We removed the trim around a door way and replaced it with wider trim. We liked the look of the rosettes on fluted trim and decided to use those for the corners of the door frame. We bought them at HD, they are a hard wood, not sure if oak or something else. They are 2 3/4" square and about 7/8 inch thick.

Worried about cracking them if nailed without a pilot hole but dislike the idea of liquid nails more. Pilot hole seems to make them less attached in my mind but I think too much.

How do the pros attach them?

 

From my own PERSONAL experience, pilot holes do not have to be the same size as the nail you are using. They can be a tad smaller and this prevents the nails from having to "push" so much to go through the wood and split it. I have also seen nails blunted on the sharp end to help stop splitting. Another trick i have seen is sticking the nail through a bar of soap before using. all the experts have their tricks and I am sure that if you watch this post you will hear even more. Good luck with your project.
P.S. I feel the same about Liquid Nails.

 

If you hate liquid nails, which is an outmoded bias these days.....

take one of your finishing nails.... clip the head off of it... and use it as a drill bit to drill your holes.... You won't split the wood with the nails when you drive/countersink them..

 

I prefer to use a nail gun. The nice thing about nail guns is they are less likely to split the wood. If you don't have access to a nail gun as majakdragan said drill a pilot hole one size smaller than the nail - allows the nail to grip tight without splitting the wood.

 

I install 3 1/2" corner blocks frequently when using 3 1/4" fluted oak casing. I glue and biscuit join the corner blocks onto the top piece of casing, which effectively makes the top piece of casing and the corner blocks "one piece". When the top piece of casing is nailed down, so are the corner blocks. If they don't lay flat against the wall, I'll put one nail in the upper left or right corner (depending which side of the door it is). I use a finish gun and occasionally an oak corner block will split on me. (which is why I only use 1 nail in them... it reduces the chances of splitting!) If you don't have a finish gun, do as the other mentioned, predrill the hole with a drill bit that is smaller than your finish nail.

If pushing the corner block back against the wall tight opens up a gap where the corner block meets the casing, I'll put a shim behind it before nailing it to the wall. A gap behind the block is better than one on the face. The gap behind could always be caulked and painted, but it's usually not a factor.

 

Thanks everyone for the replies. One thing I forgot to ask: where do I nail the square? In the center?

 

X-sleeper gets away with one nail because he's combining the trim with glue/biscuits....

I'd use two.., one high, one low .. the exact location will depend on your rosette. You'll find it easier to hammer in/countersink/putty if you put it/them through a high spot on the rosette - or on the outside corners away from the decorative parts....

 

I've got to revise my earlier post on this subject. I now have an even better way to attach corner blocks onto my fluted oak casing! One of my *wonderful* friends brought me a present the other day... a Kreg Jig ProPack (K2000-PP)! What a great gift! I've really been meaning to get a pocket hole jig, but for some unknown reason just never have. Probably it's because it isn't something I use every day. Now I wonder why I haven't had one the past umpteen years!

Anyway, all gloating aside, I will now be attaching my corner blocks with pocket screws! I've made a sample, so here's the link to the pics:

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/thexsleeper/album?.dir=/4b29

 

Wait a minute... I'm the one who is supposed to get the new toy..... Haven't been shoppin for my finish gun yet....

good for you.... now how do I convince I need one of those - haven't installed a rosette in years.... nor much of anything else that needs pocket screws....