Page 2 of 2

Re: Stock Block

Posted: Mon May 23, 2022 6:32 pm
by Pinewood Daddy
FatSebastian wrote: Mon May 23, 2022 6:17 pm
Pinewood Daddy wrote: Mon May 23, 2022 6:01 pmWOW!! I haven't posted in over 11 years!! .... But I enjoyed the challenge of PWD for a few years.
:offtopic: About seven years for me. With no more children of racing age, PWD is now more about assisting with an occasional organizational race. That presents a different challenge, with different rewards.
Both of my boys moved on to Boy Scouts but left a few months later for different reasons. I was never asked to go back and help the Pack with the PWD. To them, it was just another meeting. Most of them didn't even take it seriously, it was more of a crafts exercise vs. a science experiment. I ended up selling the track I built to a church.

Back on topic!! I did really enjoy the block car I built, purely as a science experiment. People were shocked it beat everything except for my Open class car. A block beat them all??!! Until they held it and realized the weight distribution was very different than a stock block. Sadly, most people didn't get it. I was probably a pain in the [censored] to most people, just showing off that I could beat them with anything. I should have hacked up a block with a hand saw and smoked them! Maybe char the top on the grill??!!

Re: Stock Block

Posted: Tue May 24, 2022 4:09 am
by Loud2ns

Pinewood Daddy wrote:
Once I figured out how to make a fast car the challenge was gone. I think I could build a top 3 car in half an hour.

What does this have to do with PWD?? Every hobby is a challenge. Until you figure out the magic, then it's just a job. And you more on to something else. But I enjoyed the challenge of PWD for a few years.
Come up to league racing!! You'll have plenty of competition and be challenged by the fastest builders in the nation.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk


Re: Stock Block

Posted: Tue May 24, 2022 4:13 am
by Loud2ns
FatSebastian wrote:
10range wrote: Mon Jan 11, 2010 7:14 amI am wondering what the block ended up weighing before adding any weight
Apologies, I know this is a very old thread, but I built a "Stock Block" type car not too long ago of the type described by Da Graphite Kid (i.e., a block milled hollow, rather than a plank with a balsa shell, so that it truly mimicked an out-of-the-box block). It was something I always wanted to try. The result weighed just under 1.5 ounces; however, I started with an usually lightweight block (under 3 ounces).

If you divide the weight (mass) of the block by 15-5/16 cu in. (nominal volume of a PWD block), you can estimate the block's average density. You can then predict the weight of the milled-out final block by multiplying that density by the volume of wood expected to remain after milling. My feeling was that at least 3/16" thicknesses on all sides, and 1/4" thicknesses on each side of the axle holes / slots, were needed to maintain structural integrity. Thereby I figured I could never remove more than 2/3 of the wood's weight. Practically speaking, 50% weight reduction is achievable without too much work. One reaches a point where to you don't want to damage the wooden shell by overworking it or thinning it too much...
This has been on my bucket list for awhile. I just need to do it.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk


Re: Stock Block

Posted: Tue May 24, 2022 8:21 am
by FatSebastian
Loud2ns wrote: Tue May 24, 2022 4:13 amThis has been on my bucket list for awhile. I just need to do it.
It didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would to make the body. I drew a map on the bottom of the block of where I wanted to hollow, and used a drill press and Forstner bits to remove those areas. Extending the press travel, I used a 0.035" feeler gauge between the tips of the bits and the drill press platform to ensure that the tip would not quite penetrate. That depth actually allows me to see a bright light through the wood, so it gets pretty thin where the tip of the bit lands, yet still no evidence that it is hollow when viewed from the top.

One of the problems of starting with a lightweight (less dense) block is that the pine tends to be very soft. In my case, it didn't grip the axles as firmly as I wanted and so alignment was challenging and never quite right. One hard bump of the axle could loosen it.