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How are pencils made?
Question
#76753. Asked by crazycube. (Mar 05 07 7:40 AM)
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BungeeAZ
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A thin cylinder of graphite is encased in a surrounding of wood. The wood is shaved away and tapered, into the shape of a point, in order to reveal the graphite.
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skysmom65
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1. Incense-cedar logs are cut into "Pencil Blocks."
2. Pencil Blocks are cut into "Pencil Slats."
3. Pencil Slats are treated with wax and stain.
4. A machine cuts grooves into the slats to accept the writing core (or "lead").
5. Writing cores -- made from a mixture of graphite and clay -- are placed into the grooves.
6. A second grooved slat is glued onto the first -- making a "sandwich."
7. The sandwich is machined into pencil shapes.
8. Individual pencils are cut from the sandwich,
and are sanded smooth.
9. Each pencil is painted.
A recess is cut to accept the ferrule (the metal ring that holds the eraser to the pencil).
10. A ferrule and eraser are crimped into place on each pencil.
 http://www.pencils.com/makeit.html
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Baloo55th
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Not only incense-cedar wood is used. Outside the USA, the pencils made in the English lake District were juniper wood, and pencil juniper and other junipers is still used in many parts of the world. It's juniper I always think of in association with pencils. http://www.northernareas.gov.pk/ndetail.cfm?ID=242
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What-A-Mess
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Today a vast number of pencils are made without using wood. Looks and "chews" like wood (sort of) but bends to a point that wood could never.
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