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My lead carpenter in Tulsa bet me $50 that pre-drilling cabinet hinges was a waste of time
He swore up and down that the self-tapping screws that came with the hinges would bite fine into hard maple on this kitchen install off Cherry Street. I took the bet because I was sick of splitting stiles, and I pre-drilled all 14 doors on my half anyway. Sure enough, his side had 4 split stiles and a stripped screw that we had to plug and re-drill, so now I want to know if pre-drilling is just standard for you guys on hardwoods or if I'm being too careful.
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fiona3327d ago
Maple also moves a lot with humidity swings around here, and a pilot hole gives the screw a clean path so it doesn't act like a wedge fighting that grain. The bigger thing nobody mentions is the hinge plate itself. When a screw splits the stile you don't just lose that screw, you can knock the plate out of alignment and then the door hangs crooked and rubs the frame. So it's less about the screw biting and more about keeping the hinge line true. Your $50 was money well spent.
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