Service Projects: Pinewood Derby Construction Workshops
Troops 1028 and 1029 are pleased to offer FREE Pinewood Derby car construction workshops to local Packs each year in January and February in Mr. Eric's amazing woodworking shop. Our Troop Scouts will help the Cubs pick a design, find parts, assist with gluing, figure out next steps, help with axle treatment, provide encouragement so Cubs don't get overwhelmed, and help Mr. Eric monitor power tool usage (mainly stationary belt sanders, drills, drill presses, Mr. Eric does all the dangerous stuff for them). Cub parents and leaders are responsible for general chaos/behavior control, and maximum capacity is 8-10 car builders (Scouts, siblings, or parents) per 90 minute session.
NOTE: We will gladly accept donations of new cans of spray paint, as we lend those out to all Packs so often run out!
Contact Troop 1029 Scoutmaster Mr. Eric (Pack 77 Pinewood Derby, Raingutter Regatta, Space Derby, and model rocket guru since 2005!) to register your Den for a workshop session. Note that if all our Troop Scouts and parents are busy for a given session, sometimes it is just Mr. Eric by himself hosting, so each Den should be sure to provide its own YPT-compliant 2-deep leadership, and we usually ask that a parent attend with their Scout if at all possible to have enough adults keeping an eye on things. If you can’t swing 2-deep Den leadership for a session, let Mr. Eric know well in advance, and he can make sure we have adequate T1028/9 leadership to cover you with ours as a “day-event hosting unit.”
See the tentative offerings for 2025 below - we will collapse the days/sessions to an absolute minimum depending on interest:
NOTE: We will gladly accept donations of new cans of spray paint, as we lend those out to all Packs so often run out!
Contact Troop 1029 Scoutmaster Mr. Eric (Pack 77 Pinewood Derby, Raingutter Regatta, Space Derby, and model rocket guru since 2005!) to register your Den for a workshop session. Note that if all our Troop Scouts and parents are busy for a given session, sometimes it is just Mr. Eric by himself hosting, so each Den should be sure to provide its own YPT-compliant 2-deep leadership, and we usually ask that a parent attend with their Scout if at all possible to have enough adults keeping an eye on things. If you can’t swing 2-deep Den leadership for a session, let Mr. Eric know well in advance, and he can make sure we have adequate T1028/9 leadership to cover you with ours as a “day-event hosting unit.”
See the tentative offerings for 2025 below - we will collapse the days/sessions to an absolute minimum depending on interest:
Our Awesome Pinewood Derby Resource Files
See useful resource files below to help your Pack run a smooth and successful Pinewood Derby event!
Above: Sample Mr. Eric PWD cars - he has four boys (now aged out of Scouting) who made a PWD car for every rank, plus his own "All-Comer" cars, so let's just say there are lots of PWD cars in his house - the above is but the tiniest of samples. See his very favorite Cutright cars at the bottom of this page!
Above: Pack 77 PWD car display stand in action!
Pinewood Derby Workshop Resource Materials:
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Mr. Eric's two page derby advice covering (almost) everything from planning and construction to raceday!!
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Mr. Eric's "what to expect" handout, covering the PWD workshop format, rules reminders, what to wear, what to bring, and what to do about painting!
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Brainstorming sheet (print with no re-sizing for actual size):
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PWD Workshop process steps:
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Sample official Pack 77 PWD rules (Word version also available):
Official Pack 77 car size limits, including absolute maximums:
Mr. Eric's parts bin labels for brainstorming what you want to add to your car!
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PWD construction tips and techniques:
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Mr. Eric's wheel attachment process and jig - DO NOT USE A HAMMER!
Mr. Eric's PWD center of gravity checker:
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Fun Resources for Race Day:
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Scout Life Magazine Resources:
Mr. Eric's Favorite Cutright Car Gallery
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BB-1029 (Mr. Eric 2024) - this is the droid you are looking for!
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Mini-Pooper (Mr. Eric) - a cross between a Mini-Cooper and a Porta-Potty !
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Marc 5 - the Mach 5 from Speed Racer (Mr. Eric's son Marc)
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The Mighty Smaug! (Mr. Eric)
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The Princess Pony Express (Mr. Eric's wife Marsha)
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The Hole-y Roller (Mr. Eric)
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Snake (Mr. Eric's son Luke)
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Thomas the Tank Engine (Mr. Eric's son Marc)
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The Tank (Mr. Eric's son Luke)
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