Is a pencil sharpener a ww machine?

[john whittaker]

Not a neanderthal so I got a Powermatic...errr Point-O-Matic. It's a left tilt, 0.000003 HP with bottom dust collection. Only took me 3 1/2 Hours to set up and worked great right out of the box.

My way of saying HI Steve Ash...Been thinking about you & your wife.

[Jim Hager]

I have a $25 or so pencil sharpener in my pocket that I carry at all times. The brand is CASE. I do have a Boston pencil sharpener mounted to the wall near my SCMS but I rarely use it because it sharpens the pencils with too much taper and they are much more prone to breaking off the lead. Besides all of that I can use my "pencil sharpener" to peel my apple, chip off dried glue from the top of the glue bottle, use as a scribe on metal, dig out my fingernails or open a bag of screws or maybe even dig out a splinter. It is actually a multi-purpose "pencil sharpener" My pocketknife, gotta have it.

[Scott Coffelt]

I had one of those old time (new version, but really cheap) types that you manually had to turn. I tossed it cause I was too lazy to turn the crank and the pencil didn't sharpen itself... too much physical exercise for me.

So I upgraded to an electric, if Dewalt or Festool only made a 18v cordless one... anyways, I now have a nice one int he shop. I am with Gail on this though, I have no idea where they go once I sharpen them. I can't ever find them. I am thinking there is only one cause of this problem.... they get sucked up in the cyclone.

Course the other day that was proved to be a myht, I moved my outfeed table and low and behold there were three pencils down there, so I am now thinking someone is purposely taking them off the workbench and sticking them under there to torment me. How else could they get there. Geez.

[Russell Svenningsen]

I had to smile at this post...because I NEVER have a sharp pencil in the shop and I will get all set up to make a mark and ....no lead...put it down, stomp upstairs, I swear I bring down 10 a week and then they disappear.

YES! Where do they go?! To me, this is an even bigger mystery than socks dissappearing from the dryer!

My shop is 15 X 25, all machines are on mobile bases..........everything moves.........yet, I will bring in a box of pencils, and one week later not have a SINGLE pencil with which to make a mark! And yet, if I move machines, look under benches..........NOTHING!

My wife thinks I'm nuts. Not to mention "messy". I prefer to think of it as "creative".

She may be on to something........

[Russell Svenningsen]

Not a neanderthal so I got a Powermatic...errr Point-O-Matic. It's a left tilt, 0.000003 HP with bottom dust collection. Only took me 3 1/2 Hours to set up and worked great right out of the box.

My way of saying HI Steve Ash...Been thinking about you & your wife.

Do you think Tormek makes a jig to sharpen those knives?

[Jim Becker]

I didn't pay $7000 for mine...the shop actually came with a "modern" hand-crank school room sharpener. (The prevous owners really were school teachers...) And while it IS mounted in one place, I like that 'cause I always can find it...

[Andrew Ault]

I think Dev has a 265 lb cast iron one made before 1932 (the year the last good ones were made). It is hand cranked, but has a huge balanced flywheel and machined keyed guideways for precise alignment.

My crappy pencil sharpener is so awful that I have to turn the pencil instead of a crank!

One the other hand, I do have a Lee Valley Carpenter's Pencil Sharpener so I don't maim myself sharpening big fat carpenter's pencils.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...86&cat=1,42936

[Dale Rodabaugh]

I was mistaken on my last reply.My new pencil sharpener is an EXactA,not a Boston. Oh well it works great.

[Vaughn McMillan]

I think Dev has a 265 lb cast iron one made before 1932 (the year the last good ones were made). It is hand cranked, but has a huge balanced flywheel and machined keyed guideways for precise alignment.

Rumor has it that Lou Sansone's got the electric version of that one. It's got a three phase (of course) 15 HP motor, and you have to stand on a platform just to reach the hole where the pencil goes.

- Vaughn

[Ian Barley]

I have the euro sliding version which enables the sharpening operation to be completed with the operator at a safe distance from the cutting point. It has a presharpening scribing blade as well but I tend not to use it. I believe that Paul Cresti is planning to post a tutorial on its use soon

(Actually I usually sharpen my pencils by rubbing them on the most convenient piece of sandpaper or with a stanley knife. I have been known to use the edge sander as well - does that count as mounted?)

[Don Baer]

I have the EZ version where I move the sharpener and keep the pencil still.

[Bob Nieman]

I bought mine from that unnamed auction web site for a good bit less than 7K. I wanted one like I had in elementary school, not the plastic kind (or electric) that they sell today. I bid on a few before I won, not wanting to spend too much. I quickly discovered that, like everything else, there are people who collect them. I found a very uninspiring one that was obviously something like the 7K model. Two people had it bid up to 2K and change. The seller didn't appear to know what he had. I'm sure he was surprised (and very happy)

As for mine, I think I need to sharpen it, but I haven't figured out how to get it in my Mk IV. It looks good anyway. I think the latest Wood Magazine has a project for a PS jig that I thought I would build.

[Dale Rodabaugh]

Hey Scott,latest studies show that physical exercise is good for you.

[Joe Unni]

I have the EZ version where I move the sharpener and keep the pencil still.

Way funny!!!!

[Ian Barley]

I have the EZ version where I move the sharpener and keep the pencil still.

Ah - the dead lead concept.