Old cabinetmaker told me to pre-drill every single screw hole. I called him crazy for 5 years until my $400 cherry panel split right down the middle last Tuesday.

I was building a custom kitchen for a client in Portland and thought I could skip pre-drilling on some face frames to save time. Figured a 2 inch screw into cherry would be fine. Nope. The split was so bad I had to scrap the panel and order new stock. Set me back 3 days. Now I pre-drill EVERYTHING even pine. Has anyone else learned a hard lesson from ignoring the old timers?

3 comments

3 Comments

morgan_king363d ago

You ever try to salvage a screw up like that with hide glue and clamps? It never works as good as you hope. I split a walnut table leg once going full send with a 3 inch construction screw. Now I keep a little magnetic tray of the right drill bits right next to my screw gun. Makes it a habit, you know? Fixing a split later always takes more time than drilling a pilot hole upfront. Especially with hardwoods like cherry or oak.

ray_williams3d ago

Hide glue is just a way to be mad at yourself for twice as long.

leehall3d ago

Started pre drilling everything after that too. It's funny how skipping one tiny step just because you're in a hurry can cost you way more time in the end. Same thing happens with rushing through anything in life really, like cooking or even paying bills.