Rotary Mechanical Sharpener, 206

Rotary Mechanical Sharpener, 206.

A sharpener brings a pencil back to a point — and how good the point is depends almost entirely on how sharp the blade is, not on how expensive the sharpener looks.

Turn the pencil, not the sharpener, and stop as soon as you feel the resistance drop. Forcing a blunt sharpener is what splits the wood casing and breaks the lead inside — which is then invisible until the pencil breaks again a centimetre later.

• Turn the pencil, not the sharpener
• A blunt blade splits the wood and breaks the lead inside
• Empty the shavings before they pack and jam the blade