Pinewood Derby 2017

 

Make plans now to join Pack 1910 for the end-all-be-all of racing events -- the PINEWOOD DERBY!  We will distribute Pinewood Derby Kits at the March Pack. 

Our Pinewood Derby is set for April 29. 

Registration and vehicle check in will be Friday, April 28 from 7-8 pm at the church. 

The track will be set up for test runs and last minute tweaks and lubrication. Cars will be checked in and ready for race day the following morning.  The official scale will be there and we will be checking car dimensions to be sure all Scout cars are in compliance for the big race.  

Pack 1910 has a dedicated webpage just for Pinewood Derby info.  See that HERE.

Again, the race will be at 9:30 am April 29 in the FLC.

There are all kinds of ways to enhance your car's performance. I've collected some for you here to check out.

Put the weight in the rear!  Improving upon the weight distribution of the car once you've cut the body out. 

Check out Pinewood World.

Are you a physics geek that wants to know the whys behind the how? Check out this and this.

A favorite blog of mine actually summed it up quite nicely

All the speed in your son’s car will come from POTENTIAL ENERGY being converted to KINETIC ENERGY. When the car is at the top of the track, ready to go down, it is full of potential energy, or the force of gravity pulling the car back to earth. If the track were to suddenly disappear, the car would fall to the ground, converting the potential energy to movement, or kinetic energy.
Theoretically, the fastest the car can go is the speed at which it would be traveling as it fell right before it hit the ground. Of course, your car (or your son’s car) won’t be going that fast since it loses some of it’s kinetic energy to FRICTION and other forces. Friction losses come from the rubbing of the wheels against the side of the car, against the axles, and against the track. There is also a little bit of friction from air, called drag. Energy is also converted into rotational energy, i.e. the spinning of the wheels.

So in essence, we want to maximize the potential energy in your car and minimize the losses due to friction and other forces. While I can’t give away all our secrets, here are a couple of tips to do just that.

Need to find a template to cut your car? Check out here, here and also a ton of designs here. Oh, and since Minecraft is SO big, how about instructions for a Creeper car. Find that here.  Anyone a Star Wars fan?  There are some really awesome designs here.  Want to know how to make a FAST car?  See this post on Boy's Life.

Dremel actually has an interactive tool online where your son can pick out the design and it will give you a printable template for which to build his car! How cool is THAT? There are all kinds of stickers and decals available at hobby shops.

There is so much good information and ideas out there! Just let your fingers do the walking! You'll be overwhelmed in no time.

Pack workshop dates to cut, sand or work on the car will be March 25 and April 8 (times TBA).  

Building a Pinewood Derby car is a great bonding experience for parents and their scouts. We understand, too, that participation and involvement with the build will be age-appropriate.  Tigers at about 20% of the work, Wolves about 40%, Bears about 60% and once they're Webelos-- we would expect them to do the majority of work on their cars. Winning is fun, but that shouldn't be what this whole experience is about.  

However, if you just can't keep your hands out of the toolkit, we ARE having an OPEN CLASS so that YOU CAN BUILD YOUR OWN CAR!  Let your son experience the process with your guiding hand, but the lessons gleaned from the build (win or lose) be his to learn. 

Along the same lines, we have a great movie called Down & Derby available for families to check out and watch together before the race.  See April to check it out.