How to Make a Pencil Sharpener

If you don't have a pencil sharpener, you can make one. There are two ways to do it, but keep in mind that most hand-held pencil sharpeners cost less than a dollar. These alternatives will work in a pinch.

Use a knife or utility blade to shave off the edges of the pencil tip to make it sharper. You also can use this method to sharpen pencils that are too large to fit into regular pencil sharpeners.

Place the razor blade on one of the edges of a wooden block. The blade should be out over the edge and the hole in the blade should be over wood.

Put a nail through the hole in the razor.

Nail the razor to the wood block with a hammer.

Scrape the edge of the pencil along the razor blade to achieve a point.