Shoutout to my cousin who told me to use a 3/8 inch drill bit for my lag bolts in the windbreak fence.

I argued that a 1/2 inch was better for play, but he insisted the smaller pilot hole gives a tighter hold, and after the last storm, his section is the only one that didn't wobble, so has anyone else had a similar experience with fastener sizing in our high winds?

4 comments

4 Comments

nelson.vera3mo ago

Your cousin sounds like the kind of guy who would argue about the right way to make a peanut butter sandwich. He's probably out there right now, gently patting his perfectly still fence posts while giving them a smug little wink. Guess the proof is in the wobble, or lack of it.

drewr151mo ago

Yeah the "proof is in the wobble" part rings true. I've done fence jobs where I went overboard on the bolts and posts split anyway after a few seasons. Now I just use a standard lag bolt with a washer and call it good, never had a post wobble since.

joelburns3mo ago

Ever tried just using a washer and a bigger bolt? Takes the pressure off the wood so it doesn't split when it dries out.

ray6173mo ago

Hold up, you're both kinda wrong. That smaller bit is just asking for the wood to split, especially with pressure treated lumber that's still a bit wet. The real move is a stepped pilot hole, using a smaller bit for the shank and then the bigger size just for the threads. Your cousin got lucky this time, but next big blow, those tight bolts might just crack the post instead of pulling loose. Seen it happen on deck jobs all the time.