Make a Boomerang that actually comes back!

Make a working boomerang!

Step 1 Does it actually work?-Yes!

In order for you to be willing to build your own, you probably want some assurance that it will/can work.
I teacher engineering in high school and this is a project I do with my classes. If a ninth grader can build a working boomerang so can you. Still don't believe me, take a look at the video proof. (Note the plans are for a righty, the student in the video is a lefty he reversed the plans so it would work for a lefty.)

Comments

[patriotsman]

wow

[vincent7520]

Great Work …
As the video shows this boomerang will definitely come back.
But and essential question remains : when ?…
For instance is it able to catch the 7.45pm train to Newark transfer at Columbus and get there on time for dinner ?…
This is an important question as you all know that respect of schedules and rituals such as family evening meals are the bond of a civilized society.
No ?
Why no ?…
Cheers all !…

[CropJ]

like.

[burnerjack01]

I'll just bet that you are an excellent teacher. If I had a teacher like you I think my life may have been signifigantly different. Keep up the good work. And yes, it does make a difference.

[BlackPaw]

And yes, it does make a difference.

What?

[burnerjack01]

What makes a difference? Being a great teacher. One that not only teaches but also engages the minds of the young, providing an environment that fosters a love of learning.

[hjjusa]

I built this boomerang when the magazine first came out. I live in a place where you can't get that fancy plywood unless you order it, so I built it out of ordinary plywood. When I was finishished my son and I took it down to the football field. Since he's younger than me and can move faster I let him throw it. When it came back he didn't see it soon enough to get completely out of the way and it made a big gash across his shin and broke the 'rang in two. this things are mean if your'e not careful.

[theswordninja561]

today at p.e. i found this random piece of what i think was table wood and started to throw it around.....didn't come back but u just had to go about 10-30 feet to get it back...

[jessicatompson]

for further reading check out this guide on how to throw a boomerang it very detailed and i learned how to throw from this guide
jess

[X_D_3_M_1]

lol sucks i dont got big fancy tools :/

[xirekaj]

You could do this with a hand coping saw and some sand paper. (A rasp would make the bevels come out faster than just sand paper though.)

[mwagner63]

I downloaded the plans but they came out only half of what they should be. I actually downloaded them twice.

[Flotonic]

This is cool! I must try it out when I get power tools. Just wondering, but if I throw this straight forward and hit someone in the head with it, will it come spinning back?

[mirzah1]

No but the guy will!

[jacobzman]

no

[Flotonic]

Aww man. Now I can't be Link. =P

You'd think, though, because of the reverse force, that it would.

[Ssslouter]

that person would have to have a really hard head for it to work XD

[sweaty snowman]

i couldnt even c the boomerang wen he threw it but thats still cool

[strcrusher]

in the vid when it came back did it hit that guy lol?

[quesoman]

cool!!!!!

[jacobzman]

boomerag are usd for hounting birds

[bike414]

pleace tell me this boomerang's span is -------?cm,thank you.

[bike414]

tell me this boomerang's span is -------?cm,thank you.

[bike414]

i like this boomerang thank you

[Wario]

i just made a aluminum one with this instructible, it works very well so when that beast curves for the return i run like HELL!

[cowscankill]

With aluminum sheet metal, I presume? Too bad it's not made of soda cans...

[Wario]

actually its made of a aluminum bar, ill tell you though, i thew it only 5 times and on those throws something broke.

[foxtrot4697]

check out my boomerang http://www.instructables.com/id/mini-bristol-board-boomerang/

[foxtrot4697]

check out my boomerang. http://www.instructables.com/id/mini-bristol-board-boomerang/

[mantislee]

Nice instructable. The fun in a boomerang is definitely having it come back. Funny story though, I used to work with an Aussie and we asked him how you're supposed to throw a boomerang so it'll come back to you. With a deadpan face and Aussie accent he said..."If you throw it right, it's not supposed to come back". At that point we dug up that tidbit of information that we read somewhere sometime that said that a boomerang is actually a hunting tool. Throw it right, it knocks out the animal you're hunting and it doesn't come back, duh. mmmmm....Vegemite

[BoomGuy]

Like most Americans have never seen a bald eagle, most Aussies have no clue about boomerangs.There is a stick called a Kylie, sometimes called a nonreturning boomerang, which is similar to a boomerang. The shape of the blades are similar, but it does not return. Instead it travels further and more accurately then a plain old stick which makes it a good weapon. There is some suggestion that boomerangs were used to flush out birds. but thats really not confirmed. Designing a boomerang that is a weapon is not that smart a thing. Such a device would have two major properties; 1) It would do damage to what it hit, 2) it would come back to ( or at ) you. See the problem with this?

[Hands Without Shadows]

If you throw it right it knocks out the animal your hunting and falls to the ground.....

[tiki700]

boomerangs are way too light to actually do much more damage than maybe a little bruise. they weigh about 2-10 ounces. your thinking of a hunting stick. those are sticks that kind of look like a boomerang and weight about 2-10 lbs.

[espboy]

I wish I had the tools to do this.

[BoomGuy]

Foo.
I just wrote a long description of materials, and lost it. Time to try again.

First off, where to get wood.

The first place to try is your local arts and craft store, or hobby store.

Much depends on how serious you are.

If you only want to throw it a few times for an hour or so. Either go with a paintstick boomerang or get a 3" sheet of basswood and one of the more simple plans, make each blade seperately and glue together using lap joints.

If you want to fool around for a weak, or maybe us it a couple of times a year. Either get plywood mean for underlayment ( good woods are luan, okume, birch ) or get plywood from a hobby shop. It should be 1/4" thick and at least 1'x2'.

If you get serious, get finnish birch. Do not get baltic birch. Boomerangs need to be bent to get best preformance. You do this by softening the glue in a microwave then bending before it hardens. The glue in baltic birch will not soften. This is generally no great loss since I don't know of a lumber yard that carries baltic birch but not finish birch. The porblem is that you have to buy a whole sheet of finish. Often times you can by a quarter sheet of half sheet of baltic. ( A sheet is 4'x8' ). A full sheet is four years worth for me.

Another variation on wood are strip laminate boomerangs. They are exactly what they sound like. I will let you read up on them on your own.

An alternate to wood is plastic. Plastic generally works well but if you use electric tools you have to be carefull not to melt the plastic.

Whatever plastic you decide to use a good source is, http://www.mcmaster.com.

The main plastic that I use is polypropylene ( since most of the booms I bought are from the same material ). The plastic of choice for general boomerangs is ABS, and for sports boomerangs is Paxolin ( especially "MTA" boomerangs ) but styrene, polystyrene, pvc, pvc foam, acrylic etc are all usable. You just don't want something too flexible.

If you do use a plastic, it is nice to get one that is clear or translucent. It gives some nice visual effects when it catches the sun.

One warning, if you make booms out of Paxolin, make sure to use a respirator. Paxolin dust is nasty to beathe.

[BoomGuy]

Ok. It looks like the second PDF is a mistake. You don't get the whole plan.

This particular boom looks like an old commercial one called the "Tern". It was reputed to be a very good beginners boom.

The goldmine of designs is:
http://www.kutek.net/boomplans/plans.php

But the site has a serious flaw. They only include plans no descriptions.

Three other good places are:
http://www.boomerangpassion.com/plans/index_en.php
http://www.rediboom.com/englisch/bauplane/index.html
http://www.mrdunston.com/boomerang/
they include descriptions ( like what wind they like, their range, their hover etc).

Aside from the plans here I would recommend "le A"
http://www.boomerangpassion.com/plans/plans_en.php?id=6&langue=enand or the "mini tripale"
http://www.boomerangpassion.com/plans/plans_en.php?id=4&langue=en

[BoomGuy]

Shame shame shame. How dare you miss the tool of choice for instructable readers? The Dremel ( aka high speed rotary tool ).

You can buy a multipurpose spiral saw bit like:
http://www.dremel.com/en-us/attachments-and-accessories/attachment-accessory-detail.htm?H=188549&G=66357&I=66359
works great to cutt out the outline. I got a bit like this and a drywall bit for $3.

You can get the attachment, http://www.dremel.com/en-us/attachments-and-accessories/attachment-accessory-detail.htm?H=188575&G=69679&I=69795
but I used an old prescription drug bottle. Trimmed it a bit, made a hole in the bottom, took the cap off an old dremel and glued it to the hole, works good
( another instructable I guess ).

The bit pushes the debris out the other side, so I kept the cover of an old
CD spindle case pressed up under the lumber to catch it.

Once I cut out the shape, I use a rasp bit. Warning, it produces the same amount of dust as a rasp but it produces it a lot faster.

Rasp bits a bit strange. I found them at a local surplus store for 75 cents per bit. Most hobby shops carry them, but I can't find a manufacturer who makes them, so no URL. (Vermont American does make something but it comes with a 1/4" shank so it's for a drill not a dremel. )

So for about 5 bucks and a dremel you have most of the tools you need.
( I also use sandpaper flap wheels which I make from styrofoam and dowel. )

[psfordvt]

Good idea! A dremel would be good. However I am a woodworker and a dremel is a hobbyists tool. I have a dremel and it is good for some jobs but dedicated wordworking tools always trump the dremel. Example instead or a spiral cutting bit on a dremel, you use a spiral cutting bit on a router with a template bushing. Use a good template follow it with the bushing and you can cut the shape out in 30 seconds. But still a great idea for those without routers.

[Mouta]

Hi! i sent a PM to psfordvt but he didnt update the plans so i thought of putting the urls here! is just the boomerang pic without the letters arround... oh just see it and you'll get it:

[url]http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/Mouta/allcut-1.jpg[/url]
[url]http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/Mouta/b-blank.jpg[/url]
[url]http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i158/Mouta/a-blank.jpg[/url]

[jtobako]

Couple of points.

" print them out full size "-what is full size?

Do you have permission to use copyright material, and why not provide a cleaned up pattern?

How about left-handed people? If you throw left-handed, you need a mirror image of the plan (the bevels are reversed).