Debate with my foreman last week about pre-drilling vs just sending it

I was on a deck job in Austin last Thursday, framing up some pressure-treated 2x6s. My foreman, Dave, swears you don't need to pre-drill for deck screws if you've got a good impact driver. I argued that every time I skip pre-drilling on treated lumber, I either split the board or snap a screw head off, especially near the ends. Dave pointed out it saves me 20 minutes per project, but then I spent 10 minutes fixing a cracked joist hanger. What's your take on this, do you pre-drill every time or just risk it for speed?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_olivia23d ago

Dave sounds like he'd rather save five minutes than a board, and that's rough to work around.

oscarcooper23d ago

Haha yeah I knew a guy like that once, he'd run red lights to save 30 seconds but then complain when his car got wrecked. Different priorities I guess.