Straightening the Rule

I spotted an old steel carpenter's pencil rolling loose near the edge of the workbench. Its lead was blunted down to a nub, useless for marking straight lines. I grabbed an abrasive emery board from a discarded toolbox tray, planted my boots against the scarred cedar plank, and gripped the wood pencil firmly with both hands. With quick, heavy passes across the grit, I shaved the flat graphite down until it had a clean, razor-sharp edge. You do not lay down measurements with sloppy equipment.