Cub/Boy Scout Pinewood Derby
#1
Posted 10 October 2009 - 15:26
The object was to carve/machine a car out of the block of wood, paint it and then enter it in the Derby. The track was a long downward sloping thing with two lanes and a raised wooden section in each lane to keep the cars on track.
Now to my recollection, the Scouts never built these cars; the fathers always did. My dad used a lathe to carve my block into the shape--roughly--of a 1960 Chevy Impala. Painted it red. Didn't win a dam' thing, but it sure looked sharp.
If any of you ever participated in this event and/or have pics of your Derby cars, please post 'em.
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#2
Posted 10 October 2009 - 18:03
From there I eventiually got into slot car racing...
#3
Posted 11 October 2009 - 21:02
Some of our father/son combos went to the Scout headquarters in Indiananpolis, where past winners were on display...the real trick to building a winning Pinewood Derby car is to build in a little "toe-in" or "toe-out" so that the minimum amount of wheel surface is in contact with the track. Some competitors actually ran their wheels on a lathe and polished them.
Pinewood Derby racing is like any other form of motorsport...the more money and time you spend, the faster you'll be.
I called our troop's meet the Rickyard 400...
Dan
#4
Posted 11 October 2009 - 22:35
Jack.
#5
Posted 12 October 2009 - 14:03
Isn't that the truth! Some of the cars that I saw raced had more engineering in them than a moon rocket! I 'helped' my son build three of them and used a sander and other tools to fashion cars that always were somewhat reminiscent of a Lotus 56. Not that streamlining really helped, but it looked good. Added a neat paint job and some decals from other model kits. As I recall, the trick was in the wheels, try to get the least friction and best rolling speed. Never won, but we had fun with my, errr, strike that, my son's creation.Now to my recollection, the Scouts never built these cars; the fathers always did.
Tom
#6
Posted 12 October 2009 - 15:02
That STP Turbine design might have been a fortuitous one. I read an article stating that wedge (doorstop) designs usually win.
Jack-the-Lad,
What a coincidence! My scouting days were also in Lubbock (Pack 528). And, as I type, I reside in that same city.
RA,
The wheels in pinewood kit we received had a slight raised ridge around the central circumference, apparently a residue from when they were punched out of a form during manufacture. The instructions suggested sanding the ridge away, which my dad duly did. Interestingly, however, the fastest cars all were ones where the ridge had not been sanded away. As my dad surmised, that ridge raised the majority of the wheel surface from the track and dramatically lessened friction.
#7
Posted 12 October 2009 - 16:34
Wow...had I known that I, errrrr, scratch that, my son could have won every time out!The wheels in pinewood kit we received had a slight raised ridge around the central circumference, apparently a residue from when they were punched out of a form during manufacture. The instructions suggested sanding the ridge away, which my dad duly did. Interestingly, however, the fastest cars all were ones where the ridge had not been sanded away. As my dad surmised, that ridge raised the majority of the wheel surface from the track and dramatically lessened friction.
#8
Posted 13 October 2009 - 12:15
#9
Posted 13 October 2009 - 13:19
Actually we filed the wheel ridges into a point to reduce the contact area, soaked the axles in a graphite solution for days before assemble, and built some camber in so one or the other front wheel didn't actually touch the ground. The lead weights were always imbedded in the wood close to the nose. then plugged with dowel and sanded very smooth to "hide" their installation. If you google it there are several websites dedicated to the "tricks" that work.
No wonder I lost!
#10
Posted 19 October 2009 - 13:40
Across a period of a few years, I perfected the art of adding material to the sides of the standard block (we were not allowed to use Pine Car kits - had to be based on the official BSA kit) so that the shape could be carved into a sports car body form. Among the creations were "by eye" renditions of McLaren M8B and Ferrari P4 - two of my favorite race car shapes. The boys mainly stuck with simpler shapes - pick ups were very popular, as were a range of military vehicles! One of the other dads was actually employed as a modeler in the Ford styling studios ..... it is rumored that his cars had spent time in the scale wind tunnel, but for all their beautiful looks, they were always dog slow ....
As a couple of the other posters say, the secret is all in the wheels. Highly polished axles, profiled wheels, and a bewildering variety of "secret sauce" applied as lubricant were the order of the day, and of course the trick of trying to make the car run in a stable straight line wit only 3 wheels touching the track ....
Sadly I have now lost track of cars and my pictures of the events, but it was a great way to teach kids a little about how to follow a set of rules and make something cool. Must have done some good, since my oldest son is now studying motorsports engineering at university!
#11
Posted 19 October 2009 - 13:57
#12
Posted 19 October 2009 - 22:55
Actually we filed the wheel ridges into a point to reduce the contact area, soaked the axles in a graphite solution for days before assemble, and built some camber in so one or the other front wheel didn't actually touch the ground. The lead weights were always imbedded in the wood close to the nose. then plugged with dowel and sanded very smooth to "hide" their installation. If you google it there are several websites dedicated to the "tricks" that work.
Didn't they weigh the cars? I only did one Pinewood Derby event, but I definitely remember someone having to go find a power drill to drill out the melted lead fishing weights lots of kids had poured into holes in the body. My friend Adam just drilled holes and screwed wood screws into it, making it much easier. Weight was something that I didn't think of when I put my car together* so I went all Colin Chapman and made sure my car was lightweight. Dead slow.
-WDH
*I speak with complete honesty when I say that I built my Derby car myself. My Dad's sole involvement was in helping me put a new blade in the power saw, buying a new can of WD-40, and driving me to the event on race day. Which is why my car had the Lotus Turbine look. I do remember being right torqued off when a majority of the cars appeared to have been turned on lathes, run through bandsaws, and airbrushed. No way kids our age were doing that, and I felt it was outside the spirit of the competition.
#13
Posted 20 October 2009 - 00:36
*I speak with complete honesty when I say that I built my Derby car myself.
Same here. I don't think the "technology" or the attitude existed in the Texas panhandle in 1955 to do it any other way. (Now a couple of hours down the road, in Midland, things might have been different!)
Jack.
#14
Posted 20 October 2009 - 13:47
#15
Posted 20 October 2009 - 15:09