Mousetrap Cars

June, 20 2011
I am designing a car that is powered by a mousetrap.  At first I thought this would be a simple task, but I have found that it is just the opposite.  I ventured over to Lowes and Ingles to see what supplies I could manage to find to use for the construction of the car.  The car is supposed to be designed to either go fast or go far, but at this point I am hoping that I can create one that is simply functional.  I am lost when it comes to navigating Lowes.  Their tall isles makes me feel as though I am in the middle of a cornfield maze.  All of the isles look the same to me, and I can't even figure out where a washer can be located without asking for help.  With Mary Etta as my sidekick I start exploring the store looking for possible materials.

At first I think that I just need a dowel rod and something round to attach to it, but I soon realize that the dowel rod will act as an axle and will need to be free to turn.  How do I get a mousetrap onto something with wheels that will allow the wheels to actually turn rather than simply slide?  With the help of an employee (who seemed puzzled by the project of a mousetrap car) I find the dowel rods.  I figure that I can use paint stirring sticks for the frame of my car. I plan to drill a hole through them at each end for the dowel rod to stick through.  On my way to the stirring sticks I come across objects one would use to put on the bottom of their furniture.  They have a nail coming out of their ends and they are round.  I pick them up as a possible wheel for my car. I decide to purchase some wood glue (which I have to ask the location, which happens to be in the paint isle) and head home to build my car. 

As I stop by Ingles to pick up some dinner supplies I happen to find wooden rulers with holes in them.  It seems much easier to use these as the body of my car rather than the paint sticks, so I pick them up.  This requires me to return to Lowe's though because my dowel rod will not fit through the pre-drilled holes in the rulers. 


I walk in the door and immediately begin constructing my car.  I am anxious to see if anything will actually work.  I glued the mousetrap to the rulers, cut the dowel rod into 6 inch pieces, placed two rods in holes in the rulers, and put the floor protectors onto the ends of the rods.  After the glue dried I discovered that the floor protectors are smaller than the ruler, and therefore my wheels don't touch the ground.  I also found that my rulers dried  nonparallel to each other which can only mean that the car won't travel in anything resembling a straight line even if the wheels could reach the floor. 

I will have to rethink this design and begin again tomorrow.