My uncle in Spokane said to always pre-drill for pocket screws in maple, even with a jig.

I argued that my Kreg jig should handle it, but I tried it on a maple face frame last month and got a nasty split. He was totally right, the wood is just too hard and dense. Anyone have a go-to bit size for pre-drilling in hardwoods like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

bettyk5312d ago

Ugh, my buddy learned this the hard way too. He was building a maple cabinet door with his Kreg jig and it just blew out the side, a clean split right along the grain. He was so mad. He started using a 1/16" bit to pre-drill the pilot hole first, just a quick little hole. It's a pain but it works. No more splits.

daniel55212d ago

That pre-drill trick is a lifesaver for hardwoods, honestly.