Roger, if you follow the above directions you will just not use such a pencil as the 4h. I struggle with pencil hardness, too soft too hard, but I do often find myself finishing the edge on the concrete floor for a finer edge. And none of this round pencil stuff I go for the carpenter style. I have one on desk, refuse from my pocket, it is about 2.5 inches long and the bevel on one side goes almost the the end. A good hard lead and you can almost score with it but if the wood is wet and light poor it is hard to see the line. I sometimes think of going to a scratch awl. I feel so crude when my pencil gets dull, the duller the cruder and more careless my work becomes. I have crayons I use for quick marks and a chainsaw, sometimes I sharpen my crayons, in an attempt to rein in myself.