Pinewood Derby - Building a Cool Car Stand

As a former Webelos Leader, I remember always looking for building projects that were cost effective, easy to complete at a patrol meeting and something that looked good and gave the boys something they could take pride in building.

 When my son was in Webelos, requirement 3 for the Craftsman Activity Pin was to build a display stand or box to display a model or award. I believe that requirement is still there today. There was a plan in the book for a simple stand for displaying a Pinewood Derby car, which consisted of three pieces of wood: a 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" x 1/2" square plywood base with a 5" long section of 2x2 wood to display the car on and a smaller 2" x 3" x 1/2" piece of plywood on which to place a nameplate. The design is OK, but very simple looking. With a very few modifications, the same 3 pieces of wood can be made into a much more dramatic design.

To start, I do not use any plywood in my design, only precut pieces of poplar, which can easily be found at the hardware store in the craft wood section. The wood usually comes in standard lengths of 2, 3 or 4 feet. I needed to make five stands, so I bought the following supplies, which was enough for my needs with some left over.(Fig. 1):

1/4" x 2" x 24" Poplar Board (enough wood for 7 stands)
1/2" x 4" x 24" Poplar Board (enough wood for 6 stands)
2" x 2" x 24" Poplar Board (enough wood for 5 stands)
Mod Podge Glue, Satin Finish (available at the Hobby Store)
Adhesive Backed Velcro Fasteners (available at Hobby or Hardware Stores)
9" x 12" Black Felt (available at Hobby Store)
8 1/2" x 11" Parchment Type Paper (available at Hobby Store)

Figure 1 - Required Materials

I made all of my wood cuts using a power miter saw, but it is also possible to do the cutting by hand using a miter box. It will take a lot longer, though. Since the ends of the pieces of wood are usually fairly rough and may not be exactly square, I first cut a small slice off the end of each piece. Then I cut a 3 1/2" long piece from the 1/2" x 4" x 24" board. Due to the way boards are dimensioned in this country, what is called a 4" wide piece of wood at the store is actually only 3 1/2" wide, so you end up with a 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" square piece. Then I cut a 3" long piece from the 1/4" x 2" x 24" board (it's actually only 1 1 /2" wide). The last cut is the one that makes all the difference in this design. You must set your miter saw for a 15 degree miter cut in both the horizontal and vertical axis. This gives you a slanting cut across the wood that goes from one corner to the opposite diagonal corner. This is much easier to do on a power miter saw than by hand. Cut the double miter on one end of the 2" x 2" x 24" board (it's actually 1 1/2" x 1/12" across) and then measure 4" down from the tallest corner of the cut and make a straight cut through the wood.(Fig. 2)

Figure 2 - Wood Cuts

The miter cut makes all the difference in how this design works. With these three pieces it is now possble to create an infinite number of display stands which allow for the car to be displayed at a more dramatic angle.(Figs. 3-7) I made these with my patrol when they were Webelos II. I had twelve boys in my patrol and every stand came out different and every stand looked great.



Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

To finish the stand I first sanded the wood lightly to remove any splinters and saw marks and then pianted the base flat black and used a medium dark wood stain on the column and name plate. After staining, I finished with about three coats of spray on clear gloss varnish.(Fig. 8) Then I brushed an even coat of Mod Podge on the bottom of the base plate and glued a piece of felt to it. It is easier if you use a piece of felt that is slightly larger than the base and then cut off the excess with a sharp knife or scissors after the glue has dried than to attempt to pre cut the felt before glueing.(Fig. 9) I printed out the information for the name plate on the parchment paper and then used Mod Podge to first glue it down and then seal it to the name plate. Mod Podge is great stuff for glueing and sealing paper to wood. It can also be used to secure paper to things like neckerchief slides or picture frames.

Figure 8 - Wood Painted and Stained

Figure 9 - Adding Felt to the Base

Figure 9 - Mod Podge Paper to Name Plate (It Dries Clear)

After that, use some wood glue to create the stand design you wish and secure the car to the column using the adhesive backed velcro pads.(Fig. 10,11)

Figure 10 - Stand Glued together, Velcro Added

Figure 11 - Finished Car Stand

This project can easily be incorporated into one or two patrol meetings. It is also quite cost effective. The total cost for materials comes in around $3.00 per stand. It is a display that will look great for years to come.