Hand Cut Dovetai Joints

[Jacob]

Yes I thought mechanical pencils a good idea but they just ain't. Old fashioned wooden ones much better in the workshop, 2H, HB, 2B. Mechanical sharpener good though.
To make a nice line which doesn't thicken you need to turn the pencil as you draw. The lead gets shorter but stays round in cross section.

 

[Trevanion]

I like to use a ballpoint as it's a good, clear and consistent mark and I rarely need a finer line.

Although on darker timbers like Sapele I actually use a hard french chalk for the rough layout lines for cutting, it can be sharpened to quite a fine edge too if you wanted a fine line although it will wipe off and smudge easy.

 

[MikeG.]

Yes I thought mechanical pencils a good idea but they just ain't. Old fashioned wooden ones much better in the workshop, 2H, HB, 2B. Mechanical sharpener good though.
To make a nice line which doesn't thicken you need to turn the pencil as you draw. The lead gets shorter but stays round in cross section.

I use my pencils as a check on whether or not a chisel needs honing. I'd never use an actual pencil sharpener when a pencil is made of wood and I'm surrounded by sharp things designed for paring timber.