That cheesecloth detail is weirdly perfect, like something my grandma would have tried. Honestly my whole house runs on that kind of makeshift logic. I once used a shoelace to fix a broken drawer pull for six months and felt like a genius. It's amazing anything gets built properly when the urge to just wedge something in there is so strong.

Wait you could feel the dents with your fingernail but NO cracks? That's wild. @perry.elliot has a point about the metal bending though, makes you wonder.

A super tight fit is the whole point. You want the contact to grip the wood, not rattle around. A 5/16 bit for a 5/16 contact is just right.