Now let’s go through some less commonly used writers – not actually pencils – that can help in the shop. 

First is the one with the thick lead in the wooden handle. This is the CretaColor 5.6mm white chalk lead. Plain white chalk is a decent alternative. The black charcoal lead is less useful but can help on a light surface. 

This is handy for marking wood stock with a rough size, placement, or whatever purpose – a quick way to get organized. A simple pencil marking is slower to make prominent and is not seen as well. 

The yellow Dixon “lumber crayon” (to the right in the photo) is used for the same purpose. I find it less easy and fast to put out the markings, though it is sturdier. 

At the top of the photo are some pens – go old Sharpies – and a regular thin writing pen. Only occasionally do I use these on wood. They are sometimes useful for better visibility on wood without a smoothed surface that later will be planned or sanded. Where they are very helpful for is labeling things in the shop – machines, tools, parts, etc. Easy to write and easy to see the words and numbers.

So that covers it for wood and the shop. On the next post, I will go through the set for drafting, which uses a different set of writing tools.