MACHINED SPEED AXLES
|
|
SPEED AXLE III (set of
4)
These custom made axles are the fastest I have ever tested.
A very slight smooth bevel on the inside of the head reduces
wheel/head friction. Unlike the official Pinewood Derby®
BSA scout axles, there is no "mold mark" on the inside of
the head nor any "bumps" on the shaft. These are precision
machined from scratch. The inside of the head and the shaft
are perfectly smooth. Nickel
plating provides a very
hard surface that polishes beautifully (better
than the Scout axle soft zinc plating) and provides a much
lower coefficient of friction.
(see independent test results at www.PinewoodDerbyPhysics.com)
"Graphite's Best Friend"
A perfectly smooth, straight
and polished surface. A perfect marriage
between axle and graphite. These are slightly smaller in
diameter than the BSA Pinewood Derby® scout axles. But
that's not why they're fast.
These may be polished (but not sanded) for maximum speed.
Be sure to remove any waxy residual left over from polishing.
These axles are designed for the new Scout wheels but will
also fit the old Scout wheels.
These are FAST!
Check your rules for legality. TOP
|
Item #H50
$2.00
|
OFFICIAL
BSA AXLES
|
It's interesting to note that the reduction
of surface contact area is NOT
the real benefit. Your P.S. I. doesn't go away. It's just
concentrated over a smaller area. Check it out:
µ=F/W
It's really a cool phenomena. Click on FRICTION
101 for an easy to understand and eye-opening explanation.
|
PRECISION LATHE TURNED and GROOVED BSA SCOUT AXLES (set
of 4)
I found that the graphite performs best on a smooth, hard
and polished surface (like the speed axle III). But, there
is a need for an Official BSA nail. So, after several design
iterations, I ended up with a shape that eradicated the
burrs and crimp marks while maximizing the beneficial effects
of the LubeGroove™.
These are made from the OFFICIAL
BSA PINEWOOD DERBY® SCOUT AXLES right
out of the box. They have been precision turned with a grooves
that removes the nail forming marks from the shaft and the
metal flash from the inside face of the head. The inside
face of the head is slightly beveled back and polished to
reduce the contact area with the wheel face. These are STRAIGHTEND,
SMOOTH, POLISHED, and READY TO GO. I prepare
the axles with a 2000 grit wet sand and a quick final buff
with red rouge before packaging. If
you wish (and I would recommend) you may apply a finer wet
sand (3000+) finishing up with fine jewelers rouge. You
can never be too shiny. Check
out my 4000 Grit Polish Kit and the new 8000 Grit Polish
Kit.
Pretty Slick!
Check your rules for legality.TOP
|
Item #H46
$9.95
|
|
No Room for Rumor...
The "LubeGroove™" is just a name I came
up with for a grooved BSA nail. The benefit of a groove
has absolutely nothing to do with the reduction of friction.
It has everything to do with removing the inherent flaws
in the nail so that we can use it as an axle.Those who make
claims like "Lube Reservoir",
"Anti-Friction Groove"
and "Reduces Friction"
are simply perpetuating myth and hearsay. In fact, if you
use this feature as a "Graphite Storage
Bin", as some claim, you may actually
scratch that bore you spent so much time polishing. When
you come across a competitive product with claims like "REDUCE
FRICTION" and "ANTI-FRICTION" and "ELIMINATE
FRICTION", give them a call or drop them an email and
ask them "How, exactly, can a groove in the axle reduce
sliding friction on a surface when the load has not changed?".
The short answer is "IT CAN'T". All you have done
is redistribute the load over a smaller area (increased
your psi)The nail shaft is not rotating. It is sliding on
the wheel bore. If your surfaces are not properly prepared
and mated it will grind the graphite particulates into the
wheel bore increasing the coefficient of friction.
Here's why I do it - The nail is neither straight nor
round (luckily it does not have to rotate). I cut the groove
at the base of the head to completely remove the flash that
continues onto the shaft. At the same time I bevel and polish
the inside face of the head to reduce the contact area with
the wheel face. The second groove on the shaft removes the
crimp marks left over from the nail forming process which
conveniently fall right in the middle of the wheel bore.
As I stated, the nail is neither straight nor round. So
it would be very difficult for the shaft to make the preferred
continuous and smooth contact with the wheel bore. The reason
I remove this area is to create two polished pads to make
sliding contact with the bore. This is preferable to having
a longer, continuous surface that is not straight enough
to make the proper contact with the wheel bore. It's also
much more forgiving for stability ( think of how an "H"
cut wheel is more forgiving on a less-than-perfect track).
It is also much easier that trying to force the nail perfectly
straight.
The key to benefiting from this design is in the preparation
of the axle and the bore to create two smooth and polished
surfaces coated with a film of graphite that is laid down
is a way that provides a continuous monomolecular layer
of lubricity that is both smooth and durable.
YOU WILL NEVER SEE A GROOVE IN MY CNC MACHINED
H50 SPEED AXLES -
IT DRIVES ME NUTS when people machine
perfectly smooth axles from scratch with an expensive lathe
so they are smooth and straight only to destroy them by
cutting a groove in an otherwise near perfect surface. It's
all because they believe everything they hear. If you are
going to CNC machine an axle from sctratch the LAST thing
you want to do is cut a groove in it!
Again, there is no one single element that will create
a winning car. It is a combination of many interdependent
measures. Axles are important. But they don't win races
by themselves.
Whew! - Jerry
|
 |
STOCK BSA SCOUT AXLES
(set of 10)
For those builders who want to experiment with the Official
BSA Pinewood Derby® Scout Axles, here is a package of
10. Joy. These nails will fit both the new and old Official
BSA Pinewood Derby® wheels. These nails are about 0.087"
diameter. It's tough to be exact as the nail cross section
is not round.TOP
|
Item #H45
$1.25
|
|
|
OLD BSA SCOUT AXLES (set
of 10)
I also have a limited supply of old Pinewood Derby®
scout axles. These are about .092" in diameter. Again,
this is only an approximate measure as the nail cross section
is not round. These are to be used with the old (larger
bore) BSA Scout wheel only. They will not fit the new BSA
wheels. If your rules allow, you may turn these down for
a better fit on the newer wheel bore. Hmmmmm..TOP
|
Item #H53
$1.25
|
AXLE
POLISHING SUPPLIES
|
 |
BASIC POLISH KIT
Highly polished axles are an absolute must for the fast
Pinewood Derby® racer. Kit contains a generous bag of
pumice polishing powder, strips of wet/dry sandpaper, crocus
cloth, a small file and instructions. Do
not use with H46 or H50 axles (download instructions)
TOP
|
With File - Item #H05
$2.75
Without File - Item #H06
$1.75
|
|
.The kit includes:
• 500
grit polishing paper
• 1000 grit polishing paper
• 1500 grit polishing paper
• 2000 grit polishing paper
• 2500 grit polishing paper
• 4000 grit polishing paper
• 6000 grit polishing paper
• 8000 grit polishing paper
• .5 oz (aprox.) chunk of polishing rouge
• 2 application sticks
• Instructions (download
instructions)
|
KICK IT UP A NOTCH
NEW 8000 GRIT AXLE
POLISH KIT
This polishing kit takes the axle surface to a whole new
level of shine. The final 8000
grit polishing paper is equivalent to a
1 micron surface finish.
This prepares the surface for the final thin film of graphite
that will create the ideal mating surface to a properly
prepared wheel bore.
Each sheet of polishing paper is a generous
5.5" x 4.5" (aprox).
This is more than enough to do the job for 3 sets of axles.TOP
|
Item #H10A
$9.95
READ BEFORE
YOU BUY
IMPORTANT:
The coarser grits (less than 2000 grit) are NOT
for use with my H50 Speed Axles. The Nickel plating
is too hard and too thin.
H46 LubeGroove™ Axles are finished to a 2000
right out of the box. You can improve the performance by
continuing to polish the surface up to 8000.
|
Internet
Content