Introduction: Wooden Roller Coaster Model (Engels/English)

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Deze Instructable is in het Engels.
Voor de Nederlandse versie, klik hier goo.gl/zz6BA

This Instructable is in English.
For the Dutch instructables please click here: goo.gl/zz6BA


For our physics project, we (Denise and Frank) built a wooden roller coaster model. Using this model, we then calculated the g-forces on the roller coaster. In this instructable we explain how we have built the roller coaster.

Step 1: Supplies

You will need:

• Ice cream sticks (amount depends on the size of the roller coaster)
• Wood glue
• Skewers (amount depends on the size of the roller coaster)
• Drill
• Drill bit (same size as the skewers)
• Strips lakboard
• MDF board
• Cable clips
• Any other clamps
• Cart. In our case a lego lego train cart with wheels (these wheels have a flange, which ensures that the cart stays nicely on the track)

Step 2: Drilling

Guess how much ice cream sticks you are going ti use.
Drill two holes in each stick, about 0.5 cm from each end.
We had a template that we used every time, so we knew each time that the holes were in the right place.

Step 3: Construction

Build the structure in the shape of the roller coaster. Do this by sliding ice cream sticks over the skewers. Create a structure with squares. For some extra firmness you could glue two sticks together and place them diagonal. For added strength you can glue the intersections too. For a better view you can cut off the protruding skewers.

We chose a roller coaster with a hill. You can create your own design by constructing a different structure.

Step 4: Placing

Put the final structure on a MDF board. Secure the structure to the board using cable clamps.

Step 5: Creating Tracks

Attach two strips of flexible wood over the skewers. We used the cable clips without the nail, and glued them to the track with woodglue. Keep the space between the strips big enough, so the wheels of the cart can run on the strips. Make sure the two strips are synchronized at any place. This is important otherwise the cart will not drive correctly. To be sure we had the same distance at any place, we used a template that just as wide as the wheels of the cart.

Step 6: Details

Measure the outer width of the strips. Cut the ice cream sticks to this size and attach it horizontally on the two strips. Keep the width a stick free between the sticks.

Step 7: Tracks

Attach two strips on the horizontal ice cream sticks. Make sure that the wheels of the cart can run on the vouchers. Again we used the template. If it is not perfect, this is not a disaster.

Step 8: Tracks

Attach an additional lane on the two strips from the previous step. Also use the mold again. Attach these strips precisely because of these strips is driving the cart. If the space is too big or too small will not drive the cart.

Step 9: Finished

Here you can see the final result.

Put the cart at the top and let it go. See it racing downhill.
If the cart leaves the track at the hill, you have to let it go at a lower level.

If you have any questions, please ask me.
Please, have in mind I'm from Holland, so my English is not perfect.

Here you can see it in action: