All, we are very excited about the upcoming Blue and Gold ceremony.
This will be a great night to recognize the scouting achievements that have been earned. To help celebrate, the entire family is welcome.

For this evening, we are starting with a family potluck dinner and a cake contest. For the dinner, each den is assigned a portion of the meal, and this information is listed below. For the cake contest, this is designed for the cub scouts to make a cake at home, and bring
it with them to the dinner. The theme for the contest is “camping.”
The following is the information on the evening:

REQUEST: We need a couple of parents and cub scouts to help with setup at 6:00. Please let me know if you can help.

Location: Fellowship hall (building adjacent to the church)

6:30 – Potluck dinner & Cake contest
Tigers – Salads
Wolf and Bears – Main Dish
Webelos – Side Dish

- Awards ceremony

I look forward to seeing all of you at the dinner and ceremony.
Please let me know if there are any questions.

Thanks,
Don

Parents,

Neil Donovan has looked into the upcoming Cuboree at Camp Durant on April 20-22. We are planning for this to be our spring campout, but need you to respond to this email with your commitment to go to this fun event by this Friday. This way we can register the Pack. We’ll provide details on any payments that are needed after you commit (shouldn’t be too much in terms of registration fees – probably somewhere around $50-$60 per person for the weekend and likely includes food – Neil, if you have any other details on this please provide in a reply).

We need to have someone take the lead on this, but should be easier than if we were taking the Pack out on our own as the District is managing the meals and the events.)

Randy

Click here for details

All,

There will be another build-it on Wednesday, Feb 8 from 6-7pm for those that still need to rough-cut their pinewood derby cars. Please try to arrive close to 6:00 in order to allow time to complete the work. The address is:

330 Dupont Cir
Raleigh, NC 27603

==========================================

What gets done where?

– At home prior to arriving at the workshop, open the pinewood car box. Determine what the end car should look like and sketch (first on paper and then directly on the wood block) what the cut lines need to be made. Take note of where the axle slots are and make sure the car has reasonable thickness so as not to break easily during construction or on the track. You must be able to clearly articulate what cuts need to be made and in what order to obtain the final correct output. For those new to the Pinewood derby, simple is better. The person that will cut the wood is an experienced woodworker, but is not familiar with pinewood derby cars. As an example, if you mark the block with the axle slots at the top of the car, that is how the block will be cut. I recommend that you keep the wheels and axles at home rather than bringing them to the workshop.

- At the workshop, bring your pre-marked pine block. It will be cut for you to the lines indicated by a woodworker. You can then smooth the design sand with a drum or disc sander at the shop.

- At home after the shop, to the degree of your scout’s ambition you may fine sand the car, add weights, apply paint or stain as desired and put on the wheels and axles. Weight is a critical attribute to the speed of the car and I recommend adding weights to bring the car reasonably close to the maximum of 5oz. Weights can be purchased at hobby stores in a variety of shapes. Scouts have also used coins, washers, bolts and similar items to add weight to the car.

Please contact me if you have questions.

Brian

All,

We had a great build-it today, with about a dozen scouts participating and preparing their cars. I might be able to set a second build-it next Sunday (Feb 4) at the same shop in Raleigh if there is critical mass (6 or more scouts that could commit to a set time). If you want to participate next Sunday in Raleigh, send me an email ASAP and I’ll see what I can do. I know that Lowes hardware also has a built it session available as a backup if this the Raleigh workshop does not work out.

Thanks.

Brian

All,

I received a few questions regarding scope of the build-it. For those new to the pinewood derby (and even for the veterans):

How long do I need to plan on being at the workshop?
- Based on previous experience, I would allow about an hour at the shop. That can be significantly shorter if the design is already sketched and you know exactly what you want to do. Design modifications in process typically add time.

What gets done where?
- At home prior to arriving at the workshop, open the pinewood car box. Determine what the end car should look like and sketch (first on paper and then directly on the wood block) what the cut lines need to be made. Take note of where the axle slots are and make sure the car has reasonable thickness so as not to break easily during construction or on the track. You must be able to clearly articulate what cuts need to be made and in what order to obtain the final correct output. For those new to the Pinewood derby, simple is better. The person that will cut the wood is an experienced woodworker, but is not familiar with pinewood derby cars. As an example, if you mark the block with the axle slots at the top of the car, that is how the block will be cut. I recommend that you keep the wheels and axles at home rather than bringing them to the workshop.

- At the workshop, bring your pre-marked pine block. It will be cut for you to the lines indicated by a woodworker. You can then smooth the design sand with a drum or disc sander at the shop.

- At home after the shop, to the degree of your scout’s ambition you may fine sand the car, add weights, apply paint or stain as desired and put on the wheels and axles. Weight is a critical attribute to the speed of the car and I recommend adding weights to bring the car reasonably close to the maximum of 5oz. Weights can be purchased at hobby stores in a variety of shapes. Scouts have also used coins, washers, bolts and similar items to add weight to the car.

Good luck,

Brian

All,

We will have an opportunity to utilize a local shop for a Pinewood Derby Build-it this Sunday (January 29) between 1:30 and 4:00! The location is:

330 Dupont Cir
Raleigh, NC 27603

The basics are:
- If you plan to attend, please send me an email indicating that and the approximate time you would come.
- An adult MUST accompany the scout and be present while the scout is at the build-it
- Design and clearly mark the cutting lines on the pine block in advance – a professional will perform the band saw cutting this year for us
- Basic sanding equipment will also be available for smoothing the design

I hope to see you there.

Brian Flack