If there is someone out there in the Metric World that has a set of calipers, I would really appreciate it if you could measure a pencil for me. Just a regular pencil, the most common one you would find in your particular country. Please measure from point-to-point or corner-to-corner to get the widest part of the hexagonal. Do not measure flat to flat.
I could really use the measurement to the 1000th (ie .000) and I would take it in either SAE or CM. Oh, and I would be curious as to where you are too.
I just need to know if a pencil is a pencil or if possibly pencils are regulated in some way and thus, vary in dia. from country to country. Maybe there is just one giant factory that makes all the pencils for the whole world. I dunno...
My guess is they are mostly made in China and your spec will vary according to how good the quality control was on a particular batch that was imported. Measurements to the 1000th will probably be unreliable as this is not a critical dimension and Chinese manufactures will not reject a yield based on it.
Don’t know if this matters for you but you should also consider the type of wood. Not all pencils are the smooth yellow laminate we get here in North America. I remember as a kid in Russia a soft white/beige wood was often with a rough finish and it was much softer than what we usually get here.
I am measuring a “regular” pencil on this side of the pond at 7.62mm or .3005". It seems that a pencil is indeed a pencil with probably just some variations due to manufacturing. Perfect! This is not only good news for my project, but I feel it can truly be used as a bonding moment --and should be.
Ah yes, I think back to MacGyver episode 12, season 6, “Jerico Games” (as I think anyone would…) and I remember this quote:
Nikolai: What they told us about American before glasnost, about how all of you are selfish monsters, is totally bogus. MacGyver: Well, I guess dudes are dudes all over the world.
That translates to a side length t=4.0415 mm and a maximum diameter of 8.083 mm.
Such is true only IF and WHEN a pencil section would be a perfect hexagon. But the corners are soft and slightly rounded. When I set my callipers to 7.7 mm, I can easily rotate my pencil in its grip.
For a smooth slide along a round hole through a plate of considerable thickness, I would suggest 7.8 mm as a minimum diameter for that hole. And when in doubt: lotsa lube!
