A question for the ENGINEERS!

[Pheidippides]

Finally, one for you folks.

My EQ is having a pinewood derby. There are no rules. Or very few rules. Weight is 5 pounds, no propulsion systems, flames or liquid lubricants. That's it.

I have a bunch of ideas here but I'm wondering if you engineering folks have any suggestions. Especially on the wheels - we are not limited to what comes in the box. As background, I have a garage full of tools and I am familiar with the use of things like lathes and drill presses.

Thoughts?

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[hostile]

Finally, one for you folks.

My EQ is having a pinewood derby. There are no rules. Or very few rules. Weight is 5 pounds, no propulsion systems, flames or liquid lubricants. That's it.

I have a bunch of ideas here but I'm wondering if you engineering folks have any suggestions. Especially on the wheels - we are not limited to what comes in the box. As background, I have a garage full of tools and I am familiar with the use of things like lathes and drill presses.

Thoughts?

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Not an engineer, but you need to reduce the amount of friction between moving parts as much as possible - decrease surface area and make the surfaces smooth. It's going to be tough getting 5 pounds of lead into that tiny piece of pine.

[creekster]

The first thing you need to do is make sure you know if it is ounces or pounds of which you are allowed 5.

Second I would get wheels with bearings.

[Pheidippides]

The first thing you need to do is make sure you know if it is ounces or pounds of which you are allowed 5.

Second I would get wheels with bearings.

It is pounds. I triple checked. An absurd weight limit that will be hard to reach, even if I hollow out the pine and fill it with molten lead (which I plan to do).


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[creekster]

It is pounds. I triple checked. An absurd weight limit that will be hard to reach, even if I hollow out the pine and fill it with molten lead (which I plan to do).


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Then I would defintiely get bearings. Are you restricted on the size of the body? Forget the pine, go get piece of pipe or some box steel and mount axles and bearings with narrow wheels.

[Pheidippides]

Then I would defintiely get bearings. Are you restricted on the size of the body? Forget the pine, go get piece of pipe or some box steel and mount axles and bearings with narrow wheels.

Not the size, but we do have to use the pine block. No restrictions on adding things to it, however.


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[Clark Addison]

Finally, one for you folks.

My EQ is having a pinewood derby. There are no rules. Or very few rules. Weight is 5 pounds, no propulsion systems, flames or liquid lubricants. That's it.

I have a bunch of ideas here but I'm wondering if you engineering folks have any suggestions. Especially on the wheels - we are not limited to what comes in the box. As background, I have a garage full of tools and I am familiar with the use of things like lathes and drill presses.

Thoughts?

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I assume a propellor driven by a rubber band is considered a propulsion system? If not, I won one of these a few years back using that method.

[creekster]

Not the size, but we do have to use the pine block. No restrictions on adding things to it, however.


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Our EQ had a no rules pinewood derby like yours once and the winner was a guy who added a springloaded arm that yould sweep the lanes next to him preventing the other cars from passing ahead of his own. Very clever. Annoying, but clever.

[Clark Addison]

Our EQ had a no rules pinewood derby like yours once and the winner was a guy who added a springloaded arm that yould sweep the lanes next to him preventing the other cars from passing ahead of his own. Very clever. Annoying, but clever.

That is why when we did it we had a rule saying your car could not extend past the width of your own lane. I think someone had done something like this a few years previously.

[Pheidippides]

Our EQ had a no rules pinewood derby like yours once and the winner was a guy who added a springloaded arm that yould sweep the lanes next to him preventing the other cars from passing ahead of his own. Very clever. Annoying, but clever.

If I can pull it off, I'm going to use CO2 propulsion. Just checked the rules and it says that it's no flame propulsion like from model rockets. Air is okay. Found some ideas on the interwebs. Need to craft a triggering mechanism, and of course I want my car to be light instead of heavy.


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[Mormon Red Death]

what about magnets? could something be devised to unleash that power?

[creekster]

If I can pull it off, I'm going to use CO2 propulsion. Just checked the rules and it says that it's no flame propulsion like from model rockets. Air is okay. Found some ideas on the interwebs. Need to craft a triggering mechanism, and of course I want my car to be light instead of heavy.


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The same year as the guy with the springloaded arm we had a guy do a CO2 propulsion system. The first time he raced he set it off and it took off like a rocket,left the track and flew across the gym, across the stage and into the wall at the back of the stage. It was very impressive. We didn't let him race again that night. He might have killed someone with that thing.

[Mormon Red Death]

put a spoiler on it so it stays grounded (if you use the CO2)

[Mormon Red Death]

to cut down on resistance make the block like a bullett and use only two wheels instead of 4 to cut down on friction.

[Pheidippides]

put a spoiler on it so it stays grounded (if you use the CO2)

I'm actually going to angle the tank(s) down a bit to help with that. I'm still working put the triggering system in my mind. I have the trigger and firing pin figured out, but now I need to figure put how to get the firing pin out of the way.


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