You take a measurement, go to write it down and the pencil lead breaks. Or you lay the pencil down and it rolls away -- out of reach. Has this ever happened to you? Here's how carpenters handle this little problem. Regular lead pencils are fine for home and school, but they're not well suited for construction and repair projects. Instead, carpenters use a special pencil that has flat sides (so it won't roll away), and has a sturdy lead about 1-quarter-inch-inch wide by 1-eighth-inch thick. It's tough to break when marking measurements. When it comes to sharpening these flat pencils, most carpenters just carve off the wood with a utility knife or plane off the wood until a proper tip takes shape. If this sounds a bit too rustic for you, hardware stores sell a special pencil sharpener with a wide slot made just for these wide, flat pencils. And that's the On The House tip for today.