How to build a Kid’s Racing Car Bed

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Making the body panels

Section 4:

Section 4.1. Mark the side panels

On a piece of 3/4″ (18mm) custom MDF board, 8ft (2400 mm) long x 2ft (600 mm) wide, draw a grid with the grid lines spaced 2″ (50 mm).

The grid plan shows the plan drawings scaled in a grid where the line spacings represent 2″ (50 mm).

Copy (draw) the shape of the car (from the scaled grid plan below) onto the MDF board using the grid lines as reference points.

Note: For ease of marking and cutting, I ripped a standard 8ft (2400 mm) long MDF board in half, making two pieces 8ft (2400 mm) long by 2ft (600 mm) wide. I was able to get one side panel and two wheels out of each piece.

The shape of the car will take up less than 3/4 of the 8ft (2400 mm) long MDF board. On the free part of the board draw two circles (wheels), each with a diameter of 14″ (350 mm). Refer to the next section for ‘How to draw a circle’.

The diameter is the distance across a circle through its center point (the width).
The radius is the distance from the center point to one side which is half of the diameter.
In this case the radius is 7″ (175 mm).

Section 4.2. How to draw the circle

How to make a circle with a 7″ (175 mm) radius.

Get a thin strip of wood (arm) about 8″ (200 mm) long, which is a bit longer than the radius. Hammer a small nail through the arm 7″ (175 mm) from one end. Hammer the nail into the MDF board, where you think the center of the circle (wheel) will be.

Rotate the arm in a circle using the nail as the pivot point.

Hold a pencil at the end of the rotating arm to mark the circumference (perimeter or outside edge of the circle).

Section 4.3. Cut out the side panels and wheels

With a jig-saw cut out the marked side panel and the two wheels (as marked in the previous section).

Use that car side as a template to mark the other car side onto another piece of MDF and also mark another two wheels.
Cut that side panel and the wheels out.