down to the Baja Peninsula.