There's nothing more satisfying that working with a nice sharp pencil but when you have hundreds you need to know how to sharpen your pencils fast! If you love coloring but the pencil collection is full of broken leads or maybe you are a teacher and your dear students just can't seem to look after the pencils and keep them in good shape then read on as we have the perfect solution for you when it comes to mass pencil sharpening!
The great thing about this little gizmo is it is super low rent and uses cheap items and stuff you most likely have sitting around the house. If not, it can be easily acquired at the local hardware store for next to nothing.
Either way, you will be happy to have your pencils back in tip top shape and ready for action again.
Below we have the step-by-step on how to make this brilliant turbo pencil sharpener, but if you're more the video type guy or gal, then scroll to the bottom to see a quick video on how to make this nifty contraption and see it in action!
Plastic or Metal Pencil Sharpener (See images below for correct type)
Small Bolt and Nut
2 x Small Metal Washer
2 x Small Rubber Washer
Step 1
Select the correct size drill bit. The diameter of the drill bit should be the same as the outside diameter of the bolt (including the thread)
Step 2
Now carefully drill a hole in the center of the base of the pencil sharpener housing. It is important to get the hole as close to the center as possible for this to work well. Take your time, measure and mark before drilling. Be careful not to apply too much pressure so you don't split the plastic and let the drill bit do the work.
Step 3
Feed the washers onto the bolt. The rubber washers are not essential but they will help the bolt grip the plastic properly and ensure it rotates properly.
Step 4
Feed the bolt through from the inside of the pencil sharpener housing.
Step 5
Apply the second of each of the metal and rubber washers onto the bolt ready for placing the nut.
Step 6
Now place the nut onto the bolt and use a screwdriver to tighten the whole assembly so it doesn't slip.
Step 7
Now your turbo pencil sharpener is complete and you can place it in the chuck of the drill and fasten up the chuck!
Step 8
Place your blunt pencil into the sharpener and gently squeeze the trigger on the drill. Just remember that because this is such a fast sharpener it's super easy to get carried away and over sharpen your pencils! If you do this, your pencils will not last long and you will sharpen them all down to shavings! Use caution.
If you want to see the turbo pencil sharpener in action and also watch a step-by-step tutorial on how to complete this project, check out the video below. NOTE: the first part of the video shows all the failures and how not to do this. If you want to cut straight to the step-by-step, jump the video to 2:36
Thanks to DaveHax for the inspiration for this post. Check out his channel for other fun hacks!
That's the turbo pencil sharpener folks! We hope this project has solved the age old problem of how to sharpen loads of pencils in next to no time at all.
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