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Cub Scout Adventures >

Arrow of Light >

Pinewood Derby® Car Build Day

Arrow of Light – 5th Grade

Race Time Arrow of Light

Elective

Requirement 1

Pinewood Derby® Car Build Day

Arrow of Light – 5th Grade

Race Time Arrow of Light

Elective

Requirement 1

Pinewood Derby® Car Build Day

Snapshot of Activity

Den or pack provides a build day for Cub Scouts.

Indoor

If you want to know more about The Adventure Activity Key click here.

Supply List

Ask parents in the den or pack if anyone has a workshop with woodworking tools. Determine how many Cub Scouts and parents could fit in the space and develop a time schedule, if needed, to keep the workshop from being overcrowded.

Ask parents in the pack if anyone has some of the tools below and would be willing to bring them to a location to conduct a build day. This would allow several cars to be worked on at once.

Check with your local Scout Shop. Some Scout Shops will conduct Pinewood Derby build days.

Only adults may use power tools in Cub Scouting. Adults who are using power tools must wear appropriate safety gear including eye protection and ear protection.

Cutting out the basic shape of a Pinewood Derby car is easily done with a band saw or a scroll saw.

Safety goggles, for anyone working with or near power tools
Ear protection, for anyone working with or near power tools
Band saw, only adults may use
Scroll saw, only adults may use
Dremel, only adults may use
120 grit sandpaper, enough to share
220 grit sandpaper, enough to share
400 grit sandpaper, enough to share
Small hammers, enough to share
Pinewood Derby Car Kit, one for each Cub Scout and a couple of spare kits (Scout Shop SKU: 17006)
Pinewood Derby flat weights, one for each Cub Scout (Scout Shop SKU: 7602)
Small Phillips head screwdrivers, enough to share
Small flathead screwdrivers, enough to share
Paint, high gloss acrylic, various colors
Small paint brushes, one for each Cub Scout
Jar of water to wash off paint brushes
Pinewood Derby Car Adjustment Tool (Scout Shop SKU: 16990)
Small digital scale
Wood glue
Pencils, enough to share
Scissors. enough to share
6ft. folding tables
Folding chairs
First Aid Kit

Directions

A build day is longer than a typical meeting. Cutting out cars, painting them, allowing them to dry, and assembling them will take hours based on the number of power tools available and the number of Cub Scouts in the den or pack.

Before the meeting:

Visit the Pinewood Derby website and share with members of the den to get familiar with the race and ideas for designs.
Confirm meeting location.
Confirm that equipment is in good working order.
Three days before the meeting remind Cub Scouts, parents, and legal guardians of the meeting date, time, and location of the build day.
Prepare the meeting location to give everyone enough room to work on their cars.

During the meeting:

Draw a design for your car. Take the block of wood from the Pinewood Derby car kit and place it on its side. Draw an outline of the wood on paper. Now draw the profile (side view) of the car.
Cut out your car from the block of wood. Cub Scouts may use a handsaw, or an adult may use a power tool to cut out the car.
Sand the car. Sanding will remove any sharp corners and will allow paint or any other decoration to be added to the car stick better.
Paint and decorate your car. Pinewood Derby cars are made of soft wood. When painted, it may take a couple of layers or coats of paint. Paint the car once. When the paint is dry, use sandpaper to lightly sand it. Clean off any dust from sanding and paint it again. This can be repeated until you get the desired look is achieved.
Assemble your car. Using the nails that came with the kit, attach the wheels that came in the kit to the car in the pre-cut areas on the bottom of the car.
Check the weight. Do this step last as everything else will either add or subtract weight from the car. The car should weigh exactly 5 ounces. If it weighs less, additional weight may be added.

Tip: Make sure the axles are square, at a 90-degree angle. This will keep the car straight when going down the track. If the axles are not square, the car may want to turn and rub up against the track causing it to slow down. Test the car by simply pushing it across the floor to see if it goes straight.