Pinewood Derby General Info

Pinewood Derby The following pages show some instructions and planning that have been done in the past for the Pinewood Derby. For further instructions, see the “Pinewood Derby” file in Dropbox.

o The Pinewood Derby Race will take place on Thursday, March 27 in the ______at 7:00 pm. We will have a pizza dinner in the ______from 6:00-7:00 pm.

o The ______will be open for car construction workshops every Wednesday from 5:45-6:30 pm up until the day before the race (March 26).

o All cars must be completed and must “weigh in” by 6:30 pm on Wednesday, March 26. No further adjustments can be made to the cars after this time. The official weight limit is 5 ounces including all decorations, wheels, axles, etc. Once each car has been weighed in and its weight is verified at 5 ounces or less, the cars will be kept by the S.A.Y. Yes! staff until it is time to race on Thursday. This will also allow time for the cars to be judged for design.

o Each car will have a number. This number should appear somewhere on the car (it may be painted or written as part of the design, applied with decals, etc.).

o Prizes: on the night of the race, the following awards will be presented.

. Speed: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place as determined by the races . Best Design . Best Decoration . “Like Car Like Driver” Award . Students’ Choice Award (determined by vote of all participating students) . Mentors’ Choice Award (determined by vote of mentors)

Pinewood Derby Racing Rules

o All cars must be weighed-in and checked by 6:30pm on Wednesday. All cars not weighed in by Wednesday night will be disqualified for the race. They may still participate in the design awards at the staff’s discretion. o The race will be double elimination, which means that each car will race at least twice. Each race between two cars will consist of two runs. On the second run the cars will switch lanes. In the event of a tie (one car winning each run), the cars will have another 2 runs in the remaining lanes. In the event of another tie (one car winning each run), there will be a final race and a coin will be flipped for choice of lane. o If a car jumps off the track once, the race will be rerun. If a car jumps off the track twice during an attempt at the same run, the other car will win that run by default. o A wheel falling off or any other car defect will be treated in the same way as a car jumping off the track.

Pinewood Derby Car Instructions

1. Design  Come up with a design for your car: its shape, what it is going to look like. You can look at the websites on the attached list, use a model car or picture of a real car for inspiration, or come up with your own idea. Your car doesn’t even have to look like a car – it could be shaped like a banana or a pencil!  When deciding on a design, keep in mind that the part of the wood that has grooves for the wheel axles shouldn’t be cut or the wheels won’t fit properly. You don’t want to choose a design that would mean cutting the block narrower at the bottom and you also don’t want to glue anything to the underside of the wood block that might make it drag on the track. It is fine, however, to have a design that means cutting the block of wood shorter (from the front or the back) or adding/gluing things on top (like a toy person to be your “driver” for example).  Remember that the design you come up with will have to be cut out of a real wood block with a real saw. The more complicated your design, the harder it will be to cut it out of your wood block. Choosing a design that only requires 1-2 “cuts” will make the cutting process much faster and easier.  Once you have decided on your design, draw it on the template on the Design Page just exactly as the shape will look on your block of wood. Then cut out your “pattern” and trace it directly onto your wood block. You may want to then flip the pattern over and trace it onto the other side of the block as well, just to make sure you are making straight cuts and that your car is symmetrical on both sides.

2. Cutting  Use a coping saw to make all the major cuts on your car design.  Use a wood file to smooth edges, corners, etc. This will make your car look more like a real car.

3. Sanding  Sand your entire car beginning with course sand paper. If the wood is too rough for the sand paper to do much good, you may need to smooth it with the file more before sanding.  Sand again with medium-grade and finish with fine-grade sand paper. The smoother you get the wood, the better it will look when you paint it.

4. Weights  According to the Pinewood Derby race rules, your car can weigh up to, but not more than, 5 ounces. The closer your car is to this maximum weight, the faster it will go down the track.  Once you have done all the cutting and sanding that you are going to do, put on a postal scale: your wood block, your plastic wheels, your metal axles, and anything you are going to glue on/attach to your car. This will tell you how much weight you need to add to get to 5 oz. Keep in mind that the paint will add a tiny bit of weight.  You can buy weights from a hobby shop or use lead fishing weights. Add them to the scale one at a time until you are close to 5 oz. Then drill holes in the bottom of your car, insert the weights, and glue securely using a hot glue gun. Fill any remaining space in the holes with wood putty. Weigh your car again to make sure the weight is right. Allow the putty to dry before painting your car.

5. Painting  If you are painting your car a single color, you can use spray paint.  If you are using more than one color, you can brush it on. Acrylic paint works well. Make sure to let the paint dry between coats and before adding another color.  You can make straight lines by using masking tape or painter’s tape. Just be sure that the paint you are putting the tape on is very thoroughly dry and don’t leave the tape on too long.  You can also add decals, paint numbers on your car (make sure you know what your number is!), or use Sharpies to add details once you have painted the base coat.

6. Finishing  Glue on any additional decorations. Make sure everything is securely fastened so nothing falls off during the races.  Sand any rough places on your wheel axles.  Slide the plastic wheels onto the axles and then gently insert them into the grooves on the bottom of your car. Tap them into place with a wooden dowel, plastic screwdriver handle, or similar tool. Try not to use a hammer. The wheels should be about 1/8” from the car body. Make sure the wheels are square with the car body. When spun, the wheels should spin freely but not wobble.

Pinewood Derby Planning Meeting Logistics:

. 6th-12th graders . Cost: $5 to enter (incl. car kit) for non-SY kids . 32 spots w/ possibility of 48 . Race Day: Thurs. March 27

Ownership for HS kids

Planning the event (2/20) . Video promo . Video on night of event . Art/décor/posters/flyers . Sharing testimony . Adopt student to help w/ car . Selecting MC . Ideas for prizes/calling for donations . Background music/DJ

Recruiting/Communications:

Task Who When Announce @ church 2/17 - Spanish - English Make sign-up sheet 2/17 Make flyer w/ date & time of event 2/17 Packet: 2/22 - instructions for making car incl. design pages - examples - rules & car specs incl. weight - general info incl. weigh-in day (wed. night), prizes Type & email mtg. notes 2/18 Random:

Task Who When Call/email volunteers 2/20