Pre Drilling Oak

[degibson84]

so I am going to be pre drilling pilot holes in a piece of Oak i cut for my stand but am not sure what size bit to use for the holes.

The screws i plan to use a decking screws the only info on the box is

Dual-torq drive flat head 8x2-1/2


any information would be great. I dont want to screw up this piece of oak

[stacy_vennes]

a good general rule of thumb is the diameter is just a bit smaller than the diameter of the screw without the threads and then use a bit that is about 3/4 of the length of the screw hope that helps you anyways good luck and have a good day

[billdogg]

Good idea to drill the pilot holes. A small amount of candle wax (or even bar soap) will help the screws go in easier as well.

To determine the correct size of a pilot hole, choose a bit that is ~ the same size (or just a touch smaller) than the solid part of the screw underneath the threads. hold them up together side by side - you should be able to see threads on both sides of the bit.

hth

[jlanger]

If you're pre-drilling and countersinking for the screws, countersinking drill bits are sold with the size corresponding to the screw being used.
So a size 8 countersink bit will work for the size 8 screw you're using.

[Gorgok]

As the others mentioned, eyeballing the drill to be about the size of the screw shank is what you are after. I also would recommend lubricating the screws even with predrilled holes. I have used a peg compound, but i assume its a mix of wax and such. The difference between a dry screw and a touch of the compound on my project was a broken screw half way down versus a screw that pulled the pieces together tight.

[tufkab]

So this is the BEST TOOL EVER if you're building ANYTHING with #8 screws.

It comes with the properly sized drill bit, has a set srew to hold the bit at the proper depth AND will automatically countersink or counter bore the hole as you drill. It's hard to see in the picture, but after you drill, pull that little brass collar forward and the whole assembly ahead of the collar slides out; flip it 180 degrees and put it back in, as you slide it back in, pull the collar back into you to lock it again in one smooth motion - there's a driver bit holder on the other end.

http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/9435/728105jpgprodmx7214.jpg


You can go from pre-drilling to driving and back to drilling again in under a second. I love it.

If you are putting screws in an exposed area, hitachi also makes a plug cutter. Basically you put it on your drill and drill into a piece wood that matches what you are using and it cuts out little round pieces of wood that are a perfect match for the counterbore holes that the previous tool makes in your work piece. You just cover the screw holes with those plugs and voila !! Invisible screw holes

[degibson84]

All i did was use a 3/32 bit and drill through the board i needed. screws went in without cracking or splitting my board

[stacy_vennes]

All i did was use a 3/32 bit and drill through the board i needed. screws went in without cracking or splitting my board

well then you got the answers that you needed and everything worked well then