Why a carpenters pencil is flat (Construction knowledge)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ก.ย. 2022
- The reason a carpenters pencil is flat. I learned this from an old timer on the job site and it really makes you think that there is a reason every tool is made the way it is. I love finding out hidden features like this!!
- แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
Also the graphite core can be used to make lines after whittling away the protective wood layer.
Ha!
This is fucking gold. Well done
@A Z now THIS is gold 😂😂😂
Little known use...
Sounds like somethin my journey man would say…fuckin asshole
Damn, and this whole time I thought it was “to make you ask questions, smartass” like my dad said
I don't know your dad, but that one quote makes me like him. Rock on Froggy rock on.
Your dad is cool
Dude is it just a construction worker dad thing or what because my dad is pretty much the same sometimes
Your dad sounds like Red Forman 😂😂😂 love it
@@poeticevolution7725 Exactly what I thought.
My dad would always say it doesn't have an eraser because he doesn't make mistakes
AWWW THAT WAS SO SO CUTE .....
Measure twice cut once you'll never make a mistake.
Me? Measure four times and cut wrong. 😫
Me. Cut it three times and it was still too short.
@@rxonmymind8362try cutting 3 times and measuring once. Works for me 🤷🏽♂️
Then he's not like Tony, who learns from his mistakes.
I live in the house my grandfather built long before I was born. I had to replace some drywall that got damaged and had to pull it out. On the ground under the drywall was an old carpenter's pencil that my grandfather left there probably 50 years ago. RIP Poppaw
In the 60's my dad bought AMC Rambler station wagons. He could hear a rattle in the rear, which annoyed him. Eventually he removed some panels and found a soda bottle and newspaper inside. He always said someone on the assembly line was goofing-off reading the paper and drinking soda, until the boss showed up! Then they threw the bottle and paper inside the car, and got back to work! -lol
@@TheCursedHonestTruth True or not that's the best story for an explanation, I'd choose to believe it too
@@TheCursedHonestTruth I learned how to whistle in a dream.
@@josephbenson4444 Interesting! I had a dream one time in which I was a player in a trivia game. I did not know the answer to one of the questions, but the correct answer was then given by the host/game director in the dream. After I woke-up, I was surprised to find that the correct answer given by the host in the dream, was indeed correct. If it was MY DREAM, and I did not know the correct answer before the dream, or IN the dream, how was the correct answer given by the host IN MY DREAM? It escapes explanation.
Lauren Bacall explained how to whistle to Humphrey Bogart in 1944's "To Have, And Have Not."
"You know how to whistle, don't you? You just put your lips together and blow."
Very cool artifact to come across, that's a keeper.
Glad he demonstrated how it doesn’t roll. I was completely lost until he did that.
Also, when you draw a line from the side, it is very strong in that direction and less likely the lead will break.
And it won't wear down as quickly on the rough surfaces it's used.
This was the #1 reason in my mind
As a cabinet installer I use it for scribing extended styles to get that oh-so-tight fit
I was a carpenter for over 40 years, and not once did I ever use a "Carpenter's pencil." I always used a Ticonderoga #3 lead pencil. I carried it behind my ear. It makes a much finer mark than a big, flat pencil. But, some carpenters work within 1/32" .... some within a 1/2".
Ticonderoga for trim, flat pencils for rough country framework or concrete (the shape works well for marking concrete, since the wood wears down just fast enough to leave a pencil mark, and the skinny pencil won't show up very well).
I use round carpenter pencils, flats, or office pencils depending on the application.
But, you are correct. It's slightly harder to get within a red-hair with a flat pencil. Not impossible (because you can still use the sharp bit of the pointy end) but slightly more difficult
It costs 13£ for piece in UK now. Madness...
😂😂😂
I never use them either. 9mm mechanical for trim, or 1mm mechanical for framing. Never liked the carpenters pencil. Leads always broken internally and it’s constantly having to be sharpened.
I am a carpenter now. From framing to crown. I use em pretty much exclusively. Cept for crown, mechanical for that. They're cheap amd easy to find. Good for 1/8 scribe lines if you shsrpen it properly
Well... that is two very good reasons. But the main reason is because you can't get a fine line from a round one, without the tip being so weak (it ends in a point) it will break easily on uneven, wooden surfaces. Whereas with a flat tip, it is only sharp in one of the two dimensions (it ends in a line), and so still has a lot of strength to it, and if held correctly, will produce just as precise a line as had it been round.
Yea that as well
Also easier to cut for scribe work with a utility knife. The round ones or the office ones have more trouble with breaking if you shave them thinner for scribe work.
YES! Try to do that on one pass with a normal pencil on your wood.
This is the best description. Very intriguing to know 🤓👍
Exactly! Video failed to mention the most obvious.
Fits behind your ear better when wearing a hat. Round pencils give me a head ache
I always stick the pencil between my temple and my hat
Hat clips are your friend
This is the only acceptable answer, the rest are all bs.
Hats are pencil holders
@@jmcnutt730 you mean, add a point contact between the hard-force-distributory thing and the smooth-eggshell-constructiony thing at the point of minimum eggshell thickness :D
It's also easy to sharpen with a chisel, as told to me by my dad, a carpenter who would be 110 years old now :-)
Never thought of that, though as an elechicken, chisels generally weren't in the tool repetiteur.
I use whatever sharp instrument I have...
And then wonder, "Why don't I just mark the board with this KNIFE?!"
Using a chisel is a good idea, probably better than a razor knife, my dad was an old school Carpenter too, he had the same set of chisels for over 60 years, always kept them Sharp with a sharpening stone, along with his Planes and hand saws.
@@karlmiller7500 gotta appreciate old school craftsmanship. To be able to keep them sharp for all that time. And the fact they did sharpen. Good metal work, and good sharpening technique.
I have a different space between my ears and on one side it grips a pencil just fine. On the other side the pencil drops out.
Would you know it, I'm right handed but the ear that grips the pencil is on the left side of my head!
Story of my life!😒😩
I love the part where he uses two pencils to space those two pieces of wood.... And then he wiggles the pencils around at different angles and essentially just negates his spacing. That made me giggle.
Stupid is as stupid does. Forrest Gump😂😂😂
I didn't know about the dimensions. All these years I never bothered to measure my pencil!
When you do measure, yoiu will find out that he is dead wrong.. Not a single one is 1/4 X 1/2"
it's not precisely those measurements but in a pack they're all the same size so can be used as shown.
I measured my pencil last night....its little
Same here, I feel dumb now.
@@alanhat5252 so why say it's 1/4 and 1/2 when Cleary showing it isn't. Pointless false "informative" bs that shouldn't exist. "iM sO SMarT" "carpenters pencil" there's also a reason modern carpentry is chock full of wanna bee hack jobs.
Tune in next week for HOW TO LEVEL YOUR WORKBENCH😂
It’s a sheet wood on a plank to demonstrate pencil rolling are you blind
He had to take his leveling pencil out from under the leg for the demo... lmao
That was last week next week is how to use your level xD
I’m more concerned with someone putting a 1/2 inch space between your deck boards. Yikes!
@@daviddodds30 1/4 inch*
Wow...thanks for that info. For 40 years I wondered why its flat. Now I know.
I'm today days old to learn this! That's so cool! I might get one for my work.
If you run it down a straight edge to make a line, as your hand reaches further the flat stops it curving like a round pencil does.
That comment doesnt make any sense to me whatsoever. If you angle your round pencil you can draw a straight line as long as you can reach plus its almost exactly where you want the line to be. You dont want it 5mm away from where you want to mark it
@@D3nn1s but this way you get an even seam allowance 🤡
It would also scribe your line at 1/8 and 1/4 inches.
@@whereswaldo5740 I wouldn't trust that because it would require you to sharpen the point perfectly in the centre which is very unlikely when you're just quickly sharpening it with a knife or chisel
@@D3nn1s A carpenter pencil is a pencil that has a body with a rectangular or elliptical cross-section to prevent it from rolling away. Carpenter pencils are easier to grip than standard pencils, because they have a larger surface area. The non-round core allows thick or thin lines to be drawn by holding the pencil slightly rotated. Thin lines are required for high precision markings and are easy to erase, but thick markings are needed to mark on rough surfaces. The lead is strong to withstand the stress of marking on such surfaces. The pencil is robust to survive in a construction environment when carried together with heavy tools. - Wikipedia
Carpenters also had a number of pop hits in the 70's so, the pencil gets 1/4 the credit.
Actually asked this to my middle school shop teacher. Nice to finally have the answer!
I’m 67 years old I never knew that. I always thought the reason why it was flat is so that it fits in your pocket your shirt pocket in the old days there was always a little spot where you can slide it into your shirt pocket. You live and learn. Thanks for the tip now I can sleep better tonight.
This dudes gonna shit bricks when he finds out you can get closer to a straight edge with a flat pencil
Right thats the reason there flat lol
Just hold it at a different angle.
It's also to gap baseboard from floor and to make a reveal line on casing
With treated lumber today, space the deck boards at a quarter inch and when they finally dry, twist and warp, they’ll be over a half inch gap
Not to mention the boards vary in width by sometimes up to 3/8”. I lay mine out at 11 1/4” for two boards. As you stated, most times they are almost right when first laid.
Idk if it's correct, but I started laying deck boards with no gap for this very reason. By the time it shrinks there's about 1/4" gap.
When I started I would place a spacer in-between, but then as you said I'd get huge gaps.
No wonder ny grandmother always pushed me to learn more about my tools and what they're capable of been used for.❤❤❤respect brother!
Love it !!!! Stuff that’s right in front of you and we’re oblivious too. 👌
If you’re building a deck and using a quarter inch spaces that’s insane
Not really, lots of decking is spaced at 1/4 inch.
why? I'm not a carpenter but it sounds good to me
Children could fall down that gap..
@@Hietakissa I am a carpenter and a quarter inch is fine, especially with expansion, even composite decking grows and shrinks.
@@arandom1024 Unless you're using pristine/dried wood or composite, any pressure treated decking boards will shrink anywhere from 1/4 to 3/8, we always jam them home and after a week or two they will have 1/4 or bigger gaps. I'd hate to see the deck that gets pre-spaced 1/4 with pressure treated.
"These are 2 reasons why I think carpenter pencils are flat."
FYI don’t use pencils as spacers your shit will not be straight
I mean, the first reason is absolutely a reason why the pencils are flat. The second one is more so a secondary effect that is occasionally used, not a cause.
And he missed the only real reason why they are shaped the way they are.
The real reason why they are hexagon shape is so that you can scribe with different calibers
More like, "This is 1 post to prove I'm an asshole" 🤣
@@mydogatemyhomework3768 what is that supposed to mean? Also most ive ever seen are oval :D
As a cabinetmaker and kitchen fitter these pencils are handy for scribing kick boards ,pelmets and end panels. Depending on how you sharpen it and which edge of the pencil you scribe with it will give you differing scribe lines. Bit hard to explain but hey l know what l mean
Finally...something worth hearing about...after scrolling TH-cam shorts with cringe/anime/etc junk videos...thank you!
"You learn something new everyday"
Nice video btw.
Guy working in a mill leaned too close to the saw & zipped off an ear.
He & his partner were wading through the sawdust underneath trying to find it.
Partner says, "Here it is", holding it up.
Guy looks & says, "Keep lookin'. That's not it. Mine had a pencil behind it..."
"Wise words"
Also when marking it says level/ flat and parallel with the line you're tracing from
Literally the first reason that it is rectangular
This is the real reason! He didn't sharpen to match the plane of the pencil.
Wow! Nice. Mine never voiced anything. Guess I should have checked the batteries?
Quick and informative. Didnt know about the measurements on the edges. Thats nifty.
I'd never thought about anything but "it won't roll" until we were putting the deck on my parents' house, and my Dad was using it for the gap.
When I was dirty poor as a kid my dad would send me to school with these kinds of pencil..... It had no eraser so I had to carry the chunky pink ones. People always made fun of me and my life goal was to win the cool pencils the teachers used to give out to students for doing good in class. 😆
We used to have “pencil fights” where you hold out your pencil and the other person hit it with theirs to try and break it. Nobody wanted anything to do with the poor kid with the flat black Ticonderoga carpenter’s pencil. It may not have had an eraser, but it was the heavyweight champion of the fifth grade.
@@cskiles hahaha
You were liucky, we was too poor to afford erasers...
@@cskiles - I call bullshit. Nobody was letting you enter a carpenter's pencil in a pencil fight. Sorry....I did 5th grade 3 times, so don't @me...😜🤣😜🤣
I dunno, it seems to me regular pencils are cheaper than carpenter pencils
I only use them on pt or wet wood. Nothing beats a #2 black Ticonderoga pencil... Fine lines make fine work.
I see these for sale at Lowes and wonder who actually uses them. A reg #2 always rests on your ear perfectly. I have a good old fashion pencil grinder mounted in my van. Walk into every job with 5 to 10 sharp ready to go pencils. Who the hell sharpens pencils with a knife? Those carpenters pencils are Stone Age.
Mind Blowing on the sizing ! Thanks!
Not one carpenter in the world needed this info yet here it is on TH-cam
There’s more than 2 reasons. It’s also for scribing material
that has nothing to do with why its flat, which is what the video is addressing. Its a pencil, they all do that.
@@Eralen00 it’s flat shape allows for two scribing measurements. 1/8 inch across the narrow side and 1/4 inch scribe across the width. There’s more than 2 reasons for its flatness. Another reason for its flatness is that the graphite is also a rectangle so when it’s sharpened to a point you get a wide side and a sharp side, giving the point of the pencil more strength while maintaining the ability to mark with precision. Unlike a round pencil who’s tip is more likely to break off when sharpened to a point. The rectangle shape is also for giving better grip. There’s many reasons for the flatness of a carpenters pencil.
@@Eralen00 That’s the joke.
@@adamcramm you are correct, the video maker is not
If you gap deck boards with a pencil or something
1 you'll run out
2 you'll end up with a silly cut board at the end, probably a slither so I gap them using a tape measure and calculator and gap them so I end up with a nice strong board at the end, ideally a full board
@@mb106429 I just use lumber that’s still drying for deck boards and jam them close together. Will offset a 1/16 at a time if I need to make the last board wider. When the lumber fully dries you’ll get about a 1/4 inch naturally.
I thought it was so you could sharpen it with a knife & put it behind your ear 😂
please don't put a knife behind your ear ;-)
@@tobyk.4911 You hating on elves? :\
Always use it when trimming out my doors . Didn’t know the Measurement but always left me the perfect space and the same width on the left right and top
It also fits nicely in a Skill Saw to hold the guard back while making angeled cuts with one hand.
Done many a times cutting rafters and stringers just don't forget and set on hardwood floor rrrrppp I'll never forget that one when I was a helper 35 years ago.
Also, you can do nice calligraphy with it
You only mentioned 2 of several reasons! Add, larger more robust lead, easily sharpened with a blade. Longer lead life, etc, etc, etc
So far, I see three dopey "reasons" and three "etcetera"s......None of your stated reasons are attributable to the square profile of the pencil, and we're still awaiting the etceteras.....
@@samuelluria4744 jesus christ nobody gives a fuck
Brilliant! Magnificent! Plus it writes? Outstanding!
Nice, I used one today and never realized this! I used it with a yard stick to mark a box for cutting. I’m lame 🤣
Thank you for teaching me that! I appreciate it!
Huh! I was always told it was "so you can put it behind your ear", which I never understood cause I've always found the regular round ones much better for that.
This makes a lot of sense!
That was valuable background info, thanks!
One more thing. My hound dog loves to steal it when I’m not looking and chew it up. So a “chew toy” lol
Okay the first one I knew right off the bat. The second one didn't even include in that it was a measuring tool as well. And I've worked with many people who have used those Carpenter pencils and not once the day ever use it as a measuring tool haha
Also, carpenters are some of the few people that have everything they need to sharpen said flat pencil
I’m a plumber and use this pencil. All trades use flat pencils! Not just carpenters. They are sold as Tradesmen Pencils!
I buy a pack of 36 milwaukee inkzall's wich last me 2 weeks, much easier to see on the sch 40 pipe and when marking metal or wood studs
And you look pretty in a dress we know. No ones trying to put your pencil in a box calm your tits .. lol j/k I had to mess with ya
#3 slides into your hat...real nice
damn you beat me to it lmao
I’m not going to lie, when you said the obvious one of it not rolling …. I thought damn it’s taken me 20 years to realise that.
I also didn't put that one together for myself. At least we're honest.
A carpenter pencil is a pencil that has a body with a rectangular or elliptical cross-section to prevent it from rolling away. Carpenter pencils are easier to grip than standard pencils, because they have a larger surface area. The non-round core allows thick or thin lines to be drawn by holding the pencil slightly rotated. Thin lines are required for high precision markings and are easy to erase, but thick markings are needed to mark on rough surfaces. The lead is strong to withstand the stress of marking on such surfaces. The pencil is robust to survive in a construction environment when carried together with heavy tools. - Wikipedia
Probably the best carpentry video I've seen on here. I actually learnt something for a change.
That’s cool ! I’ve never used it that way but thanks for the tip.
No pun intended.
They also work as a quick little straight edge to check for flush.
Deck boards don’t get 1/4” spaces either 😂
Must not snow where you live
Sure they do. Composite decking.
Often times they do.
They fkn can if you want them too.
You make me want to build a deck with two inch spacing and make a youtube video about conserving resources, just to piss you off.
#smalldogsnotallowedonmydeck
Very cool! I didn't know this, but I was always curious.
I actually never took the time to think about it, but after seeing this, it makes sense, and I'm glad I know, if I ever need one.
The rest of the world using the metric system: "There's one reason why a carpenters pencil is flat..."
well, they could change the size a bit and use it the same ... maybe 1cm x 1/2 cm instead of 1/2" x 1/4" for example
It also makes it easier for you to draw a straight line by placing the wider, flat end of the pencil up against the straight edge of a board.
I learned this at work a few years ago. I'd always had framing pencils but never realized they were made half inch by quarter inch.
I’ll take that tip!
Thanks for sharing!!
stronger as well...
Laughs in metric
Has your country been to the moon yet?
@@samsanimationcorner3820
No, but have your country realized that 'soccer' is actually FOOTball? And NFL, where they mostly use their hands, is not? Speaking of going to the moon.. It's not exactly rocket science.
@@samsanimationcorner3820 I love that line
Often in commercial drywall you need a 1/4" gap for expansion, earthquakes, or sound attenuation. We shove a couple of these under the sheet and it's good to go. 👍
Nice 1. That's actually super useful to know
It is also flat so you can make heavy or light lines with the same pencil and so that you can sharpen it easily with a knife, a tool that you would have around anyway.
Cool! Always wondered about that. Thanks dude!
Wow, thank you. Learn something new every day. 💖
3) Wide, flat lead allows for drawing a fine line OR a wide line, without easily breaking or quickly dulling the pencil’s point.
It is a good day. I just learned something new.
Even though i would never need these, i really wish i had one. They’re just so cool looking
Hell...I'm today years old when I found this out. I've been working with carpenter pencils for 30yrs for various projects.
I didn't know that. Thanks!
Nice, one of the few last items flipping the bird to the metric system.
Absolutely love this information tip.
I love building my decks with 1/4" gaps...3/8" after dry time...great for disposing of things that drop on it.
We need more ollie gym merch. I wish it was in stock now that i can afford to buy it.
Finally, someone else who knows that those pencils aren't just for writing.
Me using the metric system: "aah yea that's some handy stuff right there". Now everything is 0.5mm apart from eachother.
I always knew that they don't roll, haha, but I never realized the quarter and half inch spacer, stick ruler is 5/8. Nice tip thanks.
A long time ago my dad said he sat in a normal pencil and flattened it into this
I started crying for some reason.
I learned something today!😊
I always kinda knew but still wondered on why they have such cool pencils I
I like the rectangle ones
I knew the first reason but not the second. That's fucking awesome.
Great info; thanks!
Thank you. I use those short ikea pencils but this is good to know.
Me: oh thats an amazing pencil
Also me: sharpens it
I'm a plumber and use a carpenters pencil because the graphite lasts longer between sharpening over a regular one, also I have a pen to write lists on paper whereas carpenters only write lists on an offcut of skirting, regular pencil no Bueno!!🤣
The thicker core does not break as easy when sharpening it with a carpenter's knife as there is not going to be a pencil sharpener on the job site. The flat lead also does not break as easy when drawing across rough surfaces like wood. Being wide also makes the whole thing stronger as it is going to be tossed in a tool belt likely, but flat enough so you can put it in a pocket comfortably.
Nice for getting consistent casing reveals on windows and doors too. And I'll sharpen mine razor sharp and then put two between the edge of my roughly cut windowsill and the window unit, then use the sharpened one to scribe the back edges of the windowsill ends where it meets the wall. That way I can chisel them to meet the drywall perfectly where it'll be visible, even if the drywall is not perfectly flat there due to mud and tape.
🤔 Thanks for the info. I did not know this
Also, it's bigger and therefore easier to hold while wearing gloves, the flatness of the core makes it easier to keep a good edge for sharper lines, _and_ it's got a thicker core that makes it easier to sharpen with a knife rather than requiring a pencil sharpener.
This is actually useful information!
Thank you!!!!
Should have told me sooner about 1/4 and 1/2 inch, retired but I will remember it now thanks
Here in the Netherlands they are:
• Oval to stop the roll. Although I get the more rectangular shape.
• 1cm at their widest, because metirc. (The better system)
• Red, so they are easier to find.
This is life saving information people.... pay attention
And now I've found about the square pencil sharpener brilliant.
If you cut one in half it's perfect for marking the depth line on a guitar nut blank, just lay it flat on the frets and scribe the line across the face of the nut, that will give you the perfect depth to cut your string slots and also keeps the perfect fingerboard radius because you are using the frets as a guid!