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Links to Pinewood Derby tip sites at bottom of page
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Each scout in the Pack is provided an identical Official BSA Pinewood Derby Grand Prix kit and a copy of the Pack rules for the derby. The rules stipulate the dimensions, weight and other various guidelines in which an entry mush adhere to in order to qualify to participate in the derby.
The kit contains a rectangular cut of pine wood, four nails and four tires. The piece of pinewood has two cuts for the eventual placement of the axles. From this kit, while abiding by the rules, a scout is then provided the opportunity to create the racer of his choice. It is strongly encouraged that the scout build his own racer. In his earlier years as a Tiger and Wolf he may rely heavily on the assistance of parents, relatives or other adults that can teach and guide. As the scout reaches Bear and 1st year Webelos he should be doing more of the work than his parent or adult assistant. By the time he builds his second year Webelos racer it should be completed entirely on his own, without the assistance of an adult. Unfortunately, over the years we have witnessed many scouts cheer on their fathers racer. The boy did not feel any ownership of the car or the result. More importantly, he missed out on the opportunity to learn, put various skills to practice, or take pride in his accomplishments whether win or lose. |
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After the scout draws his design on a piece of paper, he transfers the design to the block of wood. He then begins the task of cutting the wood into the desired shape. In this case the scout has decided to create the Scooby Doo Mystery Machine. This calls for an additional block of wood that will eventually be glued to the racer body to form the shape of a van.
With the assistance of his uncle the scout utilizes a scroll saw to make the various cuts. Knowing that the completed racer must not weight more than 5 ounces he cuts out the center on the wood so that the racer will be hollow. |
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During the process he must drill and route the block of wood as well. While the scouts uncle is always present and extends a helping hand, it is the scout that actually controls the movements of the various cuts, drill and routing. |
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When finished the scout holds the finished cuts of wood and proudly displays them with his uncle. During the process the scout has learned how to safely use several power tools as well and spent some quality time with his uncle. |
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Another lesson the scout must learn is that "he who makes the mess, must clean up the mess." The scout cheerfully cleans up all the sawdust and wood shavings spread around during the cutting process. |
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Back home the scout must prep his racer for painting. This takes several stages of sanding, filing and more sanding. Once the rough spots are smoothed out he glues the three sections of wood block to form the body of his racer. After the glue dries he again must sand all surfaces so the completed vehicle will have a smooth finish. |
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Next he sprays primer onto the racer to fill the grain of the wood. This also is a multiple step process of spray, dry, sand then repeat spray, dry sand.
By doing this step he is making sure that the racer will look good after final painting. The surface will be very smooth, no rough edges, no pits from wood grain or lines from where the three pieces of wood were glued together. |
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Next he works with his mother to paint the detail of the car. To do this he first had to create a template of the Mystery Machine detail, trace it onto his racer, and then paint the racer by coloring in the detail. This task takes some time but is something the scout can do on his own with a little over site by mom. |
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While the paint is drying the scout start to work on the axles and wheels. Seeing that the axles are nails he places them one by one in the drill press files and water sands the roughness from the nail. He utilizes emery cloth to polish and then pumice to put on the final polishing tough.
After he completes the axles he them gently smooths the mold marks off each wheel. |
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Once the paint is dry the racer is ready for final assembly. The scout adds the wheels and axles into the body of the racer. During this process he ensures that the wheels spin freely and that the racer runs a straight line when propelled forward. He finishes this stage by applying glue to hold the axles in place. |
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His racer is now assembled is ready for the track. One last step is to apply a little graphite to each wheel to eliminate as much friction as possible. |
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The scout takes his completed racer to the race and enjoys the big event. He registers the racer and has it weighed in. This is the last time he touches the racer until the race is complete. |
| Other cars built in the same design shop | ||
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| Pinewood Derby Links
Any search on one of the major search engines will result in thousands of sites with information about pinewood dery cars. Please note that some sites are commercial in nature attempting to sell video's, tracks, software and accessories. Many non commercial sites provide tips and techniques to build "better, faster racers". Please remember that not all races share the same rules. Before building your racer, read the rules for the race you will be participating in. A good starting site is the Pinewood Derby Mania site. You might also like to visit the Pinewood Derby WebRing or the USSSP Pinewood Derby Section. Jays Pinewood derby page has hundreds of photos of creative racers. |
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