Old timer told me to skip pilot holes in pressure treated pine

Guy with 40 years in the trade swore I was wasting time drilling pilot holes for deck screws in pressure treated 2x6s. First three boards I built without them, two split right down the middle. Anybody else run into bad advice from experienced carpenters that just didn't work out?

2 comments

2 Comments

wadeg921mo ago

Isnt it funny how the old way stays alive just because nobody called it out before?

ray_carr1mo ago

You said "nobody called it out before" but sometimes people did call it out, they just got ignored or shouted down for it. Like with manual transmission cars, everyone acted like automatics were just better but anyone who drove stick knew there was a real reason people kept buying them. Same with physical media for music, all the streaming people said CDs were dead but nobody wanted to admit that owning something you can actually hold makes a difference. It's not that nobody noticed, it's that the people pushing the new thing were louder for a while until enough regular folks finally pushed back.