So I learned the hard way why you don't skip pilot holes in oak

I was building a bookshelf for my sister's place in Portland last Saturday. Grabbed some nice red oak from the lumber yard, thought I'd save time by just driving screws straight in. Third board in, I split it clean down the middle. Wasted about $40 worth of wood. My buddy Joe who's been doing cabinets for 20 years just laughed and handed me his countersink bit set. Now I know. You guys pre-drill even for softwoods or just me?

2 comments

2 Comments

davis.ivan26d ago

You mentioned oak being a "drama queen," but I gotta say, I've been using it for years without much trouble. Maybe I'm just lucky or I use smaller screws, but I've driven plenty right into red oak without splitting anything. A little muscle and a decent drill bit seems to do the trick if you're careful about the angle. I think people overreact sometimes, you know? It's wood, not glass.

the_hannah26d ago

Oh man, have you ever read that post from the Wood Whisperer guy about how oak is basically the drama queen of hardwoods when it comes to splitting? I swear I saw it on Instagram or somewhere, he said red oak has these huge open pores that make it extra prone to cracking if you don't pre-drill. Learned that one myself on a nightstand project last winter, snapped a chunk right off a corner and had to glue it back together lol. Now I pre-drill for everything except pine, and even then I'm paranoid if the screw is near an edge.

-1