Has anyone mastered the Hovel pencil plane?

[morrisminordriver]

Now I’d seen these advertised and thought “they look nice, but there’s no way I’m shelling out that much for a pencil sharpener!”.
Then, Xmas morning, my wife presents me with one! So excitedly, I read instructions and start using it only to find I keep breaking the pencil lead. I thought I must be doing something wrong so looked a a few YouTube vids, and they were breaking leads too.
I guess it’s all down to practice but has anyone mastered this yet and has any words of wisdom on the topic (besides “use a Stanley knife”...)
Cheers Mike.

 

[Droogs]

This sounds like a job for a super jig from @Steve Maskery

 

[billw]

I'd seen the adverts for them and wondered how efficient they are. I'm sure I got wind of them via Instagram adverts, and I tend to disregard anything I find on social media platforms as likely to be drop shipping or just plain rubbish.

 

[Dandan]

I made a little stand to hold one of my small planes upside down and it works just the same, with the advantage that I can still use it as a plane too! I also found it breaks the leads just before they get nice and sharp, i'm not sure there is really any clever trick to it aside from patience, but honestly I just dont think its the best way to sharpen a pencil unfortunately.

 

[Bm101]

Yikes! £55! Not here to cricise as it was a present but if it was me (and obviously, it's not) ..(but if it was....) I'd send it back and hope some kind soul who had already solved sharpening sent me a link to a £4 solution to a problem that actually works and also feeel nice and heavy in the hand and quality. If I was really lucky he might send me a guide to setting it my own bench so I too, could solve sharpening.
https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/ive-only-gone-and-perfected-sharpening-¯-_-ツ-_-¯-i-know.118475/I hope you sort it and really don't mean to critcise.

 

[--Tom--]

Shame Manufactum has stopped selling to the UK due to brexit. They generally had decent stuff.

 

[Ollie78]

Can't beat the staedler sharpener with the crank handle. Literally old School.
Got one for the kids crayons, works a treat 15 quid.

Shame Manufactum has stopped selling to the UK due to brexit. They generally had decent stuff.

Its likely the first of many, Brexit is the single stupidest thing to happen in my lifetime.
At least my kids have dual passports, I am now the only non European living in my house !
I hope Europe remembers only half of us voted to leave.


Ollie

 

[AJB Temple]

Shame Manufactum has stopped selling to the UK due to brexit. They generally had decent stuff.

That's a shame. Manufactum in Koln is one of my favourite shops, (along with the kitchen shop opposite and the cafe that sells Italian espresso machines around the corner, and the Bechstein dealer over the road). We have had no visit this winter due to C19.

Luckily offspring also have dual nationality and two lots of passports so choices are available.

 

[Rorschach]

I like using my block plane for pencils but early on I had issues breaking the lead. I found the key was to put the plane face up in the vice and then move the pencil over it. I can get razor sharp, long thin points this way very easily.

 

[samhay]

I felt ridiculous spending £5 on a fancy pencil sharpener, but it brings a smile to my face every time I use it.
I winced when I saw the price of this thing, but I guess it has the capacity to work in the same way (i.e. to bring joy as well as well as produce a sharp pencil). I have no advice on getting it to work, other than that you might want to try a different pencil, as some seem to have more brittle lead than others.

 

[JohnPW]

I prefer to use a chisel or knife, but only to cut away the wood, and use the pencil "blunt".

I use a mechanical pencil if I need a fine point.

 

[Andy Kev.]

That's a shame. Manufactum in Koln is one of my favourite shops, (along with the kitchen shop opposite and the cafe that sells Italian espresso machines around the corner, and the Bechstein dealer over the road). We have had no visit this winter due to C19.

Luckily offspring also have dual nationality and two lots of passports so choices are available.

I got three of the brass pencil sharpeners from the Manufactum in Stuttgart. One of them is part of my toolkit. They're the barrel shaped ones and they were what we were issued with when I was at school. Until I saw them in Manufactum, I had just assumed that such things were no longer made, having been abandoned in favour of cheap plastic.

I love browsing in Manufactum but it's not half a rip off: I daren't think what their mark-ups are.

 

[Orraloon]

I guess given one as a chrissy present I would use it but seriously if you can't find at least a dozen things in a woodworker's shed to sharpen pencils on then somethings not right.
Regards
John

 

[Sandyn]

What a lovely present. It may be expensive, but so what!!. It's the thought that counts. It will just take practice and every time you sharpen your pencil, you know who you will think of.

Many people would think nothing of spending the same amount on a meal or alcohol and we all know where that ends up!

 

[Rob_Mc]

Here's a video showing someone using it without breaking the lead;



Are you doing anything different?

 

[JoshD]

I got given one too! Hadn't realised the price until I saw this thread! Works ok on rectangular pencil ....

 

[kinverkid]

I use a school type sharpener with the handle on. Something has changed in the design though. I remember sharpening pencils at school all the way down to a stub in seconds. They now stop as soon as it's sharp. Sucked all the fun out of it. I use a square pencil sharper on one end of my carpenters pencil and whatever's sharp on the other and a belt sander on chinagraph type pencils. I would love to hear someone's handy tip on a better way to sharpen those.

 

[harvestbarn]

For round pencils I use a T'gaal Multisharpener you can adjust the angle and it catches the waste. Around £6.50 on Amazon.

 

[Ollie78]

Amazing how many ways to sharpen a pencil.
Funnily enough I bought a Pica pencil from a hire shop on a whim about 6 months ago. I have found it brilliant, it has a built in mini sharpener in the holster thingy.
The best thing about it though is the fact that I haven't lost it. Because the little holster thing has such a good clip it just stays in my pocket and I always just put it straight back. It has taught me better pencil care.
Before I went for saturation, just pencils everywhere so I could always find one.
Now its just always there in my pocket. Its the lean manufacturing pencil principle.

Ollie

 

[TRITON]

I'll stick with my Gentleman's folding pocket knife thanks. Probably sharper

I watched the vid, but 1/2 way it it was just too syrupy sweet and I thought thats the last thing i need.