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How to build a boomerang

making of
boomerangs

throwing and
catching

throwing instructions

accesoires

reasons of mistakes with throwing and building

strength of the wind

First you need suitable material. The best is multilayered plywood which has one or better two layers per mm srength at least, like Finnish birch model aircraft plywood. The following crafting instruction refers to this material.

The tools and materials you need: a jig saw or a fret saw, a rasp, a file, sand paper of 80 and 180 grain, two vices, the edge of a table, a pencil, a brush, undercoat and varnish.

When using electric machines like band grinder or power file, it is urgently recommended to use protection glasses. When working with Fibreglass reinforced materials or Paxoline we warn you to wear a protection masc against fine dust.

A construction plan containing the shape and the profile of a boomerang serves as a pattern.

If you intend to make a model for left-handers from the pattern of a model for right-handers or vice versa, just copy the mirror image of the construction plan to the wooden board.

Based on a standard shape I am now going to describe the single steps of work.

1.Choose the side of the wooden board as the upper side of the boomerang which is bent up at the edge. Thus you make sure that the boomerang first of all does not get a negative bend (later I will say more about this).

Draw the shape of the boomerang onto the wooden board so that the grain runs horizontally from one wing end to the other. This will make the boomerang more resistant against breaking.

2.Saw out the boomerang blank drawn onto the board with the jig saw or the fret saw.

3.Draw the profile onto the blank.

4.Fix the blank with the vice to the edge of the table.

5.Work out the desired profile with rasp and file. Here the front edge should be made round and the bevelled edge should be made straight

6.Use 80er sand paper first and then 180er sand paper to give the boomerang a fine grind.

7.Put a coat of grounding for wood (quick grind grounding is best) on the finished boomerang. When the grounding is dry, sand it another time with fine-grain sand paper. Varnish with transparent or coulored varnish just as you like.

8.Now the first throws can be made. You may have to do some reworking on the profile.

Throwing

Pay special attention to safety:

First you need a large meadow which should be 2 to 3 times as large as the range of the respective boomerang.
Never throw near uninvolved persons!
When throwing with a group of people, there always should be only one boomerang in the air at a time.
You must give a timely warning as soon as you notice a boomerang heading into someone´s direction.
Never loose sight of a flying boomerang.

In most cases you throw from the center of the site. To find out about the wind direction, you should place a windvane (see chapter "accessories") or throw some gras in the air. The throwing should be cancelled, when the wind is too strong (approximately from a wind-force of 4).

Throwing instructions

For further instructions look at the throwing instructions.

Accessories

Apart from the boomerangs there are a line of helpful accessories, which should not be missing in any bag:

Accessories	Purpose
gloves, biker´s gloves, goalkeeper´s gloves aso.	protection against cold, protects your fingers when catching
cloths, cotton cloths, socks aso.	to dry or clean the boomerangs
windvane, rod with wool string	with this the wind direction and its strengs can be controlled
protection glasses	protect against eye injuries
Band-Aid	to protect up small wounds or for the prevention of wounds where the hands are exposed to special strain
marker, permanent	to make notes on the boomerang
stop-watch	for timekeeping
sandpaper, grinding block, rasp	for reworking and fine-tuning of the boomerang
coins, pieces of lead	as weights
insulating tape, textile tape	as brake flaps, to attach the weights

What may be the cause of throwing and construction mistakes

The boomerang flies straight forward:

A right-hander threw a boomerang for left-handers or vice versa.
The profiled side of the boomerang did not face the thrower.
You threw much too lightly.
The angle to the wind coming towards you was not heeded; in this case the wind was coming from behind.
The boomerang has a very negative bend.
The boomerang has nearly no profile which is the matter with some purchased boomerangs.
The boomerang is too heavy.
The boomerang does not get enough lift.
The boomerang is a not returning boomerang, i. e. a boomerang for hunting.

The rotation of the boomerang constantly gets weaker:

The boomerang did not get enough rotation when it was thrown.
The boomerang lacks profile or the profile is made too blunt.
The surface is much too rough.
The boomerang has too many holes or brake flaps.

The boomerang flies parallel to the ground, then descends steeply and crashes down uncontrollably:

With most throwings the reason is sickle throwing!
The angle of inclination was nearly 90, it should be approx. 20.
The boomerang may be totally warped. Normally, both the wing endings and the rest of the boomerang should lie flatly, e. g. on a table board.
Arm 1 gets too much lift.
The shape of the boomerang gets its average maximum lift far in front of its center of gravity.

The flight line is circular, but the boomerang grounds on its way:

Thrown to weakly!
The angle to the horizon is too wide.
The angle of inclination is too small or even negative.
One or more wings have a negative horizontal bend.
The shape of the boomerang gets average maximum lift right above or behind its center of gravity.
With multiwinged boomerangs the whole in the center is too big.

The boomerang lands too far to the right of the thrower:

The angle to the wind coming towards you is too wide/ with the left-hander too small. (it was thrown "into the wind" / "away from the wind".)

The boomerang lands too far to the left of the thrower:

The angle to the wind coming towards you is too small/ with the left-hander too wide. (it was thrown "away from the wind" / "into the wind".)

The boomerang lands too far in front of the thrower:

Angle of inclination was too small.
Arm 2 does not get enough lift.
The multiwinged boomerang does not get enough lift.
Check the wind direction.
There is no wind at all!!!
The boomerang needs to get more wind.

The boomerang lands too far behind the thrower:

Angle of inclination was too wide.
Arm 1 does not get enough lift.
The multiwinged boomerang gets too much lift .
Check the wind direction.
The wind is too strong .

In the first half of the flight line, the boomerang descends, but then crashes down in the second half:

The angle to the horizon is too wide.

In the first half of the flight line, the boomerang flies close to the ground, but then rises steeply in the second half:

The angle to the horizon is too small .

The boomerang does not fly horizontally and even rotates in the wrong direction:

Arm 2 gets too much lift when compared to arm 1.
(Sometimes caused by the shape of the boomerang, i. e. when arm 2 is bigger, wider and thicker than arm 1.)
Shape of boomerang gets average maximum lift behind its center of gravity.
Boomerang is warped.

The flight line of the boomerang resembles an "S" in the final flying phase (compare to preceding point):

Arm 1 gets too much lift when compared to arm 2.
Boomerang shape gets average maximum lift too far in front of its center of gravity.
Boomerang is warped.

The boomerang performs a circular flight line, keeps standing still above the thrower and falls down in direction to the center point of the flight line:

Angle of inclination is too wide
Thrown too hard.
Arm 2 gets not enough lift.
Make profile at the front edge blunter.

The boomerang makes some additional loops in the final phase:

Thrown too hard!
Boomerang does not have enough air resistance.

Advanced throwers use the "mistakes" described above usually to profit from their effects within a special situation (e. g. competition).

What is called a "mistake" by us is therefore a subjective term and depends on whether a particular throw is successful or not for each individual person.

Wind Force

Beaufort	scale of the wind	effects	m/s	Km/h
0	calm	none	0 - 0.5	0 - 1
1	very slight draft	smoke does not rise up straight	0.5 - 1.5	1 - 5
2	very light breeze	just perceptable	1.5 - 3	6 - 11
3	light breeze	leaves move	3 - 5	12 - 19
4	moderate breeze	small twigs move	5 - 8	20 - 28
5	fresh breeze	larger twigs move	8 - 10.5	29 - 38
6	strong wind	larger branches move	10.5 - 14	39 - 49
7	stiff wind	weaker tree trunks move	14 - 17	50 - 61
8	stormy wind	stronger tree trunks move	17 - 20.5	62 - 74
9	storm	roof tiles are taken off	20.5 - 24.5	75 - 88
10	strong storm	trees are uprooted	24.5 - 28.5	89 - 102

This is an excerpt from "The New Boomerang Booklet", which the author kindly put to our disposal. For further and very detailed information on the topic of boomerangs and also on this subject, see "The new Boomerang Booklet" by Michael Siems.

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