How long to bake pinewood derby

If you bake the wood block beforehand—two hours at degrees—you can remove any moisture and manipulate the weight distribution even more. For your prize-winning car to make it down the sloped track first, you want your wooden racer to be aerodynamic.

Reduce wind resistance to make it roll faster. Before your start painting, make sure all the edges are rounded and lines are smoothed out. You can then proceed to design and shape your Pinewood Derby car. Bake time may vary depending on the climate in which you live. Those that live in arid regions may have far less moisture to bake out of the wood block than those living in humid regions. This is not an exact science--keep in mind that every little bit of weight removed from the block of wood will have an impact when the total weight of the car can only be five ounces.

Rebecca Dyes-Hopping began writing as a professional in In schools and churches and community centers around the globe, Cub Scouts are gathering to put their building skills to the test in the annual Pinewood Derby race.

Thankfully, our Cub Scout pack has a category just for dads, so I can build my own car. My son -- although I help with the more difficult and dangerous tasks -- is largely on his own. I believe it's important that his car be his own. That's not to say I haven't searched long and hard to find the best performance tips for making my car as fast as possible.

It's my understanding that there are as many different rule sets as there are packs, so what I've tried to do is keep these tips as universal and broad-based as possible. Be sure to double-check your pack's rules before your first cut into your pine block.

Put all of your weight in the back. Aerodynamics have little effect in such a short race, but weight does and putting the weight at the back of the car will make your car faster on the flat of the track. The weight should not extend past the rear of the car. Glue bottom weights to the bottom of the block to bring the total weight including wheels and axles to 5 oz. Install some of the weight behind the rear axle and the rest in front of the axle. Lightly Sanded BSA Wheels This wheel should be legal in pinewood derby races that specify any of the following: Wheel diameter must be greater than 1.

The wheels may be slightly sanded to remove any mold marks but may not be modified in any other way. Can a pinewood derby car be shorter than 7 inches? Yes, you can make your car shorter but it is not recommended. A shorter car will have a lower center of mass at the start so it will have less energy to convert into speed when going down the track.

How to use: Put one drop of lubricant on an axle. Tip the axle so down and let the lube flow to the end of the axle. Insert a wheel into the axle. Spin the wheel several times. Remove the axle and wipe off the lubricant with a clean, soft rag. Reinsert the wheel into the axle and attach to your car.

Tungsten steel is denser than lead which means it's harder than lead so it is better at helping you feel bottom composition and structure with your lure. All tires are out of balance even though they were turned on a lathe. You then balance out the wheel by removing the excess weight from the heavy side or by adding weight to the light side [by adding nail polish or something] until a balanced wheel is achieved. Bend the axles on your pinewood derby car for faster speed.

An easy way to insert axles into the car block is to use a drill press. Place the block under the drill press then, with the drill off, lower the chuck until it makes contact with the axle head.

Continue lowering until the axle if fully inserted.