Pilot holes for wood screws

[gafftapegreenia]

In researching Wood Screw Pilot Hole tables for a carpentry reference card, I have found that there is a lot of disagreement on which size drill to use for which size screw.

For starters, I found these two tables, that illustrate the common disagreement, in which recommended pilot hole sizes are shifted either up or down for their respective screw size, dependent of course on your preferences.


Then we have the table that @derekleffew posted, which unless I am mistaken, is the same as the one on Pg. 54 of the Backstage Handbook



I present all this, not as a "which one is right", but more "which one do you prefer"?

 

[gafftapegreenia]

@Van , anybody, somebody?

 

[JD]

Pilot holes? I thought that's what the hammer was for

Truth be known, on soft woods there is a lot of latitude. The harder the wood, the more critical it becomes. Still, either chart would produce acceptable results.
I'm fond of smaller holes and a bit of soap on the screw. If you feel like the screw is going to snap, then drill larger. You can always drill a hole bigger, a little hard the other way around! Age of the wood is key too. A dry old wood might just pop, but fairly fresh wood (less than two years) still has some flexibility.

 

[dvsDave]

Alright, from #2 to #14, what are the most common 6 sizes? (I don't have room for all of them on the card)

 

[gafftaper]

When you go to Home Depot or Lowes to buy screws for building a set, you are going to buy 6, 8, 10, and 12 screws. If you get into a weird prop and you need some small screws, or some little sheet metal screws, you'll probably be using a 4 or a 2.

So based on that, I would say 6, 8, 10, and 12 are most important, with 2 and 4 if there's room.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

When you go to Home Depot or Lowes to buy screws for building a set, you are going to buy 6, 8, 10, and 12 screws. If you get into a weird prop and you need some small screws, or some little sheet metal screws, you'll probably be using a 4 or a 2.

So based on that, I would say 6, 8, 10, and 12 are most important, with 2 and 4 if there's room.

I agree with this, with one adjustment. Many of the drywall screws that people use, especially those under 2", are #7 size.

So for the card Id go 6, 7, 8, 10, & 12.


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