Any Other Pinewood Derby Dads?

[tommu56]

When my son was in Cub Scouts we built a car every year. We never won and I know he wanted to win. However, I insisted that he design the car and do everything on it that it was safe for him to do. His cars were always cool but didn't stand up so well to the ones that were obviously built by the Fathers.

He's now in high school and, for science competitions, builds and programs robots and creates musical instruments from scratch. He's one of the few "math and science" kids that can weld, design and wire electronic circuits, and do quality woodwork.

I didn't want this to be a lecture, but get started early and spend the time to let the kids do the most they can.

my vote 2 :thumbsup: my son would lay it out I'd cut it and he would do the rest!

 

[MossRoad]

I made my daughter cut her own out with a scroll saw after practicing on scrap pieces of pine. Scrap pieces of pine. Scrap pieces of pine... :laughing:

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Tonight was the big night. I think my boy can be proud of the work he did. In the double elimination brackets my son lost the first two races, but not by much. Then, they had some consolation races for anyone who hadn't raced at least three times. He won all of the consolation races (I think he had four consolation races).

I've attached a few pictures of the finished project. He said he wanted it to look like a robber car. I didn't think about it when we chose the classic black and white prison stripes, but he had to keep explaining that it's not a zebra. It's a robber. My favorite part is the white-wall tires.

He wanted it to look beat up. I think it looks pretty beat up.

The last picture is of the car on a scale I borrowed from work.

 

[bdeboer]

Tonight was the big night. I think my boy can be proud of the work he did. In the double elimination brackets my son lost the first two races, but not by much. Then, they had some consolation races for anyone who hadn't raced at least three times. He won all of the consolation races (I think he had four consolation races).

I've attached a few pictures of the finished project. He said he wanted it to look like a robber car. I didn't think about it when we chose the classic black and white prison stripes, but he had to keep explaining that it's not a zebra. It's a robber. My favorite part is the white-wall tires.

He wanted it to look beat up. I think it looks pretty beat up.

The last picture is of the car on a scale I borrowed from work.

I like the white walls.

 

[KubotainNH]

I like it. It looks like something the Hamburglar would drive.

The Hamburglar - Top 10 Creepiest Product Mascots - TIME

 

[buckeyefarmer]

That's a cool car. Make sure he continues onto Boy Scouts. We seem to loose a lot of boys in the transition.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

That's a cool car. Make sure he continues onto Boy Scouts. We seem to loose a lot of boys in the transition.

Thanks for the advice. That advice will be easy to take. I am an Eagle Scout, and we have a very active troop. My son is very interested in most scouting type activities. He reads Boy's Life cover to cover every month when it arrives.

I am a firm believer in the good that can come from scouting.

 

[RobertN]

Sounds like we may have a new Scout soon. Cool!

And Dad is an Eagle... Wood Badge candidate Bet could teach a little about Dutch oven cooking too...

RobertN
Assistant Scoutmaster
WE3-47-08
I used to be a Buffalo, and a good ol' Buffalo too...

Thanks for the advice. That advice will be easy to take. I am an Eagle Scout, and we have a very active troop. My son is very interested in most scouting type activities. He reads Boy's Life cover to cover every month when it arrives.

I am a firm believer in the good that can come from scouting.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

... Bet could teach a little about Dutch oven cooking too...

I actually used to teach Dutch Oven cooking when I was a scout working summers at a scout camp. It's been a while, though, since I fire up the old pots.

 

[RobertN]

My son turns 18 in a couple months, but will still work Camp Lassen this summer. He worked the last summer too.Camp Lassen is a "High Sierra" camp, near Mt Lassen, in N. Calif. Our Troop has had six boys working there last year, and agin this year. A couple of them are on thier 5th year working there...

Lassen is where I went to Woodbadge too.

We really like Dutch oven cooking; have a couple of our own, and use them often in the fair weather months.

I actually used to teach Dutch Oven cooking when I was a scout working summers at a scout camp. It's been a while, though, since I fire up the old pots.