Customer Reviews

Pinewood Derby Designs and Patterns

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book provides some detailed plans for an adult building a car. The problem is that it is supposed to be an event for you and your son to work on together. I went overboard in the begining of pinewood derby. I realized that it is supposed to be a kids event. The shame is that if you are making the advanced cars in this book your kid is sitting in the den watching TV while you are doing all of the work. What is the point? What is he getting out of this project?

The book also includes several basic designs that are decent simple car plans. You can photocopy then to transfer them on your pinewood block.

There are also some basic tips to make you car faster.

Some of the designs are banned, so check you local rules prior to picking a plan.

If you are going to get one pinewood book I would get this one.

This book has everything you will need to create a car and enjoy the pinewood derby experience. A picture is worth a thousand words and this is packed with photo's galore. Many car plans to choose from and step by step instructions on design, shaping, painting, and fine tuning a car for maximum speed. I have been doing pinewood derby for 8 years. I have bought most books on this subject and I cut out about 110-150 cars a year for our church and thought that I had seen it all but this book took me to another level. Our pinewood doesn't start for another 3 months and I am already to get started.

I don't just recommend this book, I suggest you get 2-3 copies and pass them around!

Wade Charlesworth
New Life Worship Center

This book provide some great ideas to constructing a pinewood derby car. Although it does go over basic speed tips, this is not a book about building fast cars rather a book about design options and detailing a very nice car. Also several very unique design templates are provided if you need an idea on what to build with your scout.

About a week ago I attended my son's first cub scout meeting. The pack leader handed me a plastic "lunch box" that contained all of the parts I would need to build a pinewood derby racer!

I was suddenly transported back in time and I had wonderful visions of my first (and only) pinewood derby car. I remember racing and winning, over and over again! What I didn't remember was the finer points of designing and building the car. Maybe because my dad never had me participate in that part of it!?

I'm not much of a woodworker, in fact I am not very good at any type of measuring, cutting, shaping or construction tasks. I can measure something five times and still manage to cut it incorrectly. I knew immediately that I was going to need some serious help to get this car put together. I've got plenty of friends who are engineers/fabricators would be willing to help out. I've got access to computer controlled lathes, mills and exotic materials like titanium and aluminum. Heck, I'm sure I could track down a physicist around here who could come up with a nice design for this car to win some races...

Then I thought that it would have really been nice if my dad would have included me in on building my car when I was younger. I knew that I needed to build as much of this car as I can, without help and to include my son as much as possible.

I did a little research on the internet and came across this book. My wife ended up finding it (along with others) at the local library. I started reading. I really like how the author has taken the time to provide the reader with templates, pictures, diagrams, tool lists etc. He even has a few sections on tips & tricks and reminds the reader at every opportunity that this is the cub scout's car and he should be included.

In the book, there are three major designs where the author gives detailed instructions on how to build the car from start to finish. In the rear of the book he has a few templates and design ideas that aren't useful to a casual builder. The tool lists are somewhat inaccurate but they are a good starting point. I recommend you review the build process along with the tool list to ensure you have everything you need.

I was a little disappointed by the author's lack of information on the speed of the car designs. I would have expected he posted which car designs were the fastest...he did not.

At this point, I'm nowhere near finished with the car that my son chose for us to build. We're building a stock car because it looks cool (the design is AWESOME). I had to bring the main block into work to get it drilled on the drill press...tonight we'll glue it all together and tomorrow I will cut it out here on the band saw....yep, you're going to need some of the more exotic tools if you want to build a cool car. A dremel is a MUST for any of the designs in this book. I could not imagine cutting some of these templates out using a handsaw.

All in all, it's a really decent book for someone like me. I just wish he had more designs in the book or more complete templates because some of his ideas are very, very cool. Wish me luck, I'm heading home to do some work on the car!