Basics of making a Boomerang

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How to make a boomerang

the Easy Way!
Other ways...
There are several ways to make a boomerang, but on
this page I will discuss the way I make boomerangs. If
you have a better/easier way to make them, please feel
free to let me know your thoughts on the subject. There
are some links at the bottom of this page with
information on making a boomerang with minimal
tools.
Boomerangs can be made from several different materials, but the most common boomerangs
are made from marine or aircraft grade plywood because; 1) it is relatively easy to work with,
2) there are now better quality plywood types available which are suitable for making
boomerangs, and 3) it just somehow seems proper to make a boomerang out of wood (but
maybe that's just the nostalgia talking.)
Tools needed
This method uses a Jigsaw or Bandsaw to rough-cut the blanks, a Router or shaper to shape
the blank to the exact pattern, a Belt sander to smooth the airfoils, and a Finish sander to
prepare the boomerang for painting or staining.

Making boomerang blanks with a Router

First you will need to make a pattern with

some 3/8 inch (9mm) material (plywood or
hard-board [masonite] works well.) Cut the
pattern out with a jig saw or band saw and
sand the rough edge to a smooth shape. This
will determine what the edges will look like
on the finished product. (A good way to start
is with a 100 degree elbow-shaped
boomerang, about 15 inches from tip to tip
with wings just under two inches wide. I
have a basic drawing you can use to get
started.
Or right-click on the link to download the pattern to your computer. (choose "save target as..."
from the pop-up menu - may be different for your browser.)
Now that you have made your pattern, drill three 1/16 inch holes for holding screws (noted in

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the drawing.) Drill one hole at the elbow center and one in each wing about two inches from
either end - in the center of the wing. (Each pattern will have different holding-screw positions.)
Now set a 1 1/2 inch screw in each hole so that it sticks out the opposite side about 1/16 of an
inch. These will hold the boomerang blank in place while it is being shaped on the router. You
may opt to use longer screws to mount knobs on for easier holding of the pattern while shaping
the boomerang. I have found that you can use plastic tubing with 1/8" inside diameter to slip
over the screws so they are easier on the hands. Here are a few of my patterns so you can get an
idea of what your pattern should look like.
Below is a drawing of my setup with a router. It is a little crude, but you should get the idea. I
use a 3/8" round-over bit which isn't all the way through the table. This way, I don't have too
much "round" on the front of the boomerang. You can also use a straight cutter bit to make
square-edge blanks which give you more flexibility in shaping the final airfoil.

Rough drawing to show detail...

Here are a couple pictures of the real thing. The picture on the left is a close-up of the router bit.
The red line shows the depth (or possibly height, in this case) of the bit protruding through the
table. The picture on the right shows the pattern up against the bit and the resultant shape it
gives to the blank.

Creating the Trailing Edge of the Airfoil

You can shape the trailing edge of the airfoil with a rasp or upright belt sander. I like to use a
1x42" upright belt sander that I purchased at Menards for
about $100. I took off the backing plate to allow for belt
deflection so the airfoil could be slightly rounded. The
generic picture to the right is a 1x30 belt sander which can be

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used, but does not have the capacity of the larger version. If
you get one of these (or have one already), I recommend you
take the table and the backstop off. This will allow you to
move the boomerang around better, and also allow the belt to
flex more.
This is the general
airfoil you will want to
achieve. The block end
view will need to have
the corners slightly
rounded - depending on what performance you need or
desire.
Special Shaping with an airfoil bit
The drawing to the far right is a router
bit which my Father-in-law shaped from
a Grizzly Large Thumbnail bit. The gray
bearing is a collar which is slipped over
the existing bearing (blue). The blades
were reshaped to create the desired
slope of the airfoil. A picture of the
original bit is seen with the added
bearing collar before it was retooled
with a green wheel.
A person with machinist skills can
retool a bit for this purpose, but it is not
for the faint-of-heart. Sears used to sell
a bit which was made for raised panels,
but they no longer seem to have them in
stock. Contact me for more information
about shaping the airfoil with a router
bit. I may have better information than
what is provided here.

This page is always under construction. If I have left something off, contact me. I work on it as I get a
chance.
Please send Questions/Comments to Kendall Davis.

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<Disclaimer> To make a boomerang, all you really need is a coping saw (to cut out the blank), a wood rasp
(or similar tool) to shape the airfoil, and some sandpaper to smooth out the rough edges and surface.
This page is devoted to making boomerangs a little quicker with power tools. This process will also produce
boomerangs which will have a more consistent flight than what can be achieved with hand tools - unless, of
course, you spend more time doing some fine-tuning. I will not argue about which way is better - that would
be a waste of time for both of us.
A very good discussion of a simpler way to make boomerangs can be seen by looking at the link below.
Flying Frog Boomerangs - Construction Page
(Please suggest other links to be added here.)

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