Pointed Tip of the Nail

[Gavin Chafin]

What do you guys do about the pointed tip of the nail? Do you file it down? Do you cut if off with a dremel?

[Stan Pope]

What do you guys do about the pointed tip of the nail? Do you file it down? Do you cut if off with a dremel?

it is handy to have the end of the nail smaller than the shaft. I do try to minimize the shaft deformity caused by cutting the point, tho.

[Da Graphite Kid]

Gavin,
We sand off the edges where the axle comes to a point and leave the point alone.

I guess that is what Stan was saying, but I just don't always understand all these yankees sometimes!

Da Graphite Kid

[Da Graphite Kid]

Oops! Forgot to say why we do it: I believe that these edges can scar the inside of the hub when you mount the wheels. So we make sure that they are nice and rounded.

Da Graphite Kid

[Stan Pope]

Gavin,
We sand off the edges where the axle comes to a point and leave the point alone.

I guess that is what Stan was saying, but I just don't always understand all these yankees sometimes!

Da Graphite Kid

Dunno if that was what I was saying or not ... I'll try again:

When the points are cut, bulges (or shoulders) are created that increase the diameter of the shaft. These shoulders are sometimes too large to go smoothly through the bore! They also affect ability to get alignment process to converge.

[ExtremePWD]

I just rotate the pointed end of the nail on a grinder and reduce the diameter where the bulges occur to prevent scarring of the inner wheel hub.

[Da Graphite Kid]

ExtremePWD, a grinder may be a little to dangerous for a Cub Scout aged boy, so we just use plain old sand paper. Different process, same result.

Da Graphite Kid

[Gavin Chafin]

I was thinking about making some kind of wooden just that would hold the nail tip straight in the air. Then, we'd just go over it with a file.

[ExtremePWD]

ExtremePWD, a grinder may be a little to dangerous for a Cub Scout aged boy, so we just use plain old sand paper. Different process, same result.

Da Graphite Kid

A small pair of vise grips will lock onto the head and will keep their hands away from the grinder. (Don't forget the goggles or face shield also) It also provides a big handle to hold the part. We use a 5 inch pair which is a good size for the kids. The vise grips can also be used with a file or sandpaper if for the same reason. Use a relatively light clamping force to minimize distorting the head. The axle only needs a light touch to the grinder. If there is any distortion it will clean up when the underhead of the axle head is coned (assuming your rules allow). Otherwise, I agree that I would not want a Cub Scout with his fingers close to a spinning grinding wheel.

[Stan Pope]

I was thinking about making some kind of wooden just that would hold the nail tip straight in the air. Then, we'd just go over it with a file.

You could do this AND protect the nail shaft from stray file nicks at the same time by using a vice and two short pieces of 1X1 pine. Embed the nail, cross grain between the two pieces of pine. Clamp them in the vice so that just the point and shoulders are exposed. You might even show them how to use a micrometer caliper to check their work!

BTW, I acquired a digital caliper (0.001 increments) Saturday... imported, but appears to be well made. A lot handier than my micrometer, too! Have not given it the "drop test" yet... figured I'd let the kids do that for me.

[RACER X]

I acquired a digital caliper (0.001 increments) Saturday... imported, but appears to be well made. A lot handier than my micrometer, too! Have not given it the "drop test" yet... figured I'd let the kids do that for me.

Stan, welcome to the new age of pinewood derby car building! LOL!

A digital caliper is a must, you can do so much more. Inside and depth measurements that you can't do with a micrometer. It also works great for laying out the car body when you use the point of the anvils like dividers. Max V has some nice stuff on using digital calipers also.

I have found it is much easier to teach the kids about thousandths at first when they can see it numerically. Micrometer tumblers are just hard to work with when you are 9 years old.

[Stan Pope]

I have found it is much easier to teach the kids about thousandths at first when they can see it numerically. Micrometer tumblers are just hard to work with when you are 9 years old.

Sometime shortly after my third grade teacher introduced me to the "wonders of multiplying large numbers", my dad introduced me to logarithm tables. Very kewl stuff! It was only some years later that I fully understood the significance of the characteristic and the mantissa, but not understanding the theory isn't a real impediment when you're in third grade! Of course, at that time, Iliac was still a pile of boxed relays over on the other side of the state.

At around the same time I was exposed to mics. Now, these made sense to me. Of course, dad wouldn't let me have unrestricted access to these. Nor did we have PW cars to build where more access would be appropriate. I knew how and why they worked ... I just had nothing that needed measuring that precisely!

Dad was a farm boy who did go to school, and, upon graduation from high school came to the "big city" to work for Caterpillar Tractor Co and enrolled in their apprentice program. Machining, drafting, all the fun stuff! And he was willing to stimulate my curiosity and ability no end!

I shouldn't use past tense, I guess, because now he is my best fishing partner! And, for following his tiller around a couple times each year, I get all the tomatos and jalapenas and habeneras that Barb and I can eat!

[Da Graphite Kid]

I get all the tomatos and jalapenas and habeneras that Barb and I can eat!

Know we all know about Stan's firey side!
(or would that be backside...)

I really like the idea of 'sandwiching' the axle between two pieces of wood. This protects the rest of the axle and gives the boys something a little bigger to hold on to (or clamp to).

Da Graphite Kid

[Da Graphite Kid]

I had another thought about this – guess that coffee is finally kicking in! Since the tip of the nail helps guide the axle when you install it, wouldn’t it be best if they were rounded instead of squared off as they come? Than it would be best to chuck these up in a drill or lathe and file them while they spin. This would result in a conical tip that is also centered. For those of use who have to use the crooked axle slots, with or without a ‘guidance hole’, this would seem like it would help the axles to insert straighter.

Wada’ think?

Da Graphite Kid

[TurtlePowered]

I had another thought about this – guess that coffee is finally kicking in! Since the tip of the nail helps guide the axle when you install it, wouldn’t it be best if they were rounded instead of squared off as they come? Than it would be best to chuck these up in a drill or lathe and file them while they spin. This would result in a conical tip that is also centered. For those of use who have to use the crooked axle slots, with or without a ‘guidance hole’, this would seem like it would help the axles to insert straighter.

Wada’ think?

Da Graphite Kid

I would think it would be a good idea if it could be done without messing up the axel head. Only bad point would be, how do the pwd inspectors examine the axels to determine if they are BSA axels or not. Are they looking for the points?