Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire My boy took 1st place in the pinewood derby

In his last year to compete in the Pinewood Derby, he took 1st place in his class and 1st place in the King of the hill {1st place in each class race each other) I took 1st in the open class. I will have to look at the spread sheet when its mailed to me, but I think he beat me by .010 overall average.
One happy kid.

Way to Go! Those were fun with my son over 30 years ago.

EXCELLENT!! I won the same many decades ago and it was a great thrill!!! I even got to carry the flag down main street at the july 4th parade!!!! He'll remember that always!!! Great work!!!

Ha, speaking of 30 years ago or more, the trophy and car on the top of the shelf are mine from years ago. {second place, raced the cubmasters kid 7 times before they declared a winner)

Congratulations to your son. I remember pinewood derby when I was young.

What's your secret for tweaking and lubing those axles and wheels Dad?

Not much, just file the back side of the head of the nail down, file the grooves down on the shank of the nail followed by some 6oo grit emery cloth and 000 steel wool then dry graphite.
I cut the car out for my boy, he did all the rest of the work. I ran the drill while he filed the nails down.

Congrats. I've still got my first place trophy from 1974, I think.

OUTSTANDING! BIG congratulations to a fine lad.

I still carry a scar on my thumb, proudly.

Nice work Dad. You helped create some great memories for your son. I remember my first Pine Wood Derby like it was yesterday. I hate to admit it, but my Dad did most of the work on my car. (I was present, mostly as an "assistant". ) The car won speed and looks. I remember feeling a little guilty because my car was so nice and the cars of some of the kids, (who'd built theirs all on their own) looked pretty bad. What I remember most though is my Dad and me working on the car together. In my mind's eye, I can still see us in the shop and hear his voice as we worked on the car and as we went to the Derby together.

You did good creating memories for your son. Congrats and thanks for being a good father to a boy.

Jordan

Great job and congrats! We have 15 cars here at the house, 3 boys and each were in scouts. I myself have a very personal tie to the pinewood derby that made it a very special moment in my life as a kid and then I got to see my sons have fun with their cars during that time.

I wonder how many pinewood derby winners become recidivists? I'll bet the number is too low to count almost. Some libtard homo sociologist would still assure us all that the "village" can take the place of a father.

Congrats to your son! I have two sons, and lots of cars, trophies, and fond memories. My oldest son is now in high school, but his last two years in pinewood derby we figured out some speed secrets and cleaned house. My youngest has raced two years with the same results The sore losers have managed three rule changes over the last 3 years, and we are still winning. At our local race this winter, he made two cars and won standard and outlaw class. Management would not give him the trophy for fastest car of the night because "he had already won enough"

Long time ago, my dad and I had very good success in pinewood derby races. I (we) never lost a race, maybe 15 or so. One trick I remember working very hard on, was to 'align' all four wheels, make it track straight and also, what really gave us the edge, I believe, was making it run on only three wheels.

I have an axle jig that is at the maximum length for the axles. It helps align the axles as you drill new holes. There is one side that I can turn and use to "lift" one tire up so it only runs on 3 wheels, but I figure it would only increase the drag on the other wheels so I drill all 4 the same with equal weight distribution.

They say to put the weight as far back as possible but I have found that if you center the weight as much as possible to have equal rolling resistance on each wheel helps.

Then again, maybe it is just like in the Down and Derby movie, its just a fluke that we did good this year!

P.S. If you have not watched it, look up Down and Derby, It is funny.

had a mom one year express a deep desire to ban trophies and not to have a "winner". I looked her straight in the eyes and in front of all the other adults at that meeting told her "It's called the pine wood derby, not the pine wood activity" when everyone stopped laughing she sat down and we moved on with the meeting.

I remember these races.

the other boys' dads would work tirelessly for weeks, enlisting the expertise of a aerospace engineers and wind tunnels.

low-drag friction coefficient paints and graphite lubes, etc

all while the kid sucks on fudgesicles and plays with his Legos.




then come race time, some late comer would open his box, scotch-tape three quarters for weight to the car, push in the wheels and race it. And win.


priceless. Take that you over-engineered douchebags



congrats to your kid

Hurray!

One year my oldest son won statewide Ranger Derby (pinewood for Royal Rangers) for fastest car with simply the block of wood. Nothing done to the block at all!

If the axles and wheels are straight, with proper weighting, not a lot else really matters.