PioneeringCompetitions.com demonstrates miniature pioneering and engineering skills to assist Boy Scouts with several merit badges.

		Miniature Bridge, Tower, Catapult Building & Competition Kit Rain or Shine - Pioneering & Engineering Activities For Scouts of All Ages

"The Kit"

Kit Contents

Wood, Bending and Robotic Techniques
<Click images to view larger photos.>

Creative building materials. Some may need to be cut down to fit in holes.

Bending thin wood (yardsticks) can add quite a twist to your project. See Arch Bridges.
Good dog, Griffin.

Example of cutting a square dowel down to fit a round hole; or a round dowel cut down to fit a square hole.

Soak your thin sticks several days before bending. Slowly make small bends back and forth to loosen up the fibers. Then make final bends. Video to come.

Example of a round dowel in a square hole and vise versa. You can also grind them down on concrete to make them fit.

Use the foundation boards to pin or nail your shapes into position then let dry.

Often kids have RC trucks. If not, you can find them at Thrift Stores for just a few dollars. Video to come.

Example of clamping and gluing knee braces which make structures stable. Consider all sorts of clamps.

Glue two yard sticks together to create main bridge support.

Some RC trucks come with charger packs. If there is no charger, dismantle the truck for parts - mostly the rear end motor and wheels to build your own creation.

Example of clamping.

Arched suspension bridge with support towers and cables.
See world's biggest arched suspension bridge.

Crane tower motor made from rear end of RC truck with hand controls.

Post and beam construction often uses wood pins or pegs to secure the structure. Try match sticks or toothpicks.

Not all wood will make the bends. Be patient and try again. Many hardware or lumber yards have paint sticks and yard sticks. Let them know what your using them for; often they will just give them to you.

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Direct wire the motor to batteries. Build a new structure from parts wood, hot glue & duck tape, etc.

Example of pinning a post and beam construction with a drill and a toothpick. Also, cutting down a square dowel to fit into a round hole.

Many shapes can be bent by using the pins and the foundation boards. When the sticks dry they stay in that shape.

Four to six Phillips screws removed will exposed frame and motors. Then hot glue new structure to frame.

Example of pinning post and
beam construction.

Bent sticks from the above photo. Be creative, be patient know the limits, build the future. Best to you and your quest.

RC search vehicle with camera. There is no limit as to what you can do. Click here to visit the resource page for links to advanced robotics parts, motors, controls & more.

Construction tower using pizza cardboard bottoms as floors. Think out side my box, be creative, use the materials around you.

Try new bends. You may break the limits, but try again and repair brakes as needed.

Converted two dollor Goodwill RC Race Car rear end to disk sander and skill saw.Used AC Adaptor and switch to power machine direct from wall plug.
Parent suppervision required!!

Swivel cranes can be made by using the two cans inside each other and hot gluing the wood base to top can.

Clamp yard sticks to pipe and bend slowly around pipe; then clamp the other end. Let dry to stiffen fibers.

Close up of two cans, one inside the other, that make up the swivel crane.

Build your bends and twists into creative structures. Look for examples around you.

		Two can swivel crane and example of cross bracing.		Start of trusses for a floating bridge. Ripped 1/8 inch thin wood without knots makes good bending material.
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Tower crane bracing and
cable support example.

Bridge trusses and road deck. Ask shop teacher to rip some bending materials for you. Let them know of this site and what you're doing.

Suspension Cable or String Bridge. Follow the cables to see how to make the suspension bridge.

Click here to see floating bridge photos. Be sure to thank the people who step up to help you build your projects.
Thanks Kenny!

Fallen sticks and pruned branches can be great resources for building
pioneering projects.

Attaching tree or shrub pruning's to a foundation board makes a great miniature tree house.

More pruned sticks on a tree house.

A tree house makes engineering a fun project.

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