Pinewood Derby Speed Secrets: Design and Build the Ultimate Car [Paperback]

DK Publishing (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

For new competitors or seasoned racers, this informative, step-by-step guide reveals all the secrets to building a championship car. This officially licensed product of Boy Scouts of America, and written by a research scientist and father of two undefeated Derby Champs, this valuable and education manual features full-color, easy-to-follow instructions and is perfect for parents and kids alike. "I've seen a lot of first-time participants since founding the Pinewood Derby in 1953. If you want to compete successfully your first time out, or improve on last year's finish, this book is for you." -Don Murphy, founder of the Pinewood Derby and author of Pinewood, The Story of the Pinewood Derby

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Meade has been involved in the Pinewood Derby for over 20 years, and David's own sons have earned 13 first-place finishes over the past seven years. In addition, he runs Derby Champ, an online Pinewood Derby supply company. When not designing the ultimate Pinewood Derby car, he works as a research scientist.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: DK publishing (November 20, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756627338
• ISBN-13: 978-0756627331
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,221 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Professional & Technical > Automotive > Racing
  • #10 in Books > Children's Books > Arts, Crafts & Music > Crafts & Hobbies
  • #16 in Books > Children's Books > Sports & Games > Sports

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple direct instructions..., November 21, 2006

By 

in1ear - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pinewood Derby Speed Secrets: Design and Build the Ultimate Car (Paperback)

written from experience and illustrated with fantastic photography that actually prove the adage "a picture's worth a thousand words". Dave Meade has been involved in scouting and PWD for a lot of years. Quite a few people can say that, but usually not with as many winning Derby entries and PWD trophies as the Meade family gathered!
Besides sharing his technique and expertise in easy to understand and logical procession, he shares safety tips and begins the book with a nice, informative 50 year history of the Pinewood Derby. This is the only Pinewood Derby instruction book authorized and licensed by the Boy Scouts of America.
There are many important aspects covered in detail to build a competitive car for everyone from beginner to advanced. The book even covers recent advances in the use of specialized PWD tools by Pro Worx. As well as templates, materials and tool lists and more.
David is also owner of an online retail store (derbychamp), selling Derby tools, wheels, axles, weighting materials, decals lubricants and other items, anything you might need on Derby Day.
I'm a PineHead fanatic and I recommend this book.
I strongly suggest you take a look too no matter what your level or degree of interest might be in PWD. Buy it for your Scout!!!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of them all!, February 4, 2008

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pinewood Derby Speed Secrets: Design and Build the Ultimate Car (Paperback)

Pinewood Derby has been an American tradition for Cub Scouts since it was originated in 1953, a fun event for Scouts and their fathers. There are many books out there that tell you how to make Pinewood Derby cars, giving you helpful hints and serious suggestions on how to increase the speed of your car. Well, of all of the books that I have seen, I must say that I do think that this is the best of them all!

This excellent book covers all of the suggestions that I have seen in all of those other books, ALL of them. But, what really sets this book apart is that it is filled with many colorful pictures that show you exactly how to do each step in making the best Pinewood Derby car that you can. Yeah, this is a great book.

So, if you have an up-coming Pinewood Derby coming up, do yourself a favor, and buy this book. I give it my absolutely highest recommendations!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great information! USE WITH CAUTION, February 3, 2011

By 

D. Chapman (Virginia Beach, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pinewood Derby Speed Secrets: Design and Build the Ultimate Car (Paperback)

First and foremost, this book is exceptional as a single source for a myriad of speed tips. There are many different articles online, but no sites cover as many particulars as this author. My son and I read the book and designed his car using several of the tips to the best of our abilities. We discussed the mechanical advantage of the various tips and came up with the best ways to accomplish them. We were somewhat limited by our skills and tools. As a result, our car was an ugly asymmetrical wedge, but he was proud of it and I was proud of him. He was very involved in almost every aspect (no band saw) and we spent countless hours tweaking it. Long story short, he won the entire pack competition.

Now for the caution: After the competition, the pack leader mentioned that several cars were "pushing the limits" and might not pass district inspections. I spoke with him individually afterwards about my son's car to be sure he was good to go. He mentioned our extended wheelbase (mentioned in the book) as a point of possible contention. He then mentioned that the axles needed to be viewable as well. Neither of these points was mentioned in our pack's official rules. Besides the written instructions, we got additional verbal instructions as follows: "Look at the rules. Use only official parts, don't do anything prohibited...everything else is fair game. There was an additional light-hearted comment, "Dad, make sure your son is involved." He and I were both excited for the project.

I felt terrible for my son after speaking with the pack leader. He sensed my concern and basically told me not to worry about it. He said there were many cars with blatant violations like those mentioned above, and that there were some cars that definitely weren't built by a child. I saw several that were either kits from the internet or precision machined. Many of the dads wouldn't even let their sons hold the car. He even said he wasn't talking about my son's car when he made the statement. His reassurance was nice, but it still felt wrong.

Before I get attacked, let it be noted that went to great lengths to preclude exactly what happened. I requested the full guidelines for our group with as many specifics as possible. I asked several people if there was anything else we needed to know and was assured there was not. There were several things specifically forbidden such as bent axles, reshaped wheels, liquid lubes, starting mechanisms, etc. Nothing in our rules even hinted at our potential violations. Before we received our official rules, I looked at several sets of BSA pack rules online. To say the least, they vary dramatically. Many specifics, including extended wheelbases, are mentioned with notes about whether they are legal. Some, like ours, never mentioned it.

Summed up; This book and some PWD building tools are sold directly by the official BSA retail store. The author even had a featured article on Boys' Life magazine. I believed whole-heartedly that my son and I were adhering to all of the requirements and not violating any rules. Our warning about "potentially not passing the district inspection" leaves us in question about what to do. If we build a new car, that car will have never won a race and will be at a disadvantage if our original car is allowed. If we take the original car, it might be disqualified from the start. Regardless of what rules your group uses, check for the legality of the any steps mentioned in this book before assuming anything. With the efforts I made to get ALL of the rules, the "cheater" feeling bites especially hard. It definitely diminished the joy of the father/son experience. Good luck.