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A lot depends on the application. I've used a lot of roughsawn hardwood, and even pine, on different projects. Most splitting comes when you are nailing close to the end of the boards, so nail back as far from the edge as possible. This applies to pressure treated kiln dried lumber as well. If you are working on the very end of a board then by all means predrill and save yourself some problems later. If it isn't in the end of the board then it is not as likely to split. In those areas you can usually just nail it down, or if it is hard to nail then use soap, wax, spit, etc on your nails. Keep in mind these lubricants aren't so much to stop splitting as they are to make it easier to drive the nail. As a general rule with roughcut hardwoods the drier seasoned boards are less likely to develop additional splits (some split on their own as they dry), but at the same time those drier seasoned boards are much harder to drive a nail in. In regards to nails, I always try to use a ring shanked pole barn nail (#20 and #30 depending on the application) for 2" stock, and a spiral nail (#16 or #10 depending on application) for 1" stock. These types of nails are more apt to keep the lumber in place as it dries. No other nail holds like the ring shanked pole barn nails, they are very tough.
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