Balsa Wood Car: Crazy Car

The purpose of this project is for the 2024 Butwin Elias Science and Technology Award. I was thinking of some ideas for this project, and I saw some balsa wood in the wood shop at school. I thought it would be a cool idea to make some sort of balsa wood vehicle. The following instructable is how I made my final project.

1.) Balsa Wood

2.) 8 AA Bateries

3.) Super Glue

4.) Scissors

5.) Tape

6.) 4 Mini DC Motors with wires

7.) 4 Toy Wheels

8.) AA Battery Pack

This project connects primarily to the engineering part of STEM. This project is powered by electricity from the batteries and that electricity powers the mini motors, making the wheels spin. This also involves a little bit of woodworking, as you have to create a solid base in order to hold all of the necessary elements of the project. Physics also plays a role in this project, as equal for is exerted by both sides of the car allowing it to spin rapidly. There are a few elements of STEM that all come together in this project to create the Balsa Wood Crazy Car.

In order to create the frame, you'll need to first make the outside base of the frame. You'll have to cut 4 evenly sized balsa wood pieces. It is up to you the length, but I personally was around 5-6 inches. Then, glue these pieces together in a square.

Next, you will have to cut round 10 evenly sized pieces of balsa wood to lay across the base of the frame. This will give support and an area for the battery packs that we will put on later. Use super glue to attach the pieces.

You just simply have to put the batteries into the battery packs in this step.

Tie the exposed parts of the wire around the prongs of the mini dc motor so that the motor can get electricity. Also, keep the metal stick in the battery pack up for now so that the motor doesn't start going yet.

Use super glue to attach the battery packs to the the base. Make sure they are set up in a way that you can fit all of the batter packs on the base. They can also be supported with tape. Also, while you have the motors not attached to anything yet, put the toy wheels onto the end of the motor.

Now, you are going to glue the motors onto the bottom of the frame. Make sure they are all even spaced out similar to a car or ATV. Like the battery pack, these can be supported with tape as well.

The car is now completed! All you have to do now is put down the metal bars on the battery pack to allow the electricity to flow from the battery to the motors and your crazy car will spin!