Pinewood Freak

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Latest Tips

Maximizing weight

Speed Tips · Construction Tips
March 24th, 2010 · 8 Comments

Mike from Phoenix wrote in with an observation on how scales work, and how to use this to your advantage.

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EatSmart Digital Scale

Product Reviews
February 1st, 2010 · No Comments

EatSmart sent me a review unit of their Precision Digital Scale to see if it was a fit for pinewood derby use. The scale is attractive and lightweight, and runs on two AAA batteries (included). It’s also inexpensive, retailing for just $25 on Amazon.

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Weight testing

Product Reviews
January 16th, 2006 · 1 Comment

If you want to make sure you have a car that weighs in at exactly maximum weight, you’ll want to pick up a digital scale to test your weight at home. Digital kitchen scales can be bought for around $30, but make sure the one you’re buying can display measurements in ounces. A number of kitchen scales only show grams.

You also want to make sure your scale can measure past your race’s maximum weight. If your car can weigh up to five ounces, a scale with a three-ounce capacity won’t help you much.

It’s a good idea to get a scale with at least a tenth of an ounce precision so you can fine-tune your weight.

Two scales that look good for the task are the Polder kitchen scale that has a tray that will keep your parts from rolling off the scale, but it has a maximum capacity of one pound. And Escali has a digital kitchen scale that has easy-to-read numbers and an 11 pound capacity.