Showerthought: I thought pre-drilling pilot holes was a crutch until my oak trim split in Salt Lake City | Carpenters - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals
Showerthought: I thought pre-drilling pilot holes was a crutch until my oak trim split in Salt Lake City
I was nailing 1x4 oak trim on a built-in in a house up in Salt Lake City and skipped the pilot holes because I figured 16 gauge nails would cut right through. Ten minutes in, a piece split clean down the middle and blew out the face, so I pulled it and drilled every hole from then on with a 1/16 bit. Honestly it added maybe 15 minutes to the whole job but I didn't lose a single board after that, and the homeowner never saw the ugly one. Ngl I felt pretty dumb. Does anyone pre-drill everything or just the harder woods?