Pinewood Derby Dads

General topics of interest to racers and race coordinators alike.
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gpraceman
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Pinewood Derby Dads

Post by gpraceman »

A not so flattering article about this sport.

http://newsok.com/article/5440891

I can definitely see the truth in the article, to a point. My hope has always been that Derby Talk would be helping counter that aspect of this type of racing and get the kids more involved.
Randy Lisano
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Awana Grand Prix and Pinewood Derby racing - Where a child, an adult and a small block of wood combine for a lot of fun and memories.
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Darin McGrew
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Re: Pinewood Derby Dads

Post by Darin McGrew »

We invest a lot of effort into our workshops, and it's still a challenge to keep parents from taking over the project.

One of the struggles is the desire of younger kids to participate. I think 3rd-6th grade is the sweet spot for a derby. They're mature enough to do much of the work themselves, with reasonable adult supervision. Younger kids aren't mature enough to contribute much, which turns the derby into more of a parent project.

But it's hard to tell families with younger kids that they should wait until they're older.
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birddog
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Re: Pinewood Derby Dads

Post by birddog »

I think the contributors on DerbyTalk help new entrants to the sport understand that it is a parent/child project. DerbyTalk does this better than any other site I've seen.

I usually tell my parents that the amount of contribution each boy does varies by age and maturity level. I really don't expect many Tiger scouts to do much more than sanding and painting. However, by the time they are Webelo IIs, they should be able to do most all the work (I'm still not letting my WEb II on a band saw or table saw, but I do let him on the Scroll saw). This year as a Webelo II, I'm not lifting a finger other than to run the band saw down any line he draws on the wood.

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whodathunkit
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Re: Pinewood Derby Dads

Post by whodathunkit »

I like the part of the article that reads..

Typically the boy starts eagerly with his plan of his own to build a car that looks awesome
and is super fast; fairly simple requirements.

The cub scout starts sketching his dream car on paper.
For the child.. some basic skills the child has used for wood working.. planning sketching and measuring.

Next comes cutting the sketched design out of the kit block..
( A job that most Tiger kids will seek out help with.)

An alternative to the power saws for the smaller kids is the coping saw..
It can also be initially difficult & frustrating for the child to use on there own..
while holding the kit block in a vise.

Some say that coping saws are best avoided by kids..
The blades are small and often bind & break when used by kids.
They take more practice then parents realize & a gentler hand to make them work effectively.
Many parents make the mistake of starting their kids off with a coping saw..
because they are smaller and more manageable for kids.

Better choices of hand saws for starting smaller kids off to use on their own:
Are saws like hack saws because of the larger blade with it's teeth closer together,
or the one sided pull saws & even small toolbox saws.

Regardless of the type of saw you choose for your child it's important that children
and their parent understand that sawing is actually a gentle act.
Many kids get the wrong impression from watching their parents that sawing is an aggressive,
forceful thing..

The harder you push the faster you cut.. or the tighter you grip the saw,the faster you will cut.
(These are false.)
A saw should be pushed & pulled gently to allow the teeth to do the work it should be gripped lightly,
not tightly.

As a general rule is that when you are sawing if anything is clenched (teeth,hands,etc.)
your are doing something wrong in your approach to sawing.

Try making a two handled coping saw-
http://www.builditbus.com/images/gallery/tools/cope.jpg
Buy an extra of the same type of coping saw and harvest it's handle.
You can now saw with the child ( lumber jack style.)
This works best if you do the cutting on the pull stroke..
and when the child pulls the saw back to there side (the child thinks he or she is still doing the cutting.) ;)

These are my thoughts after reading this topic:
And about the losing the interest of the smaller child..
( when it comes to the child contributing & participating cutting out their car design.)

Hope these tips & ideas help.
What type of automobile can be spelled the same forwards & backwards?
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