do i need a pilot hole

[Anonymous]

is it recommended to use a pilot hole in soft woods i.e pine?

Cheers,
Derek.

 

[Aragorn]

Well I almost always do for regular type screws.
In fact I use quite a large hole - 3.5mm for an 8g screw.

 

[Midnight]

Derek.. it depends on the quality of the board...

I bought some cheap n nasty stuff a while back and tried driving #8's straight into it, 3 screws in line down the centre line of a 125mm board, pitched 250mm appart, the last being 300mm from the end of the board. The resultant crack was umm.... educational...
Now I pilot a #8 with a 3mm bit when working with the stuff..

 

[Anonymous]

cheers guys pilot hole it is.

Derek.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Technically you need a clearance hole in the upper piece and a pilot hole in the lower. If you can clamp the two together, those special drills that do pilot/clearance/counterbore all in one go are worth a go.

Cheers
Steve

 

[DaveL]

If you can clamp the two together, those special drills that do pilot/clearance/counterbore all in one go are worth a go.

I have a cheap set from Screwfix of this type. They are a collar that clamps on a normal drill which cuts a counter bore and counter sink, I use them most times I use screws, they work well.