# Why do crank and electric pencil sharpeners leave an uneven point? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 14, 2017, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-crank-and-electric-pencil-sharpeners-leave-an-uneven-point/798791 "2017-10-14T06:57:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-crank-and-electric-pencil-sharpeners-leave-an-uneven-point/798791/1 "2017-10-14T06:57:30Z")
There seems to be a design flaw in mechanical pencil sharpeners. Both wall mounted crank models and electric. I can remember way back in elementary school. The wall mounted pencil sharpener left an uneven point. One side would still have wood and the other lead. Sometimes you were lucky to have 1/4" of a useable point. One classic solution is to turn the pencil a quarter turn as you sharpen. Crank twice, turn, crank twice turn. That often helps, but the point still has more wood on one side. Every students knows this frustration. It’s followed me all the way through elementary school, junior high, high school, and college. [![](https://i.imgur.com/cQ90Uvw.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/cQ90Uvw.jpg) You can shave it off with a pocket knife. Or keep one of these wedge sharpeners in your book bag. One turn and that wood is gone. You have a nice point that will write correctly. > **[Amazon.com : STAEDTLER Compact Pencil Sharpener 1 Hole (510 10) : Office...](https://www.amazon.com/Staedtler-Compact-Sharpener-510-10/dp/B00777UBFI)** > > METAL PENCIL SHARPENER 1 HOLE 8.2MM I have a $30 battery operated pencil sharpener I bought at Office Depot three years ago. Does the same thing, Uneven points. I use it to do most of the sharpening. Then a quick twist with the wedge gives me a nice point. Why can’t they make a pencil sharpener that works and gives a even point? Fifty years and they still can’t get the design fixed? Even worse is when the sharpener cracks the lead. It falls out when you try to write. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-crank-and-electric-pencil-sharpeners-leave-an-uneven-point/798791/2 "2017-10-14T07:12:00Z")
Bonus question. Why does the eraser on a pencil smear? We always kept a good eraser in our book bag for math tests. Teachers would dock points for messy, smeared work. It’s the same material that’s on the end of a pencil. But this block eraser doesn’t smear as bad. The pencil eraser seems like a harder rubber. The eraser on my pencil rarely got used. [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Office-pink-erasers.jpg/1200px-Office-pink-erasers.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Office-pink-erasers.jpg/1200px-Office-pink-erasers.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-crank-and-electric-pencil-sharpeners-leave-an-uneven-point/798791/3 "2017-10-14T07:34:13Z")
Because the pencil lead is not perfectly centred through the shaft. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-crank-and-electric-pencil-sharpeners-leave-an-uneven-point/798791/4 "2017-10-14T09:13:25Z")
Erasers get harder as they age. Likely because the rubber is being oxidized. But if you use an eraser fairly often, that surface layer is being removed, leaving fresh rubber. Pencils may stay in their boxes for a long time before being used, so the erasers have aged. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-crank-and-electric-pencil-sharpeners-leave-an-uneven-point/798791/5 "2017-10-14T12:02:04Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Because the pencil lead is not perfectly centred through the shaft. I never thought about that. But there are cases of operator error. While some sharpeners will sharpen a pencil all the way down down to the eraser in one shot if you keep cranking (or pushing if it’s electric), many of them are smarter than that. The one sitting next to me is designed so the point of the pencil bottoms out. Pencils will come out looking like the one in the OP if you just put them in for a half second. The trick is to hold them in until you don’t hear/feel the machine grinding away at it anymore. The sharpened lead bottoms out, the blades can’t take away any more material, it’s done. But, I do remember back in grade school, having to spin the pencil with my other hand to get it to sharpen all the way around before the pencil disappeared. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-crank-and-electric-pencil-sharpeners-leave-an-uneven-point/798791/6 "2017-10-14T13:15:54Z")
I haven’t used a pencil since school. Looking around the house, I can find dozens of pens (maybe three of which actually write) but not a single pencil. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-crank-and-electric-pencil-sharpeners-leave-an-uneven-point/798791/7 "2017-10-14T13:16:04Z")
I rarely noticed the issue, and usually it was because the pencil was at a slight angle. ---
**Author:** ![scooter\_trash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@scooter\_trash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scooter_trash)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-crank-and-electric-pencil-sharpeners-leave-an-uneven-point/798791/8 "2017-10-14T13:26:48Z")
I’m pretty sure that happens when the lead is not centered, as in poor quality control in manufacturing. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-crank-and-electric-pencil-sharpeners-leave-an-uneven-point/798791/9 "2017-10-14T13:28:39Z")
Most pencil sharpeners have a dial on the front with different hole sizes, to hold different sizes of pencil. If it’s set to too small a hole, the pencil won’t go in at all, and if it’s set to too large, you’ll get what you describe. And speaking as someone who’s seen a heck of a lot of classroom pencil sharpeners, a great many of them are set to a hole that’s way too large, even if nobody in the room ever uses a pencil that large. On some sharpeners (especially Xacto ones, I’ve found, which are of poor quality in general), the hole-selector wheel doesn’t click in place very securely, so you have to pull on the spring to hold it in place at the same time as you’re sharpening, which is admittedly tricky. As another note, the part that catches the shavings should be lined up so the long part is hanging down, which (if it’s mounted on a wall, as they usually are) is not the same direction as lining up with the base. That way, you can accumulate more shavings before it fills up (which will also interfere with good sharpening). ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-crank-and-electric-pencil-sharpeners-leave-an-uneven-point/798791/10 "2017-10-14T13:32:33Z")
Two main reasons: One is as stated above, the lead is not centered in the shaft and… Two, the sharpening hole has to allow for slightly different shaft diameters - erring on the largest probable size. This can lead to having the pencil at a slight angle while sharpening. The question I have is why is it so important to have a perfect tip? As long as is reasonably sharp it’s good enough. Nowdays when I need a pencil I use Bic mechanical pencils. Cheap, good lead, no need to sharpen. And great eraser! ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-crank-and-electric-pencil-sharpeners-leave-an-uneven-point/798791/11 "2017-10-14T14:06:26Z")
> [@](#): > > The question I have is why is it so important to have a perfect tip? art! I write with a pen, I used colored pencils for coloring. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-crank-and-electric-pencil-sharpeners-leave-an-uneven-point/798791/12 "2017-10-14T15:15:55Z")
If your pencil sharpener is inadequate, you could sharpen the pencil [manually](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GEn7OrYcuc) using a pen knife or razor blade. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-crank-and-electric-pencil-sharpeners-leave-an-uneven-point/798791/13 "2017-10-14T15:23:45Z")
I recommend you ask [this guy](http://www.artisanalpencilsharpening.com/), who calls himself an “artisanal pencil sharpener”. He wrote a 224-page [book](https://www.amazon.com/How-Sharpen-Pencils-Theoretical-Contractors/dp/1612193269) on how to sharpen pencils. And if, like the OP, you’re particular about your pencils, he’ll send you one that he’s sharpened for the low, low price of only five hundred bucks. Seriously, though, there is an email contact on the site. If anyone is prepared to answer the question, he is. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-crank-and-electric-pencil-sharpeners-leave-an-uneven-point/798791/14 "2017-10-14T16:11:11Z")
Students are taught to use emery cloth to get a fine pencil point in drafting classes. I haven’t done that since my drafting class in school. I had wondered about the problem with pencil sharpeners for many years. It is easily overcome by using the cheap block sharpener I mentioned in the OP. Target has them for under a $1. I remember some pencil boxes had a sharpener attached to them. Using emery cloth. I was taught this method in my college drafting class. Line thickness is very important in drafting. It took a very deft touch. I never did satisfy my fussy teacher. > **[How to Make Patent Drawings - A Brief Treatise on Patent Drafting for the Use...](https://books.google.com/books?id=IMQ2DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT16&lpg=PT16&dq=draftsman%2Bpencil%2Bemery%2Bcloth&source=bl&ots=9BOJq98mlZ&sig=Rdy7t6Kz5oqrGj_vgQzJq6-gfMU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwisisedvvDWAhWrq1QKHaNSDGEQ6AEIUzAM#v=onepage&q=draftsman%20pencil%20emery%20cloth&f=false)** > > Contained within this book is a comprehensive guide to patent drafting, originally intended for the use of students, draftsmen, and inventors. Although old, this guide contains a wealth of timeless information that will be of utility to modern... ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-crank-and-electric-pencil-sharpeners-leave-an-uneven-point/798791/15 "2017-10-14T16:43:15Z")
in drafting class we used rotary pencil sharpeners. They looked like Jabba the Hutt’s palace. They made good points but I can’t remember how even they were. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-crank-and-electric-pencil-sharpeners-leave-an-uneven-point/798791/16 "2017-10-14T16:52:44Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Dewey Finn** : > > Seriously, though, there is an email contact on the site. If anyone is prepared to answer the question, he is. While that guy might have some expertise in the field of hucksterism, I see no reason to assume he knows anything at all about pencil sharpening, beyond what is known to the typical kindergartner. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-crank-and-electric-pencil-sharpeners-leave-an-uneven-point/798791/17 "2017-10-14T18:43:37Z")
Unless it’s art drawing, where I prefer the old style pencil, Ibuse a mechanical one most of the time. Got to be at least 0.7 lead though, as I find those 0.5’s snap like a twig with even a modest amount of pressure. A good sharpener is not easy to find, nor is good sharpening technique. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-crank-and-electric-pencil-sharpeners-leave-an-uneven-point/798791/18 "2017-10-14T19:01:45Z")
Sharpener? I just click the eraser end to get more lead to come out. ---
**Author:** ![mind\_the\_gap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@mind\_the\_gap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mind_the_gap)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-crank-and-electric-pencil-sharpeners-leave-an-uneven-point/798791/19 "2017-10-14T19:44:26Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I recommend you ask [this guy](http://www.artisanalpencilsharpening.com/), who calls himself an “artisanal pencil sharpener”. He wrote a 224-page [book](https://www.amazon.com/How-Sharpen-Pencils-Theoretical-Contractors/dp/1612193269) on how to sharpen pencils. And if, like the OP, you’re particular about your pencils, he’ll send you one that he’s sharpened for the low, low price of only five hundred bucks. > > Seriously, though, there is an email contact on the site. If anyone is prepared to answer the question, he is. I’m not positive about this, but seeing John Hodgman wrote the forward, and having read his “The Areas of My Expertise”, they’re clearly having us on. This ad has a very “Onion”-y feel to it. Can’t be sure though, because I live in wine country, and this shit would sell around here. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-crank-and-electric-pencil-sharpeners-leave-an-uneven-point/798791/20 "2017-10-14T20:43:22Z")
> [@mind\_the\_gap](#): > > I’m not positive about this, but seeing John Hodgman wrote the forward, and having read his “The Areas of My Expertise”, they’re clearly having us on. This ad has a very “Onion”-y feel to it. Can’t be sure though, because I live in wine country, and this shit would sell around here. 🙂 You can read the first few pages on Amazon. I think it’s partly silly and partly serious. The pencil sharpeners he recommends, such as the [El Casco](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018ORJEQG/) ($360 from Amazon), and [Palomino-Kum](https://www.amazon.com/Palomino-Kum-Long-Point-Pencil-Sharpener/dp/B007P50ONQ/), are real products. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-crank-and-electric-pencil-sharpeners-leave-an-uneven-point/798791.md?page=2)