Building the Fastest Pinewood Derby Car - Review

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FatSebastian
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Building the Fastest Pinewood Derby Car - Review

Post by FatSebastian »

Before we discovered Derby Talk, the 2006 release of David Meade’s Pinewood Derby Speed Secrets was a boon to our family’s racing experience. It made a lot of reputable information visible on the bookshelves of Scout shops at a time when speed-tips seemed to be closely guarded or otherwise sold via (sometimes dubious) mail-order pamphlets, etc. Since then, I’ve often recommended Pinewood Derby Speed Secrets as a starting point for those new to PWD. However, there was some advice that seemed questionable or outdated, and thus we recommended it with certain caveats.

In December 2012, the same publisher released a revised title called Building the Fastest Pinewood Derby Car (BFPWDC). Authored by Meade’s illustrator Troy Thorne, this new book admirably supersedes Meade’s landmark work. [This new book is not to be confused with Thorne’s other offering from 2011 -- Getting Started in Pinewood Derby -- an earlier work which is less focused on competition. Even though both books carry the same artistic elements and duplicate some information, BFPWDC represents a significant revision to both Getting Started in Pinewood Derby and Meade’s Pinewood Derby Speed Secrets.]

We now recommend Thorne’s Building the Fastest Pinewood Derby Car as a more up-to-date starting point. For example, treatments like sprue-removal and hub-coning are absent, as these no longer apply to BSA wheels made after 2008. Also gone are some overemphasized tips like “quick-start” devices (aka cheater bars) and block-baking. More importantly, BFPWDC embraces and instructs on recent advances such as rail-riding, currently available tools, and new weights and accessories. It includes not just speed tips, but design templates and plentiful advice on detailed finishing.

BFPWDC is not presently offered via BSA yet arguably less-useful titles are; for this reason it seems worthwhile to call attention to BFPWDC here. The value of a well-rounded reference is appreciated once one tries to scrounge up information through many varied sources. The author graciously acknowledges Derby Talk as a source for some information (and in the interest of full disclosure, Troy asked some people on DT, including me, to offer some early technical feedback).

But there are still some circumstances where BFPWDC does not go quite as far as prevalent opinion on DT; this seems reasonable to limit the scope of the book, which is already pretty long at 136 pages. So (as was done with Meade's book), this thread is dedicated to pointing out some of the differences for the benefit of those less familiar with DT content. (It is not intended to disparage BFPWDC, but to simply complement this excellent resource with other content that might be gleaned from DT.) Of course the reader is always free to decide which information he feels is best:

Weight Placement (p. 18) - Guidance on how to accurately determine the center of balance is absent. For a fixed wheelbase, the load under the front wheel can be “weighed” to calculate the center of mass (CoM) relative to the rear axle. The relevant equation is simple.

Taper the Axle Head (p. 92) - There are differing opinions as to the need to taper the underside of the axle head with BSA’s stepped outer hub.

Polishing the Axles (p. 94) - Some find it beneficial to go much further with polishing, down to sub-micron-levels using lapping papers or liquids.

Making Grooved Axles (p. 96) - It has been conjectured that excess graphite captured in axle grooves might actually impede rolling, rather than help it.

Polishing the Wheel Bore (p. 104) - BFPWDC recommends polishing the wheel bore using a pipe cleaner and plastic polish, but most people on DT who have tried Sporty’s bore-prep method prefer that approach.

Building Your Own Test Track! (pp. 112-115) Although a fun-looking project, the top speed of a car on a 2’-tall test track will be 70% slower than the speed reached on a conventional 4’-tall track. For testing, the plans could be improved by replacing the first section with a 12’ length (to raise the starting height), and then adding a timer.

Bending Axles (p. 116) - Some prefer to install unbent axles into canted holes drilled with the aid of a drill press.

Rear Wheel Alignment (p. 118) - An alternative alignment method allows the front of the car to skid down an incline on a piece of tape or thumbtack with the front wheels removed. The car should roll fairly straight if the rear-wheels are correctly aligned.

Front Wheel Alignment (p. 122) - In BFPWDC, the camber of the rolling front wheel is not mentioned. Most DTers prefer positive camber on the dominant front wheel (DFW), and negative camber on the rears.

I've included a few links as jump-off points to show where DT expands on BFPWDC content, but these links don’t come close to covering the wealth of discussions and opinions expressed on DT. As usual, both newcomer and seasoned pro will greatly benefit from Derby Talk's search feature.

:salute:

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Kenny
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Re: Building the Fastest Pinewood Derby Car - Review

Post by Kenny »

As usual, very thorough and well done review FS! Very well done.

K
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Re: Building the Fastest Pinewood Derby Car - Review

Post by Speedster »

Thanks FS. I already ordered the book when you told us about it in a previous Post. I'm looking forward to reading it and probably recommending it in our workshops. Thanks for the info.
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Re: Building the Fastest Pinewood Derby Car - Review

Post by MOFAST »

I already purchased the book, and I think it is overall a pretty good book. My 7 and 9 year old boys also liked it, and could understand it fairly well. It actually helped motivate my 9 year old, who in his 3rd year of PWD I was having a hard time getting him to work on his car.

He would tell me how fast he wanted it to be, but wouldn't work on his axles or wheels. My son only got involved after I got the book and we went over everything needing to be done with his car. Some of the stuff in the book I used and some I did not. He actually went from making one car to making two because of one of the designs he saw in the book.

My youngest is making a Missouri Tigers car and the oldest is making a Kansas Jayhawks car and they are going to settle it on the track. They are hand painting them, and I made them buy the paint and decals for it. Not because I'm cheap (I am), but because I wanted it to "belong" to them. They both picked templates from the book.
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Re: Building the Fastest Pinewood Derby Car - Review

Post by rpcarpe »

Nice review. I also started with Dave Meade's book in 2008 and always keep an eye out for updates.

Building the Fastest Pinewood Derby Car is also available in Hobby Lobby, as is Dave Meade's book.
My wife started a new support group... Widows of the Pinewood Derby.
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Re: Building the Fastest Pinewood Derby Car - Review

Post by Speedster »

CONGRATULATIONS and a BIG "THANK YOU" to FatSebastian, Sporty and RacerX for their contribution to this new book. I was happy to see you were Acknowledged by Troy. Well Deserved !!!!!
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Re: Building the Fastest Pinewood Derby Car - Review

Post by whodathunkit »

I just purchased the book and look foward to reading about the tips.
Congrats Guys. ;)

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Re: Building the Fastest Pinewood Derby Car - Review

Post by birddog »

I just bought a copy as well. Won't get it in time for this year's race, but already looking forward to how to make things faster next year!

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sporty
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Re: Building the Fastest Pinewood Derby Car - Review

Post by sporty »

I think Troy did a really good job, He had parameters and some restrictions, when trying to reach such a wide group of racers.

I felt he did a good job. I enjoyed speaking with Troy several times over the phone and via e-mail.


I was glad to be invited to offer tips and recommendations for the book.


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Re: Building the Fastest Pinewood Derby Car - Review

Post by Noskills »

I just read the book and I liked it. I think it does a decent job explaining enough and making it fun for a kids to read as well. I think it adds to the Meade book. Yet I agree with FS's detailed review that it could go farther. I would tlike to see an expert version of the text with more detail particularly on tuning. Overall a good book and I will recommend it to others

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