Thick lead pencil, great for sketches, note-taking, and marking around the shop. Features a built-in sharpener cap and hexagonal center band to prevent rolling.
| Type | Pencil |
| Bushings | Toolbox Pencil Kit Bushings |
| Drill Bit Required | 11mm |
| Replacement Tubes | Toolbox Pencil Kit Replacement Tubes |
| Refill | Pencil Lead 5.6mm |
| Pen Blanks Pictured | Wood Pen Blank - Afromosia |
| Instructions | Toolbox Pencil Kit Instructions |
Won't buy it again no customer support
Have not used yet, but the instructions are complete, as is the package. The only down side I found is no 8mm drill bit included. This not a common size, so I had to buy one. Not a deal breaker, and I'd purchase again.
I have purchased a couple of these kits over the last two years. They make a nice pencil that I enjoy using in my shop. I recently made a few more of these because a coworker saw mine and really liked it and wanted his own. One of the kits I purchased did not have one component, which I have never had happen before with the 100ish pen kits I’ve purchased from Crooked Mill, but I mentioned it when I made my second purchase a week later and they sent an extra free toolbox pencil kit with my purchase.
The Toolbox Pencil kit creates a robust, thick-leaded, iron-clad beast of a pencil. The lead is about twice the diameter of the lead of a typical wooden pencil (read the specs). After a failed first attempt at building the pencil (keep reading), I successfully built the second (of three kits I’d purchased). I used a chunk of water buffalo horn (originally sold as a dog chew!) for the blank; note to others, save yourself and buy pre-cut blanks if you want to do buffalo horn. By the time I chopped up the horn, I would’ve been able to buy pre-cut blanks for about the same price. Doh! Anyway, the pencil came out fantastic! As a utilitarian instrument to be used in my shop, I have very little doubt that this pencil will last for many, many years (lifetime?). In length, the Toolbox Pencil is about 0.5” shorter than a completed Slimline Pen, but maybe 1.5x a Slimline in girth.
My one gripe with the kit was that I should’ve followed my instincts when assembling. Instead, I tried to follow the directions, which left off a vital step. Again, the mistake could’ve been avoided using commonsense, but I wanted to follow directions… Anyway, BEFORE you “[P]ress the Jaw onto the short end of the Pencil Mechanism” in step 2, MAKE SURE you insert the Jaw through the Tip FIRST (the Jaw needs to be inserted via the tip of the Tip). You cannot reverse that step later (when you get to step 6) – trust me!
***I do need to point out that Crooked Mill customer service remedied my situation immediately; in fact, I haven’t seen such a high quality of customer service in a long time, unfortunately.***
If you want a bold pencil with plenty of acreage to show off a blank, this one is it! If, however, you’re looking for a pencil lead the size of a normal wooden pencil, check out their Sketch Pencil kit. You really can’t go wrong with either, imho!
Instructions were a bit vague. I had problems with assembly. The barrel assembly needed to be assembled and it was difficult. The kit I purchased from another vendor came with barrel complete. The top ring didn't fit the tenon so I had to mill it out a little so it would fit. Final product came out amazing.
