5KidsRacing’s Pinewood Derby Workshop

Supplies

SUPPLIES PROVIDED BY THE SCOUT PACK

(1) Official BSA Grand Prix Pinewood Derby Kit Consisting of:o (1) pinewood bodyo (4) BSA pinewood derby wheelso (4) BSA pinewood derby axles

(1) Dominate front wheel axle (This axle has a notch cut in the axle shaft and axle head) (8) Different grades of wet/dry sandpaper (1) Bottle of Brasso Axle Polish (2) Clean cotton cloth strips (1) Clean cotton cloth (1) Emory board (4) Walgreen’s brand Q-Tips (1) Large fluffy cotton pipe cleaner (1) Bottle of Novus 2 Bore Polish Drill Press (One will be provided for use only at workshop) Body Drilling Fixture (One will be provided for use only at workshop) #44 drill bit (One will be provided for use only at workshop) Sharp pencil (One will be provided for use only at workshop) Small 6” combination square for laying out body (One will be provided for use only at workshop) (1) Bottle of Hob-E-Lube graphite (1) Drift Chart

SUPPLIES PROVIDED BY SCOUT

Cordless drill Cup (or so) of 91% alcohol (Can be bought at Walgreens) Small digital scale (Post Office has one in the lobby) 3-4 ounces of weight (lead, pennies, tungsten, etc…) Drill bit a little larger than the size of weight selected Different grades of wood sandpaper (Menards, Lowes, etc..) Handsaw, Coping saw, Mitre saw… something that cuts wood Glue (Epoxy, Gorilla, etc…) Ruler or credit card (Something thin to balance the car on) Needle nose pliers Painters Tape (Masking Tape) Paint (spray can) Hob-E-Lube Graphite (Supplied by Pack 129) Vise (a cordless drill will even work as your vise) Medium sized regular screwdriver Rubber mallet (or regular hammer) Pair of any size vise grip type pliers Yard Stick Shoe Box or something similar and packing materials

5KidsRacing’s Pinewood Derby Workshop

AXLES

POLISHING THE AXLES

Supplies needed: (3) Pinewood derby axles as supplied in the BSA kit (Supplied by Scout Pack) (1) Dominate front wheel axle (Supplied by Scout Pack) (8) Different grades of wet/dry sandpaper (supplied by Scout Pack) (1) Bottle of Brasso Axle Polish (supplied by Scout Pack) Clean cotton cloth strips (supplied by Scout Pack) Clean cotton cloth (supplied by Scout Pack) Emory board (supplied by Scout Pack) Cordless drill 91% alcohol (@ Walgreens)

1. Start with the (3) straight BSA axles and (1) straight dominate front wheel (DFW) axle (front axle has groove cut in the shaft and the head)

2. Remove crimp marks and flashing from axlesa. While spinning an axle in a cordless drill use an emory board to remove the crimp marks on the axle

shaft and the flashing at the axle head

3. Chamfer axle head and undercut shaft to head transitiona. While spinning the axle in a cordless drill use a small file to angle the axle head slightly and to

undercut the area where the axle shaft meets the axle head

4. Sand each axle with wet/dry sandpaper

a. Locate the (8) 1/4” strips of sandpapers provided in your PWD car build kit. Place the sandpapers in the order from most coarse (#1) to least coarse (#8). You will be working through the sandpaper in this order. On the colored polishing papers, step #3 through step #8, you will polish the axle using the colored side of the paper. Step #8 will be hard to tell which side is the polish side and which isn’t. Rub the paper on your skin and use the side that feels grittier. If you get the wrong side it won’t be a speed killer, don’t worry about it. Find below a picture showing the correct order:

b. While spinning the axle in a cordless drill dip sandpaper #1 of wet/dry sandpaper in water and evenly sand the axle shaft with this paper for 10 seconds (one thousand one, one thousand two, and so

on…) Next sand the underside of the axle head for 10 seconds. You will use this piece of sandpaper for all 4 axles so only use a section that is ¼ area of the sandpaper and then move to a new section with each axle.

c. While spinning the axle in a cordless drill take a piece of cotton cloth and clean off the axle of any sanding residue

d. Repeat steps “a” and “b” above for each grade of sandpaper, #1 through #8.e. While spinning the axle in a cordless drill, take a small strip of cotton cloth and place a pea size

amount of axle polish on the strip of cotton cloth and polish the axle for 20 seconds. Make sure to also polish the axle head.

f. While the axle is spinning in a cordless drill take clean strip of cotton cloth, dip it into some alcohol and clean the axle thoroughly removing the polishing residue.

g. While the axle is spinning in a cordless drill take the clean cotton cloth and dry the axle thoroughly.h. Repeat the above step for all (4) axels.i. The axles are done!

5KidsRacing’s Pinewood Derby Workshop

WHEELS

POLISHING THE WHEELS BORES

Supplies needed: (4) Raw untouched pinewood derby wheels supplied in the BSA kit (Supplied by Scout Pack) (4) Walgreen’s brand Q-Tips (supplied by Scout Pack) (1) Large fluffy cotton pipe cleaner (supplied by Scout Pack) (1) Bottle of Novus 2 Bore Polish (supplied by Scout Pack) (1) Clean cotton cloth (supplied by Scout Pack) Cordless drill 91% alcohol

a. Take (4) Walgreen’s brand Q-tips and cut off the ends at a 45 degree angle. Note: Only Walgreen’s brand Q-tips will work, Q-Tip brand Q-tips will have too large of a shaft. NOTE: The Q-Tips in the Scout Pack kit are already cut for you!

b. Chuck up one of the Walgreen’s brand Q-tip shafts into your cordless drill.c. Take a wheel and squeeze a pea size ball of bore polish into the inside hub.d. Hold the wheel in your left hand and the cordless drill in your right hand.e. Spin the cordless drill very slowly…. This is VERY important! The drill is turning slow as you can get it

to turn. Place the drill on its slowest setting and barely squeeze the trigger until it just turns.f. While spinning the drill very slowly insert the Q-tip shaft into the wheel bore and slowly work the

wheel up the Q-tip shaft, back down the Q-tip shaft, back up the Q-tip shaft and then back down the shaft and remove the wheel while still spinning the drill/Q-tip. NOTE: YOU WILL HEAR A LOT OF SQUEELING DURING THIS STEP AND THAT IS GOOD!

g. Take the clean cotton cloth and use it to polish the outside and inside hub with you hand. Use the polish that is left over from the bore polishing process and use a twisting motion to polish the hubs.

h. Drop your wheel in alcohol and let it soak for a minute or two.i. Cut your cotton pipe cleaner in half. You are going to use one piece wet and one piece dry. NOTE:

The pipe cleaners in the Scout Pack kit are already cut in half for you!j. Take the wheel out of the alcohol and clean the outside off with a clean cotton rag.k. Dip one half of the pipe cleaner in the alcohol and then insert it into the wheel bore. With the pipe

cleaner remaining in the wheel bore, move it back and forth to remove any polish left in the bore. NOTE: BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO SCRAPE THE INSIDE BORE WITH THE METAL WIRE IN THE CENTER OF THE PIPECLEANER. I would recommend that the adult helper insert the pipe cleaner in the wheel bore for the scout.

l. Once again use a clean cotton rag and clean off the entire wheel.m. Take the other half of the pipe cleaner, the dry clean half, and insert it into the wheel bore. With the

pipe cleaner remaining in the wheel bore, move it back and forth to dry and polish the wheel bore. NOTE: BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO SCRAPE THE INSIDE BORE WITH THE METAL WIRE IN THE CENTER OF THE PIPECLEANER. I would recommend that the adult helper insert the pipe cleaner in the wheel bore for the scout.

n. Blow the wheel off to remove any pipe cleaner debris.o. Repeat steps “a” through “m” for the other (3) wheels.p. The wheels are done!!

5KidsRacing’s Pinewood Derby Workshop

BODY

DRILLING THE AXLE HOLES

Supplies needed: Raw, uncut, pinewood derby block supplied in BSA kit (Supplied by Scout Pack) Drill Press (Supplied by Scout Pack – We will use only at workshop) Body Drilling Fixture (Supplied by Scout Pack – One will be provided for use only at workshop) #44 drill bit (Supplied by Scout Pack – One will be provided for use only at workshop) Sharp pencil (Supplied by Scout Pack – One will be provided for use only at workshop) Small 6” combination square for laying out body (Supplied by Scout Pack – One will be provided

for use only at workshop)

1. Layout the car body to prepare for axle hole drilling.a. Using your square draw a line for your rear axles at 5/8” from the end of the car body.b. Using your square continue the rear axle line up the sides of the car body.c. Using your square draw a line for your front axles at 3/4” from the other end of the car body.d. Using your square continue the front axle line up the sides of the car body.e. Using your square draw a line 1/16” in from the long edge of the body and make it 1-1/2” long.f. Below is a drawing showing the correct car body layout.

g. Using a square draw lines 1/8” up on each side of the car for the rear axle hole location.h. Using a square draw a line 1/8” up on the side of the car for the dominate front axle hole location.i. Using a square draw a line 3/16” up on the side of the car for the lifted (one opposite of the dominate

front wheel) axle hole location.j. Below is a drawing showing the correct car body layout.

2. Drill the axle holes in the car body.

a. Using a drill press and the body drill fixture drill the 4 axles holes in the car body. EACH SCOUT WILL DRILL THEIR OWN AXLE HOLES DURING THE WORKSHOP!!

DRILLING HOLES FOR WEIGHT

Supplies needed: Cordless drill Scale Drill bit a little bigger than weight size selected Weight can be anything…. Pennies, lead, tungsten, zinc..…

1. Tipsa. Before you cut your body to your final pwd car shape, first cut holes to accept the weight(s) that you

have chosen.b. You should have to install about 3 to 3-1/2 ounces of weight. Weight your selected weight and drill

enough holes to hold that amount of weight plus more. If I was drilling to hold 3 ounces of weight I would make sure my weight holes would hold 3-1/2 ounces. Note: You will need a lot of pennies to make 3-1/2 ounces, lead and zinc are more dense so you will need less and tungsten is the heaviest weight, but it is expensive.

c. Drill as many holes behind the axle as possible without interfering with your already drilled axle holes. Stay away from your axle holes!! If I was drilling for 3/8” x ½” long round steel cylinders I would drill 25/64” diameter holes as shown below.

d. You could also drill you holes from the side and drill through the body like below:

e. Keep your weight holes low and as much towards the rear of the car as possible. Do NOT glue in your weights yet! First you need to cute the shape for your pwd car.

SHAPING THE CAR BODY

Supplies needed: Wood Sandpaper Handsaw, Coping saw, Mitre saw… something that cuts wood

1. Tipsa. Don’t make the front of the car pointed… It will not stage at the starting line very easily and may not

trip the finish line sensor. You can make the front of your car narrow if you want to, but leave at least a ¾” flat on the front of the car.

b. Make sure you don’t cut into your weight holes when you shape your car.c. Here is an example of a car body:

d. Next sand off the “cut back” for the front dominate wheel (FDW). This is the left side view:

e. This is the bottom view:

INSTALLING THE WEIGHT INTO THE CAR BODY

Supplies needed: Weight (The weight you picked out before) Glue (Epoxy, Gorilla, etc…) Ruler or Credit Card Needle nose pliers Scale

1. Installing the weight into the body & Center of mass (COM)a. Very gently place a finished axle into each of the finished wheels.b. Very gently push an axle into each axle hole just a little bit. Do NOT install the axles all the way in the

car!!! Just a tiny little bit so they stay in the axle hole.c. Holding the car upside down place the weights into the weight holes. First fill up the back and then

work towards the front. Add enough weight so the car is around 4.8 ounces. If you don’t have a scale you can always go to the post office and use their scale. Take your car, wheels, axles and weight and figure out how much weight you need to add to get to 4.8 ounces.

d. With the car still upside down and the weight in place balance the car on a ruler, credit card, etc.. One person hold the ruler and have the other person hold the car. Mark the spot where the car balances. Your balance point should be between 3/4” and 1-1/4” in front of the rear axle centerline. This location is the cars COM. An example is shown below:

e. If the COM is not in the 3/4”-1-1/4” range you may need to shift the weight around to a different position. If you cannot get the COM under 1-1/4” because you have a front heavy design that is ok.

f. Tip: A “COM” that is closer to the rear wheel axle centerline will be faster, but more unstable. A COM that is more further away from the axle centerline will be more stable, but not as fast. A fast car the wobbles will be slow so an aggressive COM will not always produce a fast car.

g. Once you are satisfied with the position of your weight and the car weighs about 4.8 ounces then gently remove the wheel and axles. Remove the wheels and axles by grabbing the part of the axle near the axle tip where the wheel does not ride with a pair of needle nose pliers. Gently pull each axle out and place them in a safe spot.

h. Next glue the weights permanently into place and let thoroughly dry.

SANDING AND PAINTING THE CAR BODY

Supplies needed: Different Grades of Wood Sandpaper (Lowe’s, Menards, etc..) Painters Tape (Masking Tape) Paint (spray can)

2. Sanding & Paintinga. Sand the entire car body starting with a coarse grit and working towards a finer grit.b. Place small pieces of tape over the axle holes. Just use small pieces of tape maybe ¼” x ¼” or a little

smaller.c. Paint the car with many light coats.d. Let the car dry for at least 24 hours before moving it.e. Remove the tape over the axle holes.f. Add decals, stickers, etc…..g. Car body is done!

5KidsRacing’s Pinewood Derby Workshop

Final Assembly & Set-Up

CAR FINAL ASSEMBLY

Supplies needed: Finished Car Body (You did this already!) Finished Car Wheels (You did this already!) Finished Car Axles (You did this already!) Hob-E-Lube Graphite (Supplied by Scout Pack) Vise (a cordless drill will even work as your vise) Medium sized regular screwdriver Rubber mallet (or regular hammer) Pair of any size vise grip type pliers Extra BSA Axle (Supplied by Scout Pack) Credit Card

1. Bending Dominate Front (DFW) axlea. Locate the DFW axle. The DFW axle has a groove cut in the shaft and a slot cut in the axle head.b. First clamp the DFW axle in a vise very close to the groove. Next place a screwdriver in the notch on

the axle shaft and tap very, very lightly on the screwdriver with a rubber mallet. You want to bend this axle to about 3 to 6 degrees. This is not an exact science, but the axle needs to be bent to steer the car. Below is an example showing how to mount the axle and where to place the screwdriver.

c. Use the above examples of a 3 degree and 6 degree bend above to estimate the bend of your axle.d. DFW axle bend is done!

2. Match axles with wheelsa. Take all the 4 polished wheels and axles and make sure all dust is blown off of them and they are

totally clean.b. Take 1 axle and 1 wheel and drop the wheel gently onto the axle.c. While holding the axle by the point and with the head down at a 45 degree angle puff some graphite

into the hub.d. Spin the wheel with your finger 5-6 times.e. Add a couple more puffs of graphite and spin the wheel 5-6 more times.f. Place the wheel and axle assembly down on a clean surface with the axle head down and the wheel

still on the axle. Do NOT take these axle/wheels assemblies apart because now they are a matched pair.

g. Repeat steps “b” through “f” above for the other 3 axles.

Note: At this point you have (1) FDW axle/wheel matched pair and (3) axle/wheel rear matched pairs. Spin the (3) rear wheel matched pairs and designate the (2) pairs that sound the most quiet and look the best while spinning. The noisiest or wobbliest wheel/axle pair will be used as your lifted wheel.

3. Relax axle holes in the car bodya. Place the head end of your extra BSA axle tightly in a pair of vice grip pliers. Note: You received (4)

axles in the BSA kit and Scout Pack gave you a DFW axle so you have (5) axles. You have polished (4) axles out of the (5) provided. Use the leftover 5th axle for this step.

b. Using the vice grip pliers gently insert this axle all the way into one of the axle holes in your car body.c. Use a gentle twisting motion to insert and remove the axle from the car body.d. Continue to insert and remove this axle until the axle slides in firmly, but not so tightly it takes a lot of

force to push the axle in.e. You want minimal force to install the axle, but you don’t want the axle to fall out.f. Repeat the above procedure for all 4 holes.

4. Polish and graphite the area on the body around the axle holesa. Use a piece of sandpaper left over from polishing your axles and smooth out the area around the rear

and the fdw axle holes.b. Take a little graphite on your finger and firmly rub it into these areas and blow off any excess.

5. Installing the rear axles and wheels into the car bodya. Take one rear axle/wheel assembly and start it in a rear axle hole just a little bit. Now take a credit

card and place it against the axle and up against the car body. Gently push the axle/wheel assembly all the way in until the wheel contacts the credit card.

b. If the axle goes in very tightly then pull it out and relax the hole more with your extra BSA axle and vice grips and try to install it again.

c. Repeat steps “a” and “b” above for the other rear wheel.

6. Installing the DFW axle and wheel into the car bodya. Take the DFW wheel/axle assembly and install the same way you installed the rear wheel/axle

assemblies above. Make sure the axle is oriented with the bend down…. The axle head will be lower than the pointed tip. Use a credit card for a gap the same as the rears. See below for a picture.

7. Installing the front lifted axle and wheel into the car bodya. Take the left over rear wheel and axle assembly and push it into the front wheel hole opposite the

dfw. This wheel installation is not as critical… Use the same procedure as with the rear axles/wheel assemblies. You must have 1-3/4” or more between the inside edges of your two front wheels. If you can push the lifted wheel all the way in and still have 1-3/4” then do so otherwise position the lifted wheel so you have the 1-3/4” spacing.

8. Bring the car weight up to 5 ouncesa. Weigh the finished car and adjust the weight so it is right on 5 ounces.b. Use a small screw, bb’s, tungsten putty, etc… to bring the car up to 5 ounces.c. Note: The car will be weighed on a scale that is read to the 1/10 ounce. This means that a car that

weighs 5.045 ounces will pass inspection, but a car that weighs 5.050 will not.

CAR TEST AND TUNE

Supplies needed: Finished Car Yard Stick Drift Chart (Supplied by Scout Pack) Hob-E-Lube Graphite (Supplied by Scout Pack)

A. Using a Tuning Tablea. Locate a large flat surface like a kitchen table or workbench. Lift one end of the table by placing

about a 4” block of wood or something similar under one end. Try to get the table somewhat level across the width. Place the supplied tuning table graphic squarely on the table and tape it down.

b. Take your finished car and place it on the start lines as shown on the graphic.c. Let the car roll gently down the graphic and catch it on the other end of the graphic. Notice where

the FDW ends up at the end of the graphic.d. You are shooting for a “drift” of 3” to 4” in 4 foot. I marked the 3” to 4” area on the tuning graphic as

shown below:

e. Adjust the car “drift” by rotating the FDW axle. If you rotate it one way it will turn left and if you rotate it the other way it will turn right.

f. Rotate the axle by placing a small regular screwdriver in the groove in the end of the FDW axle and turning. NOTE: These adjustments will be very, very, very small turns…. A very small turn will make a big difference in the cars “drift”.

g. Keep adjusting until a drift of 3 to 4” is obtained in 4 foot.

B. Additional Check for Rear Wheel Clearance and Rear Wheel Migrationa. Roll you car down the tuning table and check to make sure that both of the rear wheels stay out at

the head of the axles. Next roll your car backwards and check to make sure that both of the rear wheels stay out at the head of the axles again.

b. With your tuning table set-up intact and the table still lifted at one end, take a yard stick and place it on the left line as shown below:

c. The yard stick left edge will serve as the center rail on the left and the line on the right will serve as the right rail.

d. Start your car at one end of the yard stick with the yard stick in the center of the car between the wheels. The car will “drift” towards the yard stick and the FDW will contact the yard stick. The FDW will then ride (rub) all the way down the piece of wood. Catch the car at the other end.

e. Roll your car down the yard stick again and notice the clearances between both of the rear wheels and the yard stick on the left and the line on the right. The left rear wheel should never contact the yard stick and the right rear wheel should never contact the line. There should be clearance between the “rails” and each rear wheel.

Final Preparation for Check-In

Supplies needed: Finished Car 91% alcohol Clean Cotton Rag (Supplied by Scout Pack) Hob-E-Lube Graphite (Supplied by Scout Pack) Shoe Box or Something Similar and Packing Materials

1. Final Lubricationa. Gently turn the car on its side with a rear axle head pointed up and squeeze a little graphite in the

outer wheel bore between the axle head and the wheel. Tap the wheel to move the graphite in the wheel bore. Turn the car and hold it upside down with the bottom of the car facing up and spin the wheel working the graphite into the bore. Blow off any excess graphite.

b. Repeats step “a” above for the other rear wheel and the FDW.

2. Final Cleana. Using the clean cotton rag and some alcohol gently clean off the wheel tread and remove ALL

graphite and debris.b. With the cotton rag clean off the car body of any graphite and debris.

3. Transportation to Inspectiona. Take your car and wrap it gently in something lint free and soft to provide padding. Maybe an old t-

shirt, paper towels, bubble wrap, etc….b. Place the car in a shoe box (or similar) and carry it gently to the inspection.