Hi EricInNH, thanks for sharing your experience with us. We're sorry that you had to go to extra lengths to get the bracket to work for you. Your comments about the screws have been forwarded to our product managers for their review. Also, your suggestion to pre-drill holes is a good one, no matter the type of screw. Pre-drilling holes not only reduces the chance to strip out a screw, it also makes the hole more accurate, so the screw doesn't "walk" over the material.