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Drilling Pilot Holes

This extra step will prevent wood splitting if you do it before nailing

By Roy Barnhart

When nailing up moldings and other thin workpieces, boring a pilot hole first helps prevent the nails from splitting the wood, especially when nailing near the board's end. What if you don't have the right size drill bit? Simply chuck a finishing nail in the drill to bore perfect-size pilot holes. Apply light pressure on the drill to prevent the nail from bending.

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