Very sorry to hear about your struggles, but by you posting this, you just made things a little less risky for the next 100 guys.

1. I'll update the section on using the tapered reamer first with more practice ideas.
2. I'll add a new section on optional "pre-drilling" with Panther's advice.

I didn't have any pre-drilling issues in my first CPR swap, and so that idea actually didn't make it into the guide. I did though, pre-widen every wire-guide sized hole opening up front with the reamer as a precaution. (see C2)

thank you,
mof

You are making me imagine that we almost want a tool that checks for us ahead of time.
Maybe someone can improve on this improv idea I came up with over a morning coffee:

1. take a virgin 3/32" piano wire out of your parts drawer
2. cut a piece to 3"
3. put it in your drill
4. sand it down a hair, so that it's the exact wood thickness we want to see from the playfield manufacturers
5. mark it ~3/8" from the end? -- so that we know what depth we want to see in the wood (in case some clear fell down in there)
6. poke each hole with your new piano wire tester and check that there's a perfect amount of grab, and it reaches the mark on the wire.

Would something like that be helpful?