a carpenter's pencil holder

a carpenter's pencil
Originally uploaded by daveterry.

I really like well designed things. (Maybe I've mentioned this before?)

No, but seriously, it's a beautiful thing when I discover some clever item that is so well thought out I wonder what I did before it's invention. That's the mark of a great design.

When I find this kind of stuff I think to myself: "Why didn't I think of that?"

So here we have a carpenter's pencil holder.

The pencil itself is fairly well designed. Unlike a regular #2 pencil, it's flat so it doesn't roll off the roof if you drop it. And it's easy to sharpen, just flip it on either of it's sides and slice a sliver of wood from it's side to reveal a fresh, sharp tip.

But when the pencil has been sharpened to a stub it's hard to find in a tool belt. And because of it's flat shape, you can't just stick it behind your ear.

So this hollow aluminum shell with clip makes a good design. It never disappears in the pouch and it's always the same length. As the pencil wears down, you just push it deeper into the holder.

I love stuff like this.

Since I'm only a weekend carpenter I have no way of knowing if real carpenter's use this stuff or find it helpful.

But who cares what they think?

...dave
I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once.