In article ,
wrote:
On Saturday, 7 April 2018 00:34:19 UTC+1, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article , David
wrote:

Just tried to sharpen a builder's pencil and the two wood halves came
apart.

Pencil sharpener for normal pencils is blunt.

I am now considering a propelling pencil with a thick lead for use in
marking up work.

Anyone else doing this?

If so, which lead thickness?

The reason for a carpenter's pencil is the lead can be reasonably
strong but with a sharp chisel point to draw a thin line. A thick lead
in a propelling pencil would need sharpening to give a thin line.

An ordinary pencil with the same tip shape has a stronger 'lead' as wood
is stronger than graphite. But being a narrower tip the standard pencil
dulls quicker. The main body of the carpenter's pencil is more robust,
but that's minor.

[Snip]

They also don't roll away out of reach

--
from KT24 in Surrey, England
"I'd rather die of exhaustion than die of boredom" Thomas Carlyle