I was considering buying a set of wheels for my sons district race. Is it a huge difference between buying a machined wheel vs prepping a set ourselves. I have all the tools necessary to prep a wheel but I don't have a lathe or cNC to be as precise as others. I notices they are using a lathe to keep the nail head set better which I would think offers a decent advantage. Any thoughts? By the way his race ruleS are all wheels have to touch. I will write a new post about that as well. Also how do you guys feel about buying wheels for a BS race? Fair or unfair? I noticed a few ppl had bought wheels aND axles in is pack race so to keep competitive it's a must. Even if I do purchase wheels I will still prep a set with him so that he can understand the process. I think it's very important to keep my son involved in all the steps of building a car. Last year a guy would not even let his son touch the car to hand it to the judges. They won't learn a thing like that. Anyway let me know what you guys think. Thanks
Buying wheels vs prepping myself
- Thread starter McDoodle
- Start date
- Nov 24, 2011
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Buy them, even if you have to use what's in the box. Some folks have the ability to turn a wheel on a I lathe. I don't (and don't use those DW tools as a substitute). Purchasing levels the playing field. Before someone cries foul, consider this. If you are building a high-performance car, there are plenty of details in which you can engage in with your cub, probably lasting 6 to 8 hours of work. Why lessen that using inferior parts, where the hard work can not be seen on the track? For the average cub taking 20 minutes to assemble his car, wheels will not make a difference anyway.
@ B Regal Racing. I agree. I don't think the tools they sell will ever compare to a lathe. Some of the stuff out there is pretty good for bending axles and chucking wheels for sanding. But when milliseconds count you need absolute precision. I also think that no 2 wheels will ever be the same because of the flaws from the factory. That's all were really doing anyway is just trying to correct them of the imperfections. I think the axles we can do just as well with a little elbow grease. I actually got the derby worx axle bender from the guy I bought the track from and can't wait to use it. It's gotta be much better than banging them with a hammer.
As Kinser said, if the rules allow lathed wheels then by all means do it. But there's a lot of things that go into making a fast cub scout car. Lathed wheels may not be enough if you're off somewhere else in the build. If you pay attention to the basics that you can learn on this site you'll likely find that you can beat most if not all of the scout cars in your district.......unless your competition studies here too!
McDoodle said:
If your racing in the Sea Pines District, all four wheels do not have to touch. I am assuming that the sea pines district is under the Jersey Shore Council.
Only if the rules allow it should you buy any prepped parts. I don't want to sound all holier than thou, but buying prepped parts if the rules state not to (and most Cub Scout rules do), no matter how you justify or rationalize it, goes against the Scout Law.
derbychip said:
Well, yes. There is nothing in the rules against using the tools you own. Now, if you use that lathe to perform modifications that the rules forbid such as removing material to lighten the wheel, you're cheating. If the rules state no prepped parts, you should follow the rules. We're talking Scouts here.
How many parents do you really think buy a $1,000 lathe just for Cub-level PWD?
Some may already have one? So why make everyone else at a disadvantage if they don't (because as you stated how many would buy one). If its legal to make such modifications what's the difference, you can still have the quality time with your scout learning why these mods matter and building a car that will be competive to the other dad/sons who may have the tooling and knowledge to do so
HurriCrane Racing said:
While I know parents will spends hundreds and serious competitors will spend far more, if a parent buys a lathe, educates themselves on how to use it, and doesn't use it for illegal modifications, it's their business and not justification for others to just cheat. Again, this is all just my opinion. Buying a band saw and a ton of PWD-specific tools is one thing, but buying a lathe is a whole new animal. Not every family has the same resources. In our pack, we have a dad who's a scientist, two that are professional woodworkers. As in life, the playing field isn't level. Their kids have an advantage.
The pinewood derby rules, like all rules, are being tested from all angles. I don't see any difference from buying wheels or having a friend turn the wheels for me. As long as the wheels are within the rules. Unfortunately it's becoming a pay to win event. The kids are still involved in the process and still experience what goes into these cars. Now if the child was not involved at all then I might think otherwise.
- Nov 24, 2011
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zigzag said:
Ha ha! I'll bet you they don't! I'll bet CTDD has the advantage unless he's one of the woodworkers./images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif
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