A carpenter's pencil, also called a carpentry pencil or carpenter pencil, is a pencil with a body of rectangular or elliptical cross-section, a shape that lets it serve as a quick reference for common measurements such as a quarter inch or half inch, and that also helps keep the pencil from rolling away when set down. Carpenter's pencils are easier to grip than standard round pencils because their flattened shape gives them a larger surface area. Companies producing this type of pencil include C.H. Hanson and the Musgrave Pencil Company.
Facts
Introduced When (Circa)The earliest known carpenter pencils date to circa 1560, made by hollowing a channel into a stick of juniper wood and pushing a stick of graphite through it. 1 OriginBy 1660 the construction had been refined to two grooved wooden halves glued around a plumbago stick, essentially the same method still used to make these pencils today. 1 Sources
1. Carpenter Pencil (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHistory section, first sentence
The earliest versions of the flat pencil were made in around 1560 by hollowing out sticks of juniper wood, then pushing the graphite through the channel.
History section, second sentence
By the 1660 the technique had been refined: two wooden halves were carved with a groove running down them, a plumbago stick placed in one of the grooves, and the two halves then glued together-essentially the same method in use to this day.
View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.