More pinewood derby fun:
Packs around the country are preparing to hold their annual pinewood derby. There are many ways to make your pinewood derby car go faster. Here are some of them.
GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR PINEWOOD DERBY CAR DESIGN
The possibilities are endless when it comes to picking a shape for your pinewood derby car. Before you begin, consider the following guidelines:
Avoid designs with a pointed nose. A pointed nose will make it difficult for your pinewood derby car to rest on the pin at the starting gate. It may also cause your pinewood derby car to get bumped around when the pin drops, and it can create problems for electronic timing systems.
Leave enough wood in the rear of the pinewood derby car so you can place additional weight there. You will end up putting most of the weight in the rear of the pinewood derby car.
Be sure that it is very clear which end of your pinewood derby car is the front and which end is the back. In many races, the race officials—not you—will actually place each pinewood derby car on the track. Sometimes the officials put the pinewood derby car on the track backward because they can’t tell which end is which.
Choose a design that allows the air to move over and around the pinewood derby car body in a smooth manner. Pinewood derby cars with aerodynamic profiles go faster.
DESIGNING THE ULTIMATE PINEWOOD DERBY CAR
You don’t have to strive for the “ultimate pinewood derby car” to build a fast car and have fun competing in your pinewood derby. But if you and a helpful adult are willing to put in the extra time and effort, these tips are for you.
LOOKING GOOD How to give your pinewood derby car that glossy finish |
Bake the Block: Start with your block of wood, and before you do anything else, bake it in the oven at 250 degrees for around two hours to remove moisture and make it lighter.
Create the Design: Select a fast design.
Cut the Design: Draw the outline of your pinewood derby car on a sheet of paper, cut it out and attach it to your block of wood.
Make a Three-Wheeler: Raise one wheel about 1/16 inch higher so it never actually touches the track. Less friction = more speed.
Extend the Wheelbase: The front and rear wheels should be as far apart as possible.
Determine Weight Placement: A heavier rear increases speed. Add weight to the rear of your pinewood derby car.
Create Glue Holes: Glue the axles firmly in their holes to ensure that they stay perfectly placed.
Sand the Pinewood Derby Car: Make it smooth to reduce friction.
Lubricate the Wheel Well: The less friction between the body and wheel, the better.
CHOOSING YOUR AXLES
Not all axles are created equal. Here’s a tip on choosing the straightest out of your bunch.
1. Start with a set of about 20 raw axles.
2. Can you tell the difference between the axles in the top row and the ones on the bottom? The ones on the bottom aren’t straight and will slow your car.
3. To tell which are straight and which aren’t, mark each axle with a marker about 1/2 inch from the pointed end.
4. Have an adult clamp a power drill into a vise, a device that will hold it perfectly still.
5. Have an adult help you clamp each axle into the drill at the location you marked in Step 3. Have the adult turn on the drill.
6. Bent axles will wobble as they turn in the drill. Straight axles will hardly wobble at all. Pick the ones that wobble least.
WANT MORE SECRETS?
Pick up a copy of “Pinewood Derby Speed Secrets” (BSA Supply No. 30538, 1-800-323-0736, www.scoutstuff.org) for lots more info on building the pinewood derby car body, preparing the axles and wheels, alternatives to the “ultimate pinewood derby car” and putting it all together.
And once you’ve built your pinewood derby car, get ideas on making it look great from “Pinewood Derby Designs & Patterns” (DK Publishing, $12.95 softcover), also available from a BSA retail store.
Remember: The No. 1 rule of a pinewood derby is that it’s supposed to be fun. While you should always strive to do your best, don’t get caught up in winning. Just enjoy the ride.
Tags: Pinewood derby
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i won once and went to finals but my whell like flew off
i think it might work,it sounds alright
BLEH I NEVER LIKE LOSING
aerodynamics have absolutely nothing to do with it.
that actually is not true. I lost miserably when I was a WEBLOS 1 and then I changed my design for WEBLOS 2 so there was very little air resistance an won by a long shot.
Aerodynamics are everything in a PWD race. If it’s just a block vs. an almost perfecly flat car, who do you think wins?
My son ran a tank with a turit and gun barrel…the least aerodynamic car in the race….not only did he win, he blew everyone away…i think it was due to axle alignment and graphite lube
aerodynamics have nothing to do with pinewood derby cars it is all friction
aerodynamic and friction helps.
p.s my brother drilled a hole in his Pinewood Derby car and he
won.
i like it
so cool
good idea
I LIKE TO PLAY
put a hole through the middle tward the back! i set the track record 2 years in a row and got first over all 4 years in a row!
(and never even seen the book)
Dwarf: how can I do that? Tell me please…
by practicing it on a track
do you drill through the car from right to left?
Aerodynamics have nothing to do with it. Last year we ran a block that was shaped like a Wii controller. It not only took the pack, it set the track record at District. It was not a 3-wheeler either. Build it how you want it, just make sure the axles are aligned.
I got 2nd place in council by puting lead on the would. One year my dad entered the parents race with a 3 wheeler.
While that may seem to make sense, its not really mechanically logical to say that- “my car wasnt areodynamic and won, therefore aerodynamics dont matter”….many things go into making a fast car, aerodynamics being a very small part, but a part none the less. Since you apparently had very well polished axels and a otherwise fast car, it was enough to overcome any slight advantage of aerodynamics. Thats not to say however, that your car wouldnt have been faster had it been more aerodynamic. Part of the fun of racing a car is in the build, and a basic wedge, though aerodynamic, isnt really that fun to build unless you are going strictly for speed. Its all about having fun!
One year there was a car that looked like a fat pencil on wheels.
Remember to look at your Pack rules. Most do not allow any axel modifications like grooving, lathe turning,or extending the axels. You can use graphite to lubricate the wheels and polish the axels to remove any burrs but that is the extent of it. Anything else is cheating.
this stinks
I agree 100%.
And “that”, means your axels.
To have the most speed, use grafite to do that.
arodinamics
you want the front thin and the rear fat.
I won the derby 2 years in a row for the whole pack and didn’t use a book, but I used a “speed kit”. You can find one at most craft stores.
its easy: me and my dad put graphite on the wheels(classic)and grooved the axils
hey, ive won the pinewood derby 2 years in a row(for my den).This year was the first one that we an overall race for everyone(before it was just bear and webelos).I placed in last in the overall,and one guy went 10 miles faster than mine because of that book.I have in the past two years built a wedge.in the first year I broke the record for fastest time down.i probaly did around 50-100 percent of building the car. in my next comment ill tell you my trick to getting first in your den
Make your car look cool and airodinamic. It has been proven that cool cars go faster!!!!!
Hadn’t tired it
To try and keep our dads from building the cars completely, our Den allows parents/siblings to build and race their own cars in the Derby as well. They are computed in a separate category and aren’t included in any finals but it gives dads a chance to race against each other and do what they want to do and hopefully allows them to let their scout run with their own ideas. Polishing the axels also works for speed.
I can already see that shining 1st place trophy
i already got that 1st place trophy
i race next week. i cant wait.my number is # 18.
is that a good number?
no # 2 is always the best
#18
If you can find out how you shuld make 2 or more cars, I would like that
making holes in your car can let air flow out the end and make your car go faster
this stinks they only tell you how to BUILD IT!!!!!!!!
3 wheels touching the ground only makes it faster slightly
My pinewood derby design was modeled after the German Bobsleds, and has won four years in a row.
My sons races tomorrow am and my husband is out of town! Do I lubricate the axels tonight or before the race in the morning?
before the race!
I dont have one yet[:
I LIKE THIS.
Next year I`m going to make a star wars car.The thing is that I always rub a pencil on the inside of my cars to make them go very fast
I like the secrets of pinewood derbys
there is a car in my pack that cheats. it is made of putty and has no pinewood
last year[2009]i got to the finals
3 best in pack
nice your breaking the rules
these aren’t cheating. they are physics and smarts.
I Love Fast THINGS.
me too i,m in awana and we have the awana grand prix and i have won something every year except for 1st and i want to win 1st with the fastest car so that’s why i got on here i cant wait thank you
We purchased the speed book and used most, if not all, of the tips in the book. After 2 years of placing 2nd (in one year by .006 seconds) – my son’s car came in first by .003 seconds. So, without the speed tips – we would have been in 2nd again. The great thing is that he is able to do the work all himself with my guidance.
I just had the pinewood derby. I would have done great with that
it is great
How many designs are there created so far in the U.S.?
Your suggestions violate the rules in our area which state you must use the contents given to you in the box. You can add weights but cannot change the axle positions or widen the position of the wheels or use a wooden dowel or solid axles. Please check with your local Den. I think out Den is in error but they refuse to change.
I know it is frustrating but the pack can set it’s rules for the race. Our pack in Ohio has the same rules. You have to use the grooves for the axels and axels provided in the kit. Basically all the speed secrets are out.
cool website
well im in webelos 1 and i got to see who wins
well doing a pine wood derby car is fun
most boys cheated!
Yeah allmost every parent has this ego thing with the pinewood derby. One parent said “So I can build it and he can sand it? Why can’t I do the Whole thing?
We bought your book after we cut out the cars and didn’t have an areodynamic car at all. After reading through the book we did all of the wheel modifications and all of the axel modifications for the ultimate car, including grooving the axils.The car was heavy because we didn’t hardly cut out any wood, it was a coupe type car.Very little weight needed to be added to the back to be 5 oz. The car came in first place over 40 other cars, alot of them wedge type that looked very fast. So thank you for the book and I would pay close attention to the axel, wheel, lubrication sections.
I guess so
i am geting ready for a pinewood derby. what number do you think i should be?
number 8
#3 or #5