# Pinewood Derby time again.



## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

My son, a Webelos Cub Scout, has the annual Pinewood Derby coming up on the 28th of this month. So we started on his car Friday evening.

Here he stands at the band saw cutting the top to bottom profile. I already cut the side view out (since it was the thicker dimension) and taped the pieces back together for support.









Here's the shape he chose:









I wish I'd taken a picture of the other side before we sprayed the base coat. For additional weight, we drilled 4 holes on the other side of the car in the thick part near the back. The holes are drilled almost all the way through and we inserted slugs cut from 3/8" (I believe) threaded rod. We then glued them in place and puttied over the holes.

Then, on Sunday, a bunch of us met at the cub master's home for a "workshop". So I brought my drill press, combo sander (thanks again, Scott) and a bunch of other tools so that the kids and parents who don't have access to tools could have a chance to get a good start on their cars. The band saw in the photos belongs to the cub master

















The pack is going to be having an "outlaw race" this year, which is something they haven't done before. The outlaw race lets parents, siblings and Cub Scouts race cars that are allowed in the official Pinewood Derby race. Weight and a few dimensional limits still apply but the rules are quite a bit more relaxed.

I HOPE to be able to have my outlaw car started within a few days. I may do a build thread on it, unless you guys are sick of 'em. I'd love to start this eve but I have to do a bunch of monthly taxes crap for our business. I HATE doing taxes but tomorrow's the deadline so...


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## BigBull (Feb 10, 2010)

I remember thoese days. Good job and thanks for sharing you talents with others.


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## Taylormade (Feb 3, 2011)

Whoo hoo!! I'm going to be hosting a workshop of sorts next week for some friend's kids for their pinewood cars. 

I'm glad to see the sander's getting some good use! I've been wearing out it's replacement already. I'm shocked at how well the dust collection works on the belt portion of it. I just wish there was something to do for the disc.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

BigBull said:


> I remember thoese days. Good job and thanks for sharing you talents with others.


I remember my days of doing the derby. And the Raingutter regatta (remember that one? I wonder why Dillon's pack hasn't gotten into that one). Anyway, I regret that I don't have those cars (or boats) anymore. They weren't anything fancy but they were some of my earliest woodworking projects. And I'm pretty sure I did the work almost completely by myself.



Taylormade said:


> Whoo hoo!! I'm going to be hosting a workshop of sorts next week for some friend's kids for their pinewood cars.
> 
> I'm glad to see the sander's getting some good use! I've been wearing out it's replacement already. I'm shocked at how well the dust collection works on the belt portion of it. I just wish there was something to do for the disc.


That's cool, man! It's great that the scouts still does the Pinewood Derby. It gives many boys their first taste of woodworking.

The sander is used very often. I no longer have to hold my handheld belt sander upside down. I've been thinking about coming up with a solution for the dust when I finally get my dust collection system installed. It'll be a little while still. I've got a lot of projects going on right now.


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## PaperJam (Jul 31, 2010)

My son, a first year Tiger Cub, will be having his pinewood derby at the end of March. A build thread on your outlaw car would be awesome since this will also be my first derby.


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## Shop Dad (May 3, 2011)

That's awesome Steve. Thanks for posting the thread! We just picked up our car last weekend and thinking about what we'll do. My son won in his den last year so this year I'm trying to push him toward "personality" and trying something fun. Last year was our first year and I made an "outlaw" car side by side with him - trying out techniques on mine first just in case. :laughing: Mine had the same shape as your son's. 

Great idea to have a workshop. I'll have to ask my son what he thinks about hosting one!


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

PaperJam said:


> My son, a first year Tiger Cub, will be having his pinewood derby at the end of March. A build thread on your outlaw car would be awesome since this will also be my first derby.


My "outlaw" car will be a lot fancier than most Pinewood derby cars. More of a show car than a simple racer. At least, that's my hope. I'll be using a plan I found in a magazine.

That's cool about your son getting into Scouts. I started as a Tiger too. I almost made it to Eagle Scout actually. But I couldn't do the mile swim required to complete the swimming merit badge (one of the required merit badges) and they refused to make an exception for me. So I decided not to do my Eagle Scout service project and dropped out. I often wonder if they would have let me slide on the mile swim if I had completed my Eagle Scout service project. Oh well. I had a lot of fun for 11 or 12 years anyway.


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## Tucker43 (Sep 8, 2011)

wow I remember those days. Good times with my dad right there. Good on you for holding a workshop for the other boys. I almost made it to Eagle as well, wish I did. Simply got a little older and lazy and though I knew best. Turns out I didnt. lol


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Nice project with the kid. He did a nice job. He's a natural. Also from the pics looks like everyone is having a good time.


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## thegrgyle (Jan 11, 2011)

Our church also has a pinewood derby race, and I helped my middle daughter, Megan, work on her car last year. IT was a thrill to watch her as she crafted her car, and then painted it. She still talks about it, and is looking forward to building another car this year.

These are memories that will last both of your lifetimes.

That is awesome that you also helped provide the tools that the other dads may not have to help their sons.

Fabian


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

There are no losers in this kind of event. The fact that you are introducing some of them to the best hobby on the planet makes everyone a winner. Good luck with the builds and I vote for definitely doing a build thread. I, for one, would love to see it.
:thumbsup: Good luck to your son in the race Steve.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

It was nice to be able to help some of the others.

If the stars align properly this evening I will be starting on my outlaw car. Not only do I plan on my car being fancy but I'll likely try the "rail riding" trick this is not permitted in the official Pinewood Derby. Supposedly, it increases your speed by preventing your car from bouncing back and forth off of the center rail (guide rail).

Only a week and two days until the race so I'd better zip through the construction of my car quickly. We still have a little more to do to Dillon's car too.



thegrgyle said:


> Our church also has a pinewood derby race, and I helped my middle daughter, Megan, work on her car last year. IT was a thrill to watch her as she crafted her car, and then painted it. She still talks about it, and is looking forward to building another car this year.
> 
> These are memories that will last both of your lifetimes.
> 
> ...


Heh, that's a cool looking car. I like the face made of nuts, screws and washers. The toothed washers for eye lashes are a nice little touch only a girl could get away with.

Just curious, does the 5 ounce weight limit apply in your church's races? That's cool about your church doing a Pinewood Derby.


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## thegrgyle (Jan 11, 2011)

The church also abides by the same rules as the cub scouts, but they do have custom wheels with the churches name on them.... This is so that the boys don't just slap their cub scout cars in on the race. There was something else too, that made it their own (the church) but I don't remember what.

It is a HUGE deal too. they race 300 cars on an aluminum track that has 6 (maybe 8) lanes. All kinds of refreshments, and other activities to keep the kids busy. Of course, there is a guest speaker (religion based) that speaks right before the finals.

I look forward to seeing yours and your sons cars. My dad also made a few cars when I was a kid.... One year he made a pickup truck, with fenders and wheel wells, and another year he made a soap box car similiar to this:










With my dads pickup, he actually had to take weight out because of all the wood that he added to the car.

I am so excited for you and your son (an jealous too) I may ask my daughter if she wants to do the derby again.... I am tempted to work on making a car (for myself) I just found a link too.... I think it would be wicked going down the track.

Fabian


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## ihackwood (Sep 5, 2009)

who doesn't love a pinewood derby, my stepsons when they were cub scouts. i helped them do a nice car and let them finish it and then i made mine.pics cost money back then so it wasn't important lol,

seeing i had girls they were in brownies and they wanted a father daughter project. i sprang into action and built a nice track and all the dads got excited when i said there would be a dad build too,

it turned out to be a good time, and can't wait to do it with my grandson. heres some ideas you guys might want to use /make better etc. i got more pics if you are interested


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

thegrgyle said:


> I am tempted to work on making a car (for myself) I just found a link too.... I think it would be wicked going down the track.
> 
> Fabian


Thanks for the response. Be aware that the Space Shuttle plan you linked to may not work so well on the track. The problem is the pointed nose cone, which are known to not sit against the starting pin properly. And such a small nose can also cause the finish line sensor to not see your car until a split second later, when the the front end widens enough. That split second could win or lose a race.

Just a thought.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Hack, those are some very cool cars! Thanks for sharing the pictures. The semi is too cool.


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## ihackwood (Sep 5, 2009)

thanks steve, got to have the hauler right, they are all scale just frenched the tires in with more wood, to make weight remove wood from inside,

to make the slicks just glu two tires together, cuttem down lube them, i have a book on speed secrets lol


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Very nice cars hack wood. The semi is cool. I like the little mock up of the car at the cabin. I had to do a double take. Lol


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## ihackwood (Sep 5, 2009)

thanks thats the ole bird house...


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

ihackwood said:


> thanks thats the ole bird house...


Now that is awesome! :thumbsup:


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## Leo G (Oct 16, 2006)

Quite a few years ago when my kids were in scouts I made a few of the cars myself. I just cut up a bunch of pine blanks out of stock I had in the shop and went at it with a band saw and a Dremel.














































It was pretty addicting.


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## DannyBoy (Dec 5, 2011)

Great times. My son is 21 and still keeps his Pinewood Derby cars around. I have a nephew who's parents are divorced and his Dad has never been much of a hands on type. He asked me to help with his last car a couple of years ago. He ended up deciding to make it look like a carpenter pencil I had sitting on the bench. A couple of strokes with a block plane, a little metal tape for the eraser furrel, some tape to mask off the pencil point end, followed by a little balck paint at the end and we had a pretty good looking car. The best part was he came up with the design and did most of the work with a help in the thinking department (how do you do this sort of questions). A great experience. 

The idea of pack works days also works real well. I have set up a 3 wheel band saw in a couple of church hall through the years.


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## thegrgyle (Jan 11, 2011)

Chaincarver Steve said:


> Thanks for the response. Be aware that the Space Shuttle plan you linked to may not work so well on the track. The problem is the pointed nose cone, which are known to not sit against the starting pin properly. And such a small nose can also cause the finish line sensor to not see your car until a split second later, when the the front end widens enough. That split second could win or lose a race.
> 
> Just a thought.


When I make this, it won't be to race... it will be a show piece, to just show that "I can do it" kind of thing. Sounds like you got this whole "winning" thing down to a science :huh: :yes: :icon_smile:

FAbian


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

thegrgyle said:


> When I make this, it won't be to race... it will be a show piece, to just show that "I can do it" kind of thing. Sounds like you got this whole "winning" thing down to a science :huh: :yes: :icon_smile:
> 
> FAbian


I was just passing on information I read in "the book". But yeah, if it's a show car it won't matter. The one I'm working on for myself is probably going to end up being only a show car too. Since I'm not making the body out of pine I'm suspecting they won't allow it to compete. Once I started on it I decided I don't care all that much if it's allowed in the outlaw race or not. I just want to make a cool car that people enjoy to look at. After all is said and done it will make a nice shelf decoration. Whether it actually raced or not is irrelavant. 

I hope it is permitted to race. But it won't hurt my feelings if not. As long as my son's car can race that's what really matters.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

HSo we had the practice race to today. My boy's car is running fast but there was another car there that was a little faster most runs. We still have a week to tweak it.

I got a little later start on my outlaw car than I had hoped, due to my paternal grandmother passing away on Thursday. 88 years and (no longer) counting. She died on her 88th birthday. Ain't that a bitch?

That aside, my car is coming together nicely. I'm sure it'll be the nicest car there. I am taking pictures. But I'm using my cell phone to post. As soon as I can post pictures I'll start a new thread on it. Despite doing a somewhat rushed job, I am very happy with it so far. I confirmed today that it will not be allowed to race in the outlaw races because, as I figured, it's not built around the official scouts pinewood derby block of pine. No worries though, I have a feeling I'll be wanting to baby this thing when it's done anyway


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Sorry to hear about your grandmother Steve. Hope the family is doing ok. 
And good luck on the car. Can't wait to see it.


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## thegrgyle (Jan 11, 2011)

Sorry to hear about your loss.... Our thoughts and prayers are with you guys.


Can't wait to see the cars.

Fabian


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## johnn34 (Apr 2, 2012)

Your son is very talented. Can you tell me how to build pinewood derby race car.


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