wood thumb pinewood racer derby poster

Community Event: Pinewood Derby!

A high-speed, hands-on experience for teams and parties.

Welcome to the Wood Thumb Pinewood Derby: The ultimate engineering challenge, woodworking project, and friendly competition. Each participant becomes a designer, fabricator, and speed freak as they transform an 8" pine block into a fully functional, one-of-a-kind race car.

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  • A person markings a piece of wood with a pencil in a woodworking shop.
  • Colorful handmade race cars with decorations and embellishments displayed on a table.
  • Person using a bandsaw to cut a piece of wood in a woodworking shop.
  • Colorful miniature cars and trucks decorated with craft materials on a multi-colored racing track, with small chairs in the background.
  • Person using a hammer to drive a nail into a piece of wood on a workbench.
  • A miniature indoor skee ball game on a black mat, with two small balls on the lanes, with people in the background and a digital scoreboard displaying scores of 1 and 2.
  • Three people standing indoors behind a long racing track with small cars on it, in a room with wooden floors and furniture, colorful stools, and a ladder in the background.
  • People working on a craft project at a workshop table with various supplies and tools.
  • Man using a hammer to assemble a small wooden model vehicle on a wooden table, with small wheels and parts scattered around.
  • Three people seated at a wooden table working on crafts, with one person standing nearby also working on a craft project in a workshop or classroom environment.
  • A person using a band saw to cut a piece of wood in a workshop.
  • Wooden display board labeled 'Pinewood Derby' with numbered and styled shelves, small wooden toy cars on the table in front, surrounded by plants, hats, and miscellaneous items in the background.
A diagram of a bowling alley with bowling pins at the end and bowling balls on the lane.

The Track

40 feet long, 4 lanes. Our regulation Pinewood Derby track comes with a starting gate, automatic timer, and race results display.

Design

Everyone starts with an 8” block of wood, axles, and wheels. You’ll learn about the physics and engineering that will make your car fast. Design your cars shape and weight placement, for maximum speed, and style on the race track.

A yellow pencil with a sharpened tip and an attached yellow ruler, crossed in an X shape.

Build

Our woodworking instructors will show you how to use all the hand and power tools you’ll need to cut and shape your car. Then sand it smooth and choose the perfect paint, accessories, and glitter to make your car fly down the track in style.

Illustration of basic tools including a handsaw, hammer, level, screwdriver, and a wrench.
A digital illustration featuring two toy race cars, one red and one yellow, with black wheels on a brown background.

Race

Once you’ve built, tested, and refined your car, race your friends in our bracket style derby. Our instructors will organize and MC the races. Winners take their place on the podium, and walk away with prizes and all of the bragging rights.

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Community Race Details

Cost: $56 per person, includes all materials and instruction

Time: 6 to 9pm, Friday September 11, 2026

Location: in our San Francisco woodshop - 968 Mission St. (Soma District)

Age: kids welcome with adult supervision

Prizes: We’ll have ultra cool prizes for the winners in first, second, and third place - plus most stylish

Want tips & tricks?

Drive over to our blog post and find some key ideas for building a fast car plus challenges to take your racer to the next level!