Make Wooden Pencils

Quick and easy woodworking project anybody can do with a tablesaw and a router. A perfect way to get rid of the scraps you have lying around.

Cut two thin strips of your favorite wood. Size doesn't matter yet as we'll be cutting down to size in a later step.

Using a v-groove bit route a very small channel in each piece. This will be used to hold the pencil lead.

For the graphite I'm using drawing leads I picked up from Amazon.

Add plenty of wood glue to each half and insert the drawing lead in the groove.

Now clamp tightly and let dry for at least one hour.

Now you can cut your pencil down to size. I found an existing pencil and used that as my size guide.

Then cut the pencil to length. Here in the photo I'm cutting all my pencils at once.

Using a jig with adhesive backed sandpaper and two pieces of wood angled at 120°, I sand some angles to create a hexagon shape.

Optional: add a coat of polyurethane to bring out the beauty of the wood and add a bit of protection.

Optional: Dip the end in white paint for a decorative look. I angled my dip for an added effect.

And finally sharpen away! I did find that some exotic woods are very hard and takes a bit of force to sharpen.