How to Use a Pencil Sharpener

For all the talk of the "paperless office," our use of pencils is still alive and well. If you work in an office, there will come a time when you will have to use a pencil sharpener. While there are pencil sharpeners that are manually operated, most pencil sharpeners today are electric, consisting of a small, rectangular machine containing a motor that revolves the circular blades. That said, electric pencil sharpeners are extremely easy to use and take only several seconds until you have a razor-sharp pencil.

Things You'll Need

• Pencil
• Pencil sharpener

Instructions

1. Find the hole where you will insert the pencil into the pencil sharpener. In most pencil sharpeners, there is a small hole on the top of the machine.

2. Insert the pencil all the way down into the hole.

3. Hold the pencil still while the motor-driven blades sharpen the pencil.

4. Remove the pencil after 5 seconds of sharpening.

5. Examine the pencil. If it is sharp enough, you are finished. But if it still appears dull, put it back into the sharpener and wait for another several seconds.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep a firm grip on the pencil as the pencil sharpener sharpens it. The pencil has to be kept still in order to be sharpened properly.

• Be careful that your fingers are not too close to the blade. Be careful not to sharpen your pencil for too long, otherwise the lead will break and you'll have to start over.

Resources

• Information on how a pencil sharpener works