The old-timer who told me to pre-drill everything was right, and I fought it for a year

Margaret Young · 2026-09-06T13:50:12.736751+00:00

I picked up a job in Richmond doing interior door frames for a whole condo building, 40 units. This guy Frank, 30 years on the crew, kept telling me to pre-drill every single hinge screw, even the cheap soft pine ones. I figured it was a waste of time, I'd been slamming screws in for a while without issues. On unit 18, I hit a knot wrong and split the jamb right down the face, had to pull the whole door and rehang it, cost me a day plus materials. Frank just stood there and said, 'Told you, the wood talks back if you don't listen first.' Now I pre-drill anything within six inches of an edge, no exceptions. Any of you ever get burned skipping a step for speed and pay for it double later?

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The old-timer who told me to pre-drill everything was right, and I fought it for a year | Carpenters - Opinions Matter