Article Name: Perfect Pilot Holes
Word Count: 1406
Author: Andy Duframe
Link Reference: https://www.ezwoodshop.com
Article Summary: Most of the problems related to driving screws have nothing to do with the screw itself, but everything to do with the pilot hole – or in some cases, the complete lack of a pilot hole. As tempting as it might be to muscle the screw in, just remember that most wood screws are too large to be forced into a board without some type of path to lead the way.
Most of the problems related to driving screws have nothing to do with the screw itself, but everything to do with the pilot hole – or in some cases, the complete lack of a pilot hole. As tempting as it might be to muscle the screw in, just remember that most wood screws are too large to be forced into a board without some type of path to lead the way. I know this extra step is tempting to ignore, but drilling a properly-sized pilot hole first can mean the difference between your wood project being a success—or a disaster.
What Size Pilot Hole Should I Drill?
As a general rule, a pilot hole should be the same diameter as the root of the screw (the center core just below the threads). This allows the bulk of a screw to enter a board without splitting the grain, yet still allow the threads to do their work --pulling two boards together to form a joint. The most common mistake people make in drilling pilot holes is to make the hole too small, believing that the more snug the wood screw, the stronger the joint. Not so, necessarily. Keep in mind that the real job of a wood screw is to pull boards together just long enough to complete whatever joinery technique you’re using for that project.
If we’re talking about a glued joint, that means the primary job of a wood screw is to act like a clamp -- bringing two boards together just long enough to make the surfaces bond to each other and the glue to dry. For joints without glue, the job of a wood screw is to align the project pieces in their rightful place, allowing the joint to work in tandem with other joints to support the overall structure. Interestingly enough, the wood screw itself offers little value to the strength of a joint.
Countersink for the Perfect Fit
A pilot hole by itself might be fine for the threaded portion of the screw, but it doesn’t provide room for the head, which is quite a bit larger than the rest of the screw. A simple solution to this problem is to use a countersink bit, which creates both a pilot hole for the threads, and a larger hole for the head of the screw.
Straight or Tapered?
When shopping for a countersink bit, you’ll discover that most stores carry two basic styles: straight and tapered. The straight style works best with wood screws that have a narrow, straight shank (usually the same diameter as the threaded portion of the screw). The tapered style works best with wood screws that have a wide, tapered shank (usually larger than the threaded portion of the screw).
Top 3 Problems Driving Screws
1. Wood Screw Stalls in Board
You’re probably already familiar with this frustrating scenario -- the screw seems to be going in, but suddenly it stops short about halfway into the board. You try to muscle the wood screw in, but you end up stripping the head or splitting the board.
What’s the Problem?
No pilot hole. Most wood screws are just too large in diameter to drive into a board without some type of path for it to follow.
Pilot hole too small. This is the most common mistake made in drilling pilot holes. Fortunately, it’s an easy fix. First put your drill in reverse and carefully back the screw out of the board. In most cases, it’s the shank of the screw that’s being stubborn.
What's the Solution?
A stalled wood screw can easily be fixed by using a tapered countersink bit to make a new, larger-size pilot hole. However, test the new pilot hole on a piece of scrap wood first, just to make sure it’s the right fit for the wood screw.
2. Over-Driving wood screw
This is an easy mistake to make with soft wood like pine. Even with a properly-sized pilot hole, it’s still possible to make a mess of your project by sending a wood screw so far into the board that it breaks through the other side.
What’s the Problem?
Pilot Hole Too Large. Too much room in a pilot hole can easily send your wood screw careening through the board and breaking through to the other side.
Drill Torque Set Too High. Even with a properly-sized pilot hole, your can still send a wood screw too far into a board by unleashing too much power from your drill/driver.
What's the Solution?
Aside from test-drilling pilot holes in scrap wood first (which I always recommend), the best way to avoid ruining a project from over driving screw is to take advantage of the torque adjustment ring on your drill/driver. It’s one of the most useful (yet most ignored) features of the tool, and can precisely control just how much force you want to put behind the wood screw. When set correctly, the torque adjustment allows you to carefully set screws just below the surface of the board – and no further.
3. Bridging
Sometimes a wood screw can end up forcing apart the two board surfaces you are trying to join. What’s worse, you might not even notice the problem till you’ve moved on to another part of the project. Don’t blame the wood screw, though. The problem usually starts with the wood, not the hardware.
What’s the Problem?
Boards are warped. Warped lumber can leave a gap in the joint, preventing the flush union we need for a solid joint between two boards. wood screws are strong, but they may not be strong enough to bring warped boards together.
Pilot hole splinters block the joint. This is a very common problem that can obviously interfere with a solid, flush joint between two boards.
What's the Solution?
Depending on the severity of the warp, you might be able to first pull the boards together with a wood clamp, and then drive the screws. However, if your boards are noticeably warped to begin with, don’t use them for the parts of your project that involve joinery. Pilot hole splinters can be cured by drilling countersink holes on the inside of the adjoining boards—which will effectively keep any wood splinters from blocking the joint.
Using a Pilot Hole Guide
Most of us know that drilling a pilot hole first is the best way to make sure fasteners go where we want them to go. But the location of that hole can be just as important as the hole itself. If it’s not in the right place, you can easily ruin a project by splitting the fragile edges of the boards you’re trying to join.
For example, I like to use 1x6 and 1x12 boards to build small wood projects. The tricky part about joining pieces like this is making sure my pilot hole hits dead center on the 3/4” thickness of the board I’m driving into. If the hole ends up too far off center, I’m almost certain to split some wood somewhere on the project when I drive the screws.
Fixing the Problem
The Hard Way. My first solution to this problem (in my early days of building projects), was to meticulously mark up everything with guidelines -- which I carefully drew exactly 3/8” in from the edge of every board. I would also mark locations for each pilot hole, to make sure they were evenly spaced along the length of the work piece. This was always a tedious and time-consuming task, and I promised myself one day I’d come up with better way.
The Easy Way. The better way was to create a simple set of templates that show me exactly where to position pilot holes along the edge of a board. No more dragging out my rulers and squares, no more pencil marks on my work pieces (that would never erase completely) and no more measuring mistakes.
Best part is that I can print as many copies as I need from my office computer and take them down to the shop whenever I start a project. I’ve found the best procedure is to simply hold the template against the edge of a board with one hand, and use a carpenter’s awl (or nail) in the other. Then pierce through the paper at each cross- hair target -- just deep enough to create a small indent to mark the pilot hole location.
Author: Andy Duframe
Website: www.ezwoodshop.com
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