Make a Boomerang that actually comes back!

Step 2 UPDATE! The Plans and the material

First step is to download the plans or the pics on this page and print them out full size. Cut out the plans/template on the page, tape the 2 sizes together. Adhere the template to your material using rubber cement.
UPDATE: I have saved the plans as a PDF File this should correct the printing issues. You will still need to select print full size or 1:1.

Material-the plans call for 1/4" 7 layer marine grade plywood, this plywood is hard to find. Baltic birch plywood has 5 layers and it will work great for this project. It can be found at craft stores, lumber yards, or ordered online. My students have had good results with other types of 1/4" plywood but baltic birch works the best.

Comments

[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