Saturday, January 9, 2021

Pencil and Pen Box

This belongs to the- feel like doing something in the shop but don't want to start a major project- category. Thanks to the mechanical pencil misadventure which was the subject of the prior post, I now had a fun DIY pencil sharpener and a bunch of sharpened pencils that needed a container. Yeah, I could use a coffee can or glass, but what's the fun in that. Also, thanks to the pandemic (reading more), I've taken a renewed interest in fountain pens- they work better for me with marginalia and underlining. I also wanted a lid so the pencils could be transported from house to shop w/o breaking the points.

I started with plywood remnants and other materials I had in the shop. The box was originally intended as mockup to get an idea of box and compartments. Thus the use of 21G brads visible on the sides and cover.

 Also, why the bottom is less than elegantly finished. 


About  a third of the way through the project, it became apparent that trying to make a box without any visible brad heads was overkill for the purpose of a fun several hour project. Also, it's not going to be for storing any "luxury writing instruments" - my experience with Modern Fuel's product cured me of that. BTW, I returned their defective product more than two weeks ago and have not received a credit. 

The Moxon vise on my work desk makes a good parking place when I'm not using the vise for bookbinding.

That said, this little box was fun to make, does its function well and is satisfying to use and look at. Bonus is having a home for our tablet styluses.