If you can’t find a small bit to drill pilot holes, you could drop everything and run down to the hardware store, but there’s a better way.
Senior editor Chuck Bickford reminded us of this old-time tip where you clip the shank of a nail to make a sharp edge that you can get a couple of good holes out of. Watch this video to see how.
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Great old time technique. I have use it many times in my workshop but with a slightly different twist. That flying piece of nail is like an unguided missile. I stop that cold by sticking a couple of small Rare Earth magnets to my nipper. That unguided missile now travels only as far as the magnets. This saves having to clean it from the floor or worry about stepping on it or grinding it into a goof floor if you are not working in your shop but in the field in a customer home.