Old timer told me to pre-drill everything, even softwood

I always skipped it on pine thinking it was a waste of time. After splitting a 2x4 right down the middle on a deck job last summer, I finally see why he said that. Has anyone else had a simple tip they ignored for years that bit them?

2 comments

2 Comments

josephbutler2d ago

I read somewhere that even experienced carpenters have a rule about pilot holes for anything near the end of a board. Your split 2x4 story lines up with that perfectly, I took that same shortcut once and regretted it too.

the_laura2d ago

Learned that lesson myself on a cabinet face frame. Pilot holes save so much headache.