Here are some general building tips submitted by our Wicomico Robotics club:
Always make multiple designs because the design that looked good in the beginning might not be the best one after testing.
Do not cut unless you know exactly how long you want it to be. It can always be shorter, but it's hard to make it longer again.
A reliable and efficient robot always beats a fancy but flimsy robot.
Check to make sure your robot stays in the size limit as you go. A good rule of thumb is to build 1 inch under the size limit. You don't want to spend a lot of time making a robot, only to be disqualified because it's over the size limit!
If there is something big that needs to be done have at least two people working on it. One can be working on building the actual thing while the other can hold things in place.
Get everyone's opinion in the planning process before building. You're working as a team for a reason! Someone might bring up a point you haven't thought about yet.
In between different competitions, rebuild! It might seem intimidating at first, but that's the only way to improve your robot and perform better at the next competition.
Do research before building! Watch tutorials or read stuff online to help you build. Otherwise, you might find yourself having to rebuild constantly because of mistakes made along the way.
Always try to build a Worlds-worthy robot. Try to make a robot that can do everything quickly and efficiently. For first year builders, it is often times not a good idea to focus too much on one specific task that your robot can do.
If you're hesitant about an idea, sometimes you just have to go for it! How else are you going to find out if it works? At the same time though, don't be rash regarding all your decisions.
Take pictures as you build. You might not think about this while you're building, but all these photos will come in handy later when you're compiling your engineering notebook.
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