"Gary Sokolisch" wrote in message
...
If you pre-drill, the screw doesn't have much to grab onto.
In the old
days, they simply turned the screw without any pilot holes.
In fact, my
dad used to do it that way. The screw threads thereby get a
good "bite"
into the wood.

Not true. Wood only moves aside so far without crushing.
Crushed wood fibers provide a weak grip. If the hole is about
the size of the solid part of the screw the threads cut into the
wood and provide good grip without weakening the surrounding
wood.

Gary