On Thu, 17 Feb 2011 16:21:24 -0500, Jeff Thies wrote:

On 2/17/2011 4:07 PM, Gary Sokolisch wrote:
If you pre-drill, the screw doesn't have much to grab onto.

You drill pilot holes where the wood may split. Old hardened wood needs
them, fresh pine, not so much.

Even with pine, the fastening will be stronger when the right sized pilot hole
is used. Without a pilot hole the wood fibers are torn, weakening the wood in
that area. A screw into the properly sized pilot hole will separate the
fibers (for the threads) without breaking them.