Drill Weight Holes in your Pinewood Derby Car
- Drill evenly spaced 3/8″ holes for steel and tungsten cylinder weights.
- For drilling weight holes in the back, bottom and side of the car.
- Drill straight into the car block or at an angle to match the slope of wedge type cars.
How do you attach weights to a pinewood derby car?
Sand and paint your block but do not add the wheels. When the paint has dried, mount the weight on the top of your car as far to the rear as possible. 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.
Can you glue weights to pinewood derby car?
Epoxy can be used for attaching metal accessories to the car and, since it does not shrink when dry, it works well for gluing weight into holes or pockets. It can also be used for gluing wood to wood, but I recommend yellow, white, or tacky glue for that use.
How do you cut pinewood derby weights?
Each bar is 2 3/4″ long and can be broken or cut into 1/4″ segments. Just drill a 3/8″ hole in the back of your car, break off the exact amount of weight you need, slide them in. Glue or seal the hole with wood filler. Weights are made from lead-free Zinc for safe handling.
Where do you put weights on a derby car?
Best Location to Weight Your Pinewood Derby Car
When deciding on where to weight your car, you should try to reach a final balance point of the car 1 inch or less in front of the rear axle. To achieve this, place 2/5 of the added weight behind the rear axle, and the remaining 3/5 in front of the rear axle.
Do I need to drill pilot holes in pine?
Drilling a pilot hole reduces the pressure to drive a screw through the material. Drilling a pilot hole into softwoods like pine and spruce typically isn’t required unless it falls under the other categories listed above.
Do you need to pre drill pine?
With pine, drilling pilot holes isn’t as important, because it can handle the expansion a bit better than oak can. However, that’s not to say that you don’t need to drill pilot holes into pine, but it’s a bit more forgiving when it comes to this.
Is pine hard to drill into?
Know the General Wood Type
The wood type makes a significant difference in bit choice. Drilling a soft pine will be much easier on a drill bit than drilling a hard hickory. You can drill softer wood with steel (although we’d recommend HSS for any job) but as the hardness increases, it must be matched by bit hardness.
Is it better to put weight in front or back on pinewood derby car?
PUT MOST OF THE WEIGHT IN THE BACK
Science says the heaviest part of your car should be about 1 inch in front of the rear axle. The idea is that the farther back the weight is, the more potential energy you have because your center of mass is higher up on the track.
Is it better to put weight on top or bottom of pinewood derby car?
Weight should be placed towards the rear of the car. You can drill the weight holes in the bottom, side or rear of the car as shown in these examples. Stay at least 1/8″ away from the axle slots.
How much weight can wood glue support?
Wood glue strength ranges from roughly 3,600 to 4,000 psi—that is they can withstand pressures of between 3,600 and 4,000 pounds per square inch.
What is the best angle for a pinewood derby car?
Some of the derby dads that I’ve talked to say that 1/2 to 1 degree is the way to go, just enough to get the wheels to gravitate out. I know lots of people hold 3 degrees as kind of a standard.
What is the fastest pinewood derby Shape?
But aerodynamics rule the day, and the best shape is a simple wedge. Just like a spoiler on the rear of a sports car, the wedge shape allows as much air to flow over the top of the car without hinderance while keeping the car pinned to the track.
Does a longer wheelbase make a pinewood derby car faster?
The longer the wheel base, the greater the turning distance (a short car turns much more quickly than a long car). A pinewood derby car should go as straight as possible, so a longer wheel base is an advantage.
Should you bake a pinewood derby car?
Per the Pinewood Derby rules, the car’s weight shouldn’t exceed 5 ounces. One way to ensure your car doesn’t exceed the weight limit is to bake the block! Naturally, wood holds water, and water adds weight. You’ll want to help your Scout by baking the block in an oven at 250 degrees for one hour.
Is a heavier pinewood derby car faster?
Much has been written about the physics of pinewood derby cars, and this is one rare case in racing where heavy = fast. 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.
Should weight plates face in or out?
facing out
One of the first things you learn when starting to work out is to put plates on the barbell with the flat part facing out. A trainer or maybe a more experienced friend explains this unwritten rule, and from that point forward you put the plates on that way.
When Should I drill a pilot hole?
Pilot holes are necessary if you’re drilling into hardwood, laminate, or need a precisely located fastener. They’re also recommended if the wood is likely to crack, or if appearance is important. You can skip the pilot holes when doing a rough build with softwood where appearance isn’t important.
How Big Should you pre drill a hole?
As a general rule, a pilot hole should be the same diameter as the neck of the screw.
Why is my drill not making a hole?
The most common reason a drill won’t penetrate a wall at all is because the drill is spinning in the wrong direction. If the drill bit enters the wall and then hits resistance, the typical cause is a metal plate or masonry obstruction.
Does drilling into a stud weaken it?
It considerably weakens the studs. The isn’t a huge deal in a normal wall but can cause a problem in a load bearing wall. The top plate studs can start to sag especially when there is a second floor above it.