Makers Cabinet Hovel: Brass Pencil Plane Guide

Makers Cabinet Hovel brass pencil plane in front and side views with a cedar pencil laid on it, drawn by eye — The Hovel in front and side views, drawn by eye (the maker gives no dimensions); brass sampled from Makers Cabinet's product photo. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

Product facts

Product

Makers Cabinet Hovel Pencil Plane

Brand

Makers Cabinet

Brand origin

United Kingdom

Made in

China (primarily Shenzhen), with selected components from the UK, Italy and Japan^*

Material

Solid brass body; carbon steel blades

Good for

Drawing and sketching

Price range

$$$$over $75 per item

Colors

Brass

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Notes on these facts

Made by Makers Cabinet (designed in London). Made in China (primarily Shenzhen), with selected components from the UK, Italy and Japan: Makers Cabinet's FAQ says every product is designed in London and that production takes place primarily in Shenzhen, China, with selected components sourced from the UK, Italy and Japan. It does not say which components of the Hovel come from where. Source. Price: example listing.
Colors: names per Makers Cabinet (US store), checked November 3, 2026. Makers Cabinet lists the Hovel in brass, and a separate special edition with Blackwing in a matte black anodised aluminium body. The brass tint was sampled by hand from the maker's lead product photo; brass darkens with use. Tints are representative, not measured. Shops stock different colors.
How we test and disclose samples: How we test stationery.
Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026.

Key takeaways

Makers Cabinet says the Hovel makes short, long or flat points, takes all artist pencil barrel sizes, and cuts soft pastel and makeup pencils without snapping them.
It is solid brass with a carbon steel blade held on magnets in a clamp, and it comes with ten replacement blades.
The maker's instruction sheet shows two cut angles, 10 and 25 degrees, and says to cut away from yourself with the Hovel held at both ends.
The base that catches shavings is sold separately (walnut or cork), as are a leather sheath and packs of 10 spare blades.
On the maker's own page the Hovel shows 4.8 out of 5 from 545 reviews (read November 3, 2026); several owners say it takes practice.

What is the Makers Cabinet Hovel?

It is a pencil plane: instead of twisting a pencil in a cone, you draw it across a blade held in a brass body. Makers Cabinet, a London design studio that sells machined brass tools, spells it Høvel and calls it “an entirely reimagined pencil sharpener”. The page says its mechanism helps avoid breaking the lead, unlike a common sharpener that “twists and snaps graphite”.

The body is solid brass, which the maker says gains character with age, and it comes with a pack of 10 carbon steel replacement blades.

How does the Hovel sharpen a pencil?

You hold the plane at both ends, lay the pencil along it and cut away from yourself. The instruction sheet shows two angles for the cut, 10 and 25 degrees, and says changing the angle gives different points. The page says you can make short, long or even flat points.

The blade sits on magnets in a clamp that slides into the body and is fixed with a knurled thumbscrew. To change the depth of cut, loosen the screw and move the clamp; pushing the clamp down extends the blade. To retract it, lay the Hovel flat on a surface and do not touch the blade.

Hovel cut angles: a pencil at 10 degrees and at 25 degrees against the blade, as shown on the maker's instruction sheet — The two angles on the maker's sheet; parts are drawn by eye and not to scale. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.

Which pencils does the Hovel sharpen?

Makers Cabinet says it accommodates all artist pencil barrel sizes. It also says it can sharpen soft pencils such as pastels and makeup pencils without snapping the point. The maker does not give a barrel-size range, so we cannot say how thick a pencil it takes.

For a conical sharpener to compare, see our best pencil sharpeners, or the Blackwing One-Step, another metal sharpener. The how to sharpen a pencil guide explains blade and cone methods.

What is sold with the Hovel?

The Hovel itself comes with blades only; the shavings base is an extra. The page says “the base is sold separately”, and the Hovel Base is a walnut or cork chamber that catches shavings (it sits in our $$$ band, $20-75). A pack of ten blades is in the $$ band ($5-20) and a vegetable-tanned leather sheath in the $$$ band.

The maker also sells a Blackwing special edition: a lightweight aluminium body in Blackwing’s matte black anodised finish, with a black-dyed wood base and ten blades included.

Makers Cabinet Hovel specs

Spec	Value
Maker	Makers Cabinet (designed in London)
Body	Precision-machined solid brass
Blade	Carbon steel, magnet-held clamp, thumbscrew
Blades included	10
Cut angles shown	10 and 25 degrees
Base	Sold separately (walnut or cork)
Size and weight	Not stated
Price band ($$$$ = over $75)	$$$$

Who is the Hovel for?

It suits artists and writers who want control over the shape of a point and are willing to learn a blade. For Drawing and sketching, Makers Cabinet says it makes short, long or flat points and takes all artist pencil barrel sizes, so a flat point for shading is possible. The base is extra, so budget for it if you do not want shavings on the desk.

Skip it if you want something simple: one owner on the maker’s page “regretted paying so much” until they learned to use less effort, then called it therapeutic. We have not tried it.

What do owners say?

On Makers Cabinet’s own page the Hovel shows 4.8 out of 5 from 545 reviews (read November 3, 2026). These are reviews on the maker’s own store, not an independent test. Owners describe needle-sharp points with few broken leads, a “meditative” process, and good results on chalk pencils for sewing.

The common caution is technique: one reviewer found it hard to master until they stroked the pencil gently up and down instead of pressing hard.

Where is the Hovel made?

Designed in London and made primarily in Shenzhen, China, per Makers Cabinet’s FAQ. The FAQ adds that selected components come from the UK, Italy and Japan; it does not say which parts of the Hovel. For the same maker’s pencil holder and ruler, see the Ferrule and the Stria.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Hovel come with a base?

No. Makers Cabinet's page says the base is sold separately, in walnut or cork, and acts as a chamber for the shavings. The Blackwing special edition includes a black-dyed wood base.

How many blades come with the Hovel?

A pack of 10 carbon steel replacement blades, according to Makers Cabinet. The maker also sells packs of 10 separately.

Can the Hovel sharpen soft pencils like pastels?

Makers Cabinet says it can sharpen soft pencils such as pastels or makeup pencils without breaking the point, because it shaves rather than twisting the lead.

What angles does the Hovel cut at?

The maker's instruction sheet shows a 10 degree and a 25 degree cut, and says to adjust the angle of the cut to get different points.

Is the Hovel safe to use?

It has an exposed steel blade. The instruction sheet says to hold it at both ends, cut away from yourself, and to retract the blade by laying it flat on a surface, not by touching it.

How do you change the blade?

Loosen the thumbscrew, lift out the clamp, and place a new blade on the clamp's magnets with its shiny beveled edge showing. Slot the clamp back in and turn the thumbscrew clockwise to fasten.

What is the Blackwing Hovel?

A special edition Makers Cabinet made with Blackwing: a lightweight aluminium body with Blackwing's matte black anodised finish, a black-dyed wood base and ten blades, per the maker's page.

Sources (7)

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