Derby Talk

gpraceman wrote:I really do not think it is an H tread wheel (two raised edges). Instead, I think it is a V tread wheel (one raised edge).

And looking at the picture again, I think you are right.

If they were from Hodges Hobby House , maybe they have some old leftovers around that this guy can get. Though, HHH changed ownership several years back, so the current owner may not have any of that really old stock. All they look to carry now of the "V cut wheels" are made from BSA whee...

Sporty ... this seems to be more and more relevant as each year passes. I'm not sure if its because more people are seeking internet advice or more Packs are adopting the "4 on the floor, not axles canting" rule set. In any event, your thoughts on this might be worthy of a sticky thread. n...

Laserman wrote:Hi David,

If it were my car, I think I would put the 3 remaining cubes in front of the Axle line biased more on the steering side of the car.

Best of luck with the race,
Joe Puma

Good advice

My son really wanted a Francesco inspired car for his first derby. He was fully prepared to work on it a little bit each evening for a few weeks so I came up with a 'modular' design that let him cut the small pieces on the scroll saw rather than have to carve it out of the solid block. This was les...

Totally awesome.

BTW - the sandpaper on wheel trick is how I make my fenders.

Unless you have a track to tune on, I wouldn't recommend a COM under .5in. Please note, the following is my best guess based on experience. But, just from that picture, I predict you'll have some serious wiggle. You need to get some weight on your DFW. So I'd put one of those cubes behind the front ...

ngyoung wrote:Oh come on Scrollsawer. Feed your habit with some league racing!

I have to wrap tape around my axles if I'm going to fit them into my Dremel. Since axle polishing is time-consuming as it is, I elected to use a plug-in hand drill for polishing. I clamped it to my worktable and the kids and I went to town. Faster than the drill press, and I can chuck the axles dir...

I see a lot of references to polishing axles on a drill press -- which I have -- and less so on a Dremel -- which I also have and have historically used. The Dremel obviously can go to much higher RPM if desired. My Dremel has variable speed, but the reason I use it is to go to higher RPMs than the...

Are washers that much of a benefit? I mean, for the rears, your axles are gonna run on the nail heads, so they won't really rub up much. On the DFW, it might contact the body, but the weight is far less. Also, when I rub several fingersful of graphite into the bare wood, it feels pretty slick to me...

[no advertising for this vendor] sells some plastic that can be inlaid in the side of the body before drilling. I would argue that this gets around the no bearing or washer rules. Alternatively, we like to use low friction tape (sold as drawer glide tape @ woodworking stores) as a faster way to get...

I love seeing these kinds of solutions that are cheap and easy to build. I bet the scout had a blast running the car down this track. As an extra bonus, if you lower the incline to about 3 inches, then you will have a nice implementation of a "friction track" that I discussed here ... http...

davet wrote:THANK YOU LIGHNINBOY!!!.

Happy to help anyone who is passionate and working hard at this. Nice work! And love the track setup.

Great work Scrollsawer team! No time was recorded for the 'Cub Scout Spirit' car as we designed it to die halfway down the track. We did not want to risk losing a chance at his Design Award goal by recording any speed times (per recommendation from Darin McGrew. Mission Accomplished. Ha! That is awe...