Build a Winning Pinewood Derby Car: Step By Step

Рет қаралды 133,985

Күн бұрын

Our son and I have made Pinewood Derby cars that have won our Pack’s Scout and parent races each year. In this video, we put together all our tips and show you how to make an actual car that can win your Pack’s Pinewood Derby race.
See our original video ( • How To Make a Fast Pin... ) for further explanation of our tips.
Video Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:37 Design Decisions
01:48 Marking and Drilling
03:57 Shaping
04:59 Weight Location
06:08 Painting
06:50 Preparing Axles and Wheels
07:25 Attaching Weights
08:12 Installing Wheels
10:03 Aligning Wheels
11:12 Final Assembly
11:51 Other Hints and Variations
13:53 Wrap-up
Music from: Bensound.com
All products shown in this video are items that we actually use and have found to work well. We have no relationship with any product supplier.

Пікірлер: 108

@annasokolowski245 Жыл бұрын

Followed this tutorial 100% and we did paint the car. My scout won his pack! Thank you! 🚗

@EngWorkshop Жыл бұрын

Congratulations on the winning build!! I'm glad your Scout painted his car. Not only did the car win, but it looked good doing it!

@iantaylor917 Жыл бұрын

Building one with my son currently and this video has been invaluable. Thanks a lot!

@EngWorkshop Жыл бұрын

You're welcome! Good luck in the race.

@pbrstreetgang4571 3 ай бұрын

Built our car as close to your instructions, although we did go with a rail runner. My son won his age group, (6th grade) and overall fastest car. We had never built a car before. Thank you.

@pbrstreetgang4571 3 ай бұрын

I meant 6 yo

@EngWorkshop 3 ай бұрын

Well done! Congratulations!

@stephaniebattipaglia209 4 ай бұрын

We just raced our car and won second place with your video! Thank you !

@EngWorkshop 4 ай бұрын

Well done! Congratulations!

@thomasracioppi619 4 ай бұрын

My son and I had our 1st pinewood derby yesterday and won 1st place in his pack and 2nd place overall! Great video… by using simple tools, my son was so involved, and so proud of himself! Thank you for this video!!

@EngWorkshop 4 ай бұрын

You're welcome, and congratulations!

@JourneyontheTrail 2 ай бұрын

Wanted to thank you…using many of your suggestions in this video helped my daughter win 1st in her class and 2nd overall today in an Awana Grand Prix.

@EngWorkshop 2 ай бұрын

Congratulations! Well done!

@YERINMOM11 Жыл бұрын

너무 도움많이 되었어요 자세한 설명 감사합니다❤

@burnetthopkins9583 Жыл бұрын

Thank you! Very well explained. A lot of helpful information.

@Oddzilla51 Жыл бұрын

Great video! And super simple design. By the end of my sons cub scout days, we had a very good design and he went all the way to regional finals with it in Webelos II. Thanks for sharing!

@EngWorkshop 4 ай бұрын

You're welcome!

@sligacheese6470 Жыл бұрын

I just scored 50 kits and the weights. They are cool as heck 🎉

@pauldixonjr.224 4 ай бұрын

Great video. We’re on our 2nd Pinewood Derby and we screwed up our first run at a car this year. Couldn’t follow this exactly because we can’t move the wheels forward or back but I needed a solution for a quick car that would be fast. Using the main principles of this build we were able to put together a car 4 days before the race that finished 2nd in his group and was significantly faster than our first try last year. Looking to build on that for attempt #3 next year.

@EngWorkshop 4 ай бұрын

Good job, and congratulations! As you probably discovered, weight position is still the most important factor even if you can't change the wheel positions. Wishing you continued improvement!

@DROP_BEARZ 20 күн бұрын

You forgot the super collider magnet...

@robertstarner8083 Жыл бұрын

Really great video!!!! Thank You……I do have a question when placing the nail/axles…..How far in do you place the axles?? How concerned are you to keep the inside of the wheel from rubbing against the side of the body????? Thank you

@EngWorkshop Жыл бұрын

I think the proper gap between the wheel and body is important. As shown in section 8 (wheel installation), the gap should be 1/32 inch. The video shows how to make a spacer to help achieve the proper gap.

@emilyallen8436 3 ай бұрын

I swear to God. If I watch ONE MORE "easy tutorial with basic tools" video and they come out with friggin industrial tools and random drill guides I'm going to scream. I'm just a useless, single mother!!!

@EngWorkshop 3 ай бұрын

While we are lucky to have a home workshop with a band saw and drill press, neither is a necessity. The car in the video was made with only the "basic" tools shown in the opening. But making the fastest car does require some tools, and the definition of "basic" may be relative, as you imply. Fortunately, the most important step requires no tools: planning the best weight distribution for a given car design. I'm sure you are far from "useless" in helping your child. Good luck and, above all, have fun!😀

@seapanther53 3 ай бұрын

KZfaq "Easy pinewood derby wins using science". Trust me.

@bow_wow_wow 3 ай бұрын

I'm a father. I come from three generations of single mothers. I completely understand your anger and frustration. I also have never had anyone to show me how to do things like this. Then the pack leader shows up and says, "OK, everybody! Time to build a pinewood derby racecar!" like we're all supposed to just magically know how to it's done. It's incredibly frustrating and it makes you feel like such a loser.

@ruzzcraze1862 2 ай бұрын

It's basic in the sense of woodworking tools. Props to you for helping your kid in their pinewood derby.

@stephaniekuntz2881 14 күн бұрын

Only an engineer would think this was basic...haha

@profkarafit Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tips. We put several of them into our build and my Tiger scout won 2nd overall in the pack and missed 1st place by 0.001 seconds!

@EngWorkshop Жыл бұрын

Great job! Congratulations!

@subbystyle Жыл бұрын

Great video, can't wait to follow your guidance later this week! What thickness do you recommend to make the car? I saw the print but it doesn't mention the recommended thickness. Pls advise.

@EngWorkshop Жыл бұрын

Our flat-shaped cars, like the one shown in the video, are 3/8 inch thick (tall).

@prashthy 4 ай бұрын

Great video! Thank for sharing. Is there a link to where you go those weights?

@EngWorkshop 4 ай бұрын

I have purchased weights from www.maximum-velocity.com, but they are also available on Amazon.

@ldboy2004 Жыл бұрын

If I have to keep the wheelbase (distance between the center of the wheel axels) at 4.5inch, is it better to shorten the overall length or pull back the location of the front tire axel?

@EngWorkshop Жыл бұрын

Given the wheelbase restriction, it is definitely better to pull back the front axle location. This would allow the same weight placement as a car with an extended wheelbase. Shortening the car is equivalent to moving the weight forward, resulting in less starting energy.

@phaedruscj3330 9 ай бұрын

At the end you show the cars you? have built. Which was the fastest? Thanks for posting!

@EngWorkshop 9 ай бұрын

Fastest car was #512, second row, fourth car from the left. It was my car for our Pack's parent race one year. Over the years, I have participated in the parent race using cars of similar design and construction, so I'm not certain why one car would run faster than the others. I wonder if slight differences in track setup might be the cause.

@NP-ge6um 3 ай бұрын

Great video and thank you for all the tips. I wish i could attach pictures of the car my daughter and I made for her pwd race event. Her car averaged 218.07 MPH across 6 heats. She won the first place in the pack and the rank Thank you for making this video.

@EngWorkshop 3 ай бұрын

Well done and congratulations to your daughter! I wish I could have seen the car.

@NP-ge6um 3 ай бұрын

The differences in design are 1. instead of the left wheel raised, we had the right wheel raised. 2. Also we could not find the rectangular weights so we went with the cylindrical weights and superglued them together to create a rod like structure and placed them at the end. @@EngWorkshop

@EngWorkshop 3 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing the photo. As you figured out, it doesn't matter which side has the raised wheel. I just had to pick a side for purposes of the video. And your cylindrical weights look better (less utilitarian) than the rectangular ones.

@barakduke Ай бұрын

can you share the photo of your car?@@NP-ge6um

@user-nv4ct2zz6b 4 ай бұрын

cool

@ddtoledo 25 күн бұрын

Our derby race allow 6oz. Does any of your specs change given this new weight limit?

@EngWorkshop 24 күн бұрын

Assuming the car dimensions are the same, I think all the design considerations would be the same, except that you can have a little more total weight.

@vanessaedwards1026 4 ай бұрын

Where can you buy that drilling guide?

@EngWorkshop 4 ай бұрын

We bought the drilling guide from www.pinewoodpro.com. Similar guides can be found at other Pinewood Derby supply sites, such as www.maximum-velocity.com and www.abc-pinewood-derby.com. If you use a drilling guide to lift one of the axle holes, you may find the hole is lifted by more than the 1/16" we recommend in the video. That is OK, but it might increase the risk of the car jumping off an uneven track. If you want to drill holes at exactly the positions shown in the video, you may have to experiment a little with index card shims placed between the drilling guide and wood block.

@scotthayka Жыл бұрын

What is that jig at the end of your ruler?

@EngWorkshop Жыл бұрын

I think you mean the red slider on my 6" ruler, which is a Paolini Pocket Rule from Woodpeckers (www.woodpeck.com/ppr-2019.html).

@seanenright2497 2 ай бұрын

Wanted to use this process, but couldnt because my son's pack only allows existing Axle slots to be used. Great video though!

@EngWorkshop 2 ай бұрын

If the axle slots must be used, it is a good idea to drill them out and glue in the nails, as shown near the end of our video. Otherwise, we have found it is easy for the slots to be damaged during axle installation, or the nails to fall out during the race. Much of the video's process could be adapted for your son's Pack. For example, the principles of weight distribution still hold. And if the axle slots are drilled out, you probably can use the same method of wheel alignment. Either way, thanks for watching and good luck!

@mdroms Жыл бұрын

Is the one front wheel not touching the track? Our pack requires all 4 wheels touch the ground. I thought that was a common rule.

@EngWorkshop Жыл бұрын

Yes, in our design, one front wheel does not touch the track. The rule sheet inside the official Pinewood Derby car kit does not require all 4 wheels to touch the track. However, each Cub Scout pack sets its own rules, so there will be packs that have this requirement. If our pack had this requirement, we might have tried bending both front axles upward very slightly, then adjust steering by turning the front axles very slightly in opposite directions.

@mdroms Жыл бұрын

@@EngWorkshop thanks for the suggestion!

@raybeeson2006 3 ай бұрын

@@EngWorkshop why do you have one wheel different height than others?

@EngWorkshop 3 ай бұрын

The raised wheel does not spin, or at least not as much, so less energy is lost to this wheel's friction and momentum.

@liv3234 Жыл бұрын

is this too thin? 3/8 of an inch seems fine. we have to do this in high school in our science class.. my teacher was telling me that the car was too thin and it wouldn’t work. i see everyone saying this design has worked! anyone have an tips?

@EngWorkshop Жыл бұрын

Were you given a reason why a thin car wouldn't work?

@liv3234 Жыл бұрын

@@EngWorkshop no we were not given one. It were strongly advised to make it thicker. we ended up making it a little thicker and we won 2nd place out of the entire grade so it ended up working really well! great video it was awesome for people with no wood experience!

@dandennis8465 Жыл бұрын

Most rules require the axles to be visible so drilling holes are not allowed

@EngWorkshop Жыл бұрын

The rule sheet inside the official Pinewood Derby car kit does not prohibit drilling new axle holes. However, each Cub Scout pack sets its own rules, so there will be packs that do not allow repositioning axles and/or drilling axle holes. Each Scout should check their pack's rules. If the axle slots are used, it is still a good idea to drill them out and glue in the axles, as shown near the end of our video. Otherwise, we have found it is very easy for the slots to be damaged during axle installation.

@JimBaric Жыл бұрын

how do you secure the weights

@EngWorkshop Жыл бұрын

An easy way is to use a good adhesive, like two-part epoxy. This is what we used in the video. Beware of hot glue, Super Glue, and Gorilla Glue - we have seen things fall off of cars during the race that were attached with these glues.

@loud2ns Жыл бұрын

I like to use double sided carpet tape under the weights to hold them in with a layer of hvac tape over them. Works great.

@jeansonnea 3 ай бұрын

What size drill bit do you use on the press? I rather use my press

@EngWorkshop 3 ай бұрын

Whether using a drill press or hand drill, you need to use a #44 drill bit, which is slightly larger than 5/64" and slightly smaller than 3/32". You can buy #44 drill bits from online Pinewood Derby supply stores or Amazon.

@margiedenavarre7919 3 ай бұрын

What is the height of the car? 1/2 inch?

@EngWorkshop 3 ай бұрын

The design shown in the video is 3/8 inch in height.

@johnging4693 Жыл бұрын

I've watched numerous videos with my boys. My little guy has done well in the past. He wanted to shape the bottom of his car a bit. We had to put weight at the front to balance around the 3/4 mark.

@EngWorkshop Жыл бұрын

As you point out, optimum weight location can vary significantly, depending on the car's shape.

@brianclark2119 13 күн бұрын

You are missing the important reason for the establishment and promotion of the Pinewood Derby. A chance for a parent and child to work closely together enabling the child and parent to develop and share skills an aspect ignored in this video. As a former scoutmaster far to many times I observed scouts that were unable to pick out their " own" pinewood from the other cars that were placed on the staging table when it was time for them to race "their" car.

@EngWorkshop 13 күн бұрын

I completely agree with your statement about the Pinewood Derby's importance as a collaborative activity between parent and child. We made the video in response to questions I fielded from parents and Scouts when I was a Den Leader. We hope the video will serve as a resource for parents and Scouts alike.

@roxannemarez2924 Жыл бұрын

Need to know where and what size for weights

@jerome4995 Жыл бұрын

This is all explained very well in the video. Also, these two questions are dependent on the car itself. There are too many variables to give a one size fits all reply.

@roxannemarez2924 Жыл бұрын

Where can I get these specific weights?

@roxannemarez2924 Жыл бұрын

1/4 x 1 1/4 3.3 ounces? More less

@jerome4995 Жыл бұрын

@@roxannemarez2924this will completely depend on how much your car weighs before adding the weight(s). THIS IS ALL GONE OVER IN THE VIDEO.

@EngWorkshop Жыл бұрын

The tungsten weights shown in the video are 0.25 inch cubes and 0.25x0.25x1.25 inch bars. They are available in other shapes that allow other ways to incorporate them.

@user-wj9lv9sj2w 6 ай бұрын

Hmmm the connection tho

@brado9232 Жыл бұрын

👊 p̲r̲o̲m̲o̲s̲m̲

@glennwatson3313 Жыл бұрын

I think raising the nose would allow the car to take off a fraction of a second faster.

@EngWorkshop Жыл бұрын

This is true, in theory. We have seen some car designs that implement this principle. How much difference this makes is unclear. The spring-loaded starting pin found on most PWD tracks releases the cars much more quickly than they accelerate.

@fearless3geclipse 6 ай бұрын

Great vid. But you did all this and didnt race it? Bummer

@EngWorkshop 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for the sympathies, but they're not necessary, actually. Making the sample car itself took less than a couple hours, which was insignificant compared to video production. Past cars of similar design and construction all won their races, so we're pretty sure the sample car would have done the same.

@travisfrey5694 4 ай бұрын

“Using only basic tools.” Pulls out a drill press and band saw.

@EngWorkshop 4 ай бұрын

When I inserted footage showing the band saw and drill press, I probably should have made it clearer that this video's car was actually made using only the hand tools I showed at the beginning. Although helpful, a band saw and drill press are not required to make a winning car.

@bow_wow_wow 3 ай бұрын

@@EngWorkshop You made that clear. I heard it clearly the first time I watched the video.

@bt-xv1fy Жыл бұрын

You are cutting yourself short, or to say making your car slower then it can be. Everything is correct till you made your car go straight. With a bent axel (on the right and the lifted front left) you want the car to steer 3-5 in to the left over a 4 or 5 foot distance. This will make your car a rail runner. It WILL be faster and your times will be consistent.

@EngWorkshop Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comment. Rail riding prevents a car from drifting side-to-side and losing energy as a result. Using our alignment method, we have not observed side-to-side drift in our cars when they run down our Pack's track, so we have not felt the need to try rail riding. It would be easy to compare rail riding with straight alignment using the same car on a test track. My son has aged out of the Pack, so I hope another KZfaqr will try the experiment and report the results.

@loud2ns Жыл бұрын

As you move more weight closer to the rear the car will wiggle. Rail riding allows you to move more weight back and not wiggle which is faster.

@machineenvyllc437 4 ай бұрын

@@EngWorkshop going to disagree with you on this one as well. A few other things that came to mind about axle prep, but not going to pick your video apart.

@CurtPrice 4 ай бұрын

It depends on the quality & kind of track. My kid's pack uses a wooden track. So it has slight imperfections on the rail. A rail runner on this kind of track can hit those imperfections all the way down and likely slow it down. I think I'd gamble on the straight runner on a rough wooden track with a lot of imperfections over a rail runner. But on a metal track or a quality wood track you're going to have smooth rails, which then yes, a rail runner would be better.

@machineenvyllc437 4 ай бұрын

@@CurtPrice GL with that straight shooter. you are assuming that each section of the track is perfectly level from side to side and has no warps, twists, or raised surface wood from being in storage for 12 months. A bit of 80 grit sandpaper and 3 mins of work fixes that rail..... Just saying. fix your packs track for the greater good of all racers. You do you though. Just have fun.