Throwing a boomerang is a fun activity, a great option active rest. There are several basic models of this air projectile - classic, three- and four-blade. In our article we will talk about how to make at home from available materials the most elegant traditional L-shaped boomerang, striking with its exquisite smooth lines. You will see - it is very simple.
You will need:
- Sheet of plywood 8 mm thick, size 370 x 370 mm;
- A sheet of thick paper of the same size;
- Scissors;
- Jigsaw;
- Rubber glue;
- Flat and semicircular files;
- Sanding paper;
- Varnish and paints on wood.
The best material for making a boomerang, from which the Australian aborigines actually cut it, is wood. However, it is quite possible to use thin plywood - finding an unnecessary plywood box is not at all difficult. In the diagram, each cell has a side of 50 mm. Therefore, to make a boomerang, you need to take a piece of plywood measuring at least 370 x 370 mm.
Sequence of work
Visual material
In conclusion, a video on how to make a boomerang. The process of sanding and painting it is shown.
Attention!
Remember that even such a seemingly harmless toy, made of hard material, is a real weapon and can injure others, and in unfortunate circumstances, even lead to death. Train in open spaces, in the absence of strangers.
Good luck with your launches!
Making a boomerang is just as fun as playing with it. As if by magic, it flies around the circle and returns to its owner. How to make a boomerang at home?
Step 1: Gather all the necessary materials
Boomerangs are made of wood; I used special aircraft model plywood 5mm thick. In total, it consists of 10 layers in thickness, which makes it very durable, but also expensive. This best material for the manufacture of.
But if you can’t get this plywood, don’t worry—regular plywood good quality will do too. Take 6 mm plywood, the number of layers is from three to five. The more layers the better. The quality of the plywood is also indicated by the letter - grades A and B are suitable, grades BB and C are not suitable, these types of plywood contain defects. Due to these defects, the boomerang may break.
You will also need:
- electric jigsaw
- wood rasp and metal file
- sandpaper (coarse, medium and fine)
- two clamps
- acrylic paints
- wood varnish
- sample
Step 2: Cut out the boomerang
Trace the boomerang template onto the plywood, secure the plywood with a clamp and cut out. If you are left-handed, turn the template over to the other side up (you will understand why later). If the plywood is splintering too much, use a jigsaw blade with smaller teeth. Take your time and let the blade do the cutting for you. When you are finished cutting, sand the edges with coarse sandpaper.
Step 3: Drawing wing profiles
This stage is the most important. The boomerang returns due to the fact that its wings have the same profile as the wings of an airplane. You may not believe it, but they are available for right-handers and left-handers. They are mirror images of each other: a boomerang thrown by a right-handed person will spin counterclockwise, while a boomerang thrown by a left-handed person will spin clockwise. This is why I wrote above that if you are left-handed, you should turn the template upside down.
To familiarize yourself with the terminology, take a look at the second picture. In the photographs there is a boomerang for right-handers. Using a file or wood rasp, begin to carefully remove the wood, focusing on the second pattern. The layer of wood removed is determined by various factors, including the hardness of the wood. Therefore, there are no guidelines on the template; you will have to act empirically.
Peel off a thin layer, try throwing it, see how it flies, and continue sanding if necessary. To avoid removing too much wood, work gradually. Typically, sand no more than half the thickness of the leading edge of the wing and remove no more than 2/3 of the trailing edge of the wing. For example, when using 6 mm thick plywood, the thickness of the leading edge should be no more than 3 mm, and the thickness of the trailing edge should be 2 mm. The leading edge angle should be approximately 40-45°, and the trailing edge should be 20-30°.
When you think you've removed enough wood, take some high-grit sandpaper and sand the surface. Gradually increase the sandpaper grade to make the surface as smooth as possible. On the bottom side, simply go over it with medium abrasive paper to remove any sharp edges.
Step 4: Checking the Bend of the Wings
The surface of the plywood is rarely quite flat, so the bend of the wings must be checked. Find a flat, level surface (glass or stone) and press the arm of the boomerang against it ( middle part), lightly tap the wings. If you hear the sound of the wing tapping on the surface, then the wings are pointing up, this is good because it makes it easier to rise. Turn the boomerang over and lightly tap the wings again (pressing your shoulder to the surface). If you hear the sound of wings hitting the surface, this may indicate that the boomerang will not be able to fly back.
This is easy to fix: warm up the boomerang in microwave oven 10-15 seconds (depending on the brand of oven), and very gently bend the wings upward. If you hear a cracking sound, you've overdone it. If the upward bend is too strong, you can straighten the wings by pressing very gently. The difference between the desired bend and the bend is very small, but if the upward bend of the wings is visible to the naked eye and without the help of a flat surface, most likely you have overdone it.
Step 5: Check
To see if the boomerang needs modification, it needs to be tested. First, read what throws are considered correct.
Step 1: Find an open, large field with soft soil (such as a park, beach, soccer field, etc.). The boomerang easily flies 25-30 m, so there should be enough free space around you and, preferably, no passers-by.
Step 2: Determine the direction of the wind (you can throw grass in the air, take a flag), and throw the boomerang 45° to the right relative to the direction of the wind (in the picture). For example, if the wind is blowing at 12 o'clock, the boomerang should be thrown between 1 and 2 o'clock. If you are left-handed, then you will need to throw between 10 and 11 o'clock.
Step 3: Hold the boomerang between your thumb and fist, with the curved side facing you. It doesn't matter in which hand you hold the boomerang.
Step 4: You need to throw only vertically, with a slight slope to the right (for left-handed people - to the left). Never throw horizontally like a Frisbee.
Step 5: When throwing, try to give maximum rotation, thanks to which the boomerang returns. If you apply too much force, it will simply go into a reverse loop.
Step 6: The boomerang returns, rotating in a horizontal plane. To catch it, you need to clap your palms, it must slow down its rotation enough to be caught. If it spins too fast, don't try to catch it.
Notes:
- if the boomerang falls to your left, try to deflect it more to the right when throwing it (and vice versa).
- if it falls in front of you, when throwing, deflect it more to the right (maximum deflection angle is 45°.
- It's best to cast in low winds. If the wind is too strong, you can put elastic bands on one or both wings. The closer to the end of the wing, the better the effect.
Step 6: Finishing the boomerang
If you're unhappy with the way your boomerang flies, you can work on your throwing technique. For example, try throwing at different angles relative to the wind, or changing the height and force of the throw. If you're still not happy with the result, there are several ways to improve it.
If the boomerang flies too high or, conversely, too low and crashes into the ground, you can change the bend of the wings. If you bend the wings further upward, the boomerang will fly higher; if, on the contrary, you decrease the bend, then it will fly lower.
If he doesn’t have time to make a loop and falls, most likely he doesn’t have enough lift. An additional fold at the top of both wings can solve this problem. This is the easiest option, I always recommend trying it first. Since this method affects the flight altitude, when flying high, you need to try another way to solve the problem. You can sand some wood off the back edge, but try not to make the edge too sharp. There is a third way to solve the problem - sand off some wood from the underside of the leading edge, as shown in the picture.
If he keeps looping back, try putting less force into the throw. It may well be that your boomerang has too high of a rise. You can try removing some wood from the front edges. Apart from these methods, the only option left is to start all the work over again. That's why I said that you need to sand the wood very carefully - you can't get it back.
And always remember - any extra movement affects the flight, so don't make more than one change at a time.
Step 7: Paint and varnish
Once you are done with the shape and flight characteristics, you can start decorating. Choose paint to suit your taste. Prime before painting, but very carefully so as not to accidentally affect the flying properties. I used acrylic paints because once dry they won't wash off with water.
For protection, I coated both boomerangs with one coat of polyurethane wood varnish and left it to dry for a day. I then went over the surface with fine sandpaper to smooth out any rough edges. A couple of movements are enough not to remove the paint. Then we coat the boomerang with another layer of varnish on both sides (giving each side time to dry), and the work is finished.
Step 8: Play with Boomerang
When the varnish is dry, you can go outside and throw your boomerang!
Before you make your own boomerang, you can buy an inexpensive one to get your hands on. However, remember that very often boomerangs declared by the seller as being returned are not returned at all.
From AlexGyver, a four-blade boomerang made from improvised materials. Almost anyone can make such a boomerang; the materials used in homemade products are available to everyone. This boomerang starts working immediately after assembly if you follow all the recommendations and instructions, and the small improvements that will be discussed will help improve its characteristics.
So, to make a four-blade boomerang, the author used the following materials:
- Two slats, length 30 cm, width 4 cm, thickness about 7 mm.
- PVA glue for wood or liquid nails
- Auxiliary tools - file, hacksaw, knife and sandpaper
Making a boomerang
First you need to prepare the material, for this you need to cut off the slats the right size and sand them well. The author recommends not using wood that is too dry, since the heavier it is, the better the boomerang will fly.
After preparing the material, you need to mark the workpieces. They will be fastened to each other crosswise, and they must be fixed in one plane; to do this, it is necessary to make grooves in the center of the slats so that one fits into the other. We mark the slats as shown in the photo below, the dimensions are arbitrary, the marking from the end should be equal to half the thickness of the slats.
The next step is to make cuts using a hacksaw for metal in the marking areas, the cut should be made on front side slats to the middle, this needs to be done with two blanks.
After all the manipulations, both planks should fit into each other as perfectly as possible, forming a solid and smooth surface. Using a file, you can adjust the grooves for maximum connection accuracy.
The next step is to give each blade the shape of a wing in order for the design to work. The circuit is shown in the figures below.
To do this, use a pencil to shade from the middle of each blade in a circle; along this marking you will need to use a knife to make oblique cuts. See the photo below for what you should get.
Using a coarse file, we process the cut areas, removing all irregularities and dimples.
After rough processing, we take sandpaper and clean all the edges of the boomerang until the entire surface is smooth and even. It is also necessary to round all edges.
Next, take PVA glue or liquid nails, apply it to both parts of the groove, spread it and glue it together. In order for the two halves to stick together perfectly, you need to clamp the gluing area using a clamp or a press. Leave it to dry according to the instructions, maybe even a little longer to be sure.
After gluing the surfaces, be sure to remove the exposed glue with sandpaper and finally process the finished boomerang, giving it a beautiful look.
In principle, the boomerang is already ready and you can test it. After tests, it seemed to the author that the boomerang did not wax enough, and this affected the accuracy of the return flight. To eliminate this problem, the author decided to make the boomerang heavier. To do this, he drilled a hole along the edge of each blade and placed fishing lead weights into these holes.
All uneven areas at the holes must also be cleaned with sandpaper and filled with liquid nails. After the nails are dry, you need to sand off the excess with sandpaper.
How to make a boomerang with your own hands for fun and relaxation.
A good material for its manufacture is eight-mm alder plywood. We will need a piece measuring 8 x 450 x 450 (mm).
Let's consider the sequence of stages of work performed:
Preparing the template for cutting
profile production
painting and sanding
PREPARING A TEMPLATE FOR CUTTING
We will need a compass, a pencil and a conveyor. We will denote the coordinates of points by radius and angle.
Let's look at the picture
Let's draw bottom part boomerang. Top part- This is a mirror image of the lower part. We will draw section lines at the required angles. Let's draw circles of the indicated radii. The point of intersection of the circle with the section line is the point at which the model outline is constructed.
From the construction of the drawing, eight sections were obtained:
central section
seven lower sections
top seven
If from the radius value, draw the section length along its line to the center ( L), then we get a second construction point on the section line.
Table of values of geometric dimensions of sections in millimeters:
2 – L = 80; l = 23 ; h = 7.80
3 – L = 74; l = 22 ; h = 7.80
4 – L = 68; l = 20 ; h = 7.20
5 – L = 64 ; l = 19 ; h = 6.80
6 – L = 62; l = 18 ; h = 6.50
7 – L = 59 ; l = 17 ; h = 6.25
8 – L = 46; l = 16 ; h = 6.00
The constructed circuit will be cut out with an electric or with a hand jigsaw, then align the end faces.
PROFILE MANUFACTURE
1. We carry out rough processing using a hand grinder, a set of rasps, and coarse sandpaper. On the cut template we draw a line for the material selection boundary.
We place the contour points along the section lines, at a distance ( l) outside the edge of the template
2. Removing excess material:
- along the wing width
- along the length of the wing
3. We will do similar work with the second wing, only we place the contour points along the section lines, at a distance ( l) on the inside of the template edge.
4. We carry out fine processing using fine-grained sandpaper stretched onto a flat plane of the block. When processing the surface, it is necessary to strive for an ideal cross-sectional shape along the entire length of the wing.
5. At the final stage, we scrape the surface using a small piece of glass.
Boomerangs are a type of throwing weapon made from wood that was used in ancient times. However, the time when they were dangerous and serious weapons has long passed. Today, this throwing weapon is a simple, ordinary toy that both children and adults will be delighted with.
It is worth noting that you can make a boomerang yourself, at home. To do this you need to stock up on everything necessary materials and follow all instructions for making it. Main feature The boomerang is that when thrown correctly, it returns back to the person who launched it. However, it should be noted that there are special, combat models that do not return to their owner after being thrown.
Important! Despite the fact that the boomerang is a simple toy for entertainment, it can still cause harm to human health if used incorrectly. Therefore, before launching boomerangs, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the relevant safety precautions and familiarize yourself with the rules for launching it.
Diagram of a two-beam boomerang
Probably, most people have a completely logical question: how can you make a boomerang, what is necessary for this? In answer to this, it should be noted that making a boomerang out of wood that returns is not so difficult. After all, as a rule, when making it yourself, dense, durable wood is used.
As an analogue, when making it yourself, at home, instead of wood, you can use multi-layer plywood as the starting material. The thickness of the plywood should be at least 8 cm. Answering the question: how to make a boomerang from plywood, it is worth noting that in this case, during its manufacture, it is preferable to use imported waterproof plywood.
This is due to the fact that imported plywood, unlike similar products from domestic manufacturers, will not delaminate during use. In addition, it is shock-resistant, so a boomerang made from it will not fall apart in the event of a collision, for example, with the first tree that comes along.
On a note! To make small boomerangs, you can use ordinary wood as a starting material. cutting board, which is in every person’s kitchen. This board is made from seasoned, dry wood and is excellent for further processing. This is especially important when the material needs to be given the desired shape while respecting all angles.
There are many varieties of boomerang. They are:
- Combat.
- Sports - hunting.
- Multi-lobed.
- Peel - drink.
- Kylie.
However, it is worth noting that not all boomerangs can return back to their owner after launch. For example, combat models do not have this ability. Before you start making a boomerang with your own hands, you first need to get a drawing of it. Today this is not such a big problem, because a drawing of a boomerang of almost any type can be done without special effort get it on the Internet.
The product drawing must be printed or drawn on a sheet of paper and special coordination grids applied to it. The size of the mesh cells should be 5x5cm. Thanks to the use of such a mesh, it is possible to more accurately model and scale the workpiece. After drawing the drawing, you can proceed directly to the manufacture of the product itself.
Required materials and tools
For self-made To make a boomerang you will need a small amount of materials and tools. During the artisanal, independent production of this product you will need:
- a sheet of plywood or well-dried wood;
- one sheet of cardboard;
- varnish (as an alternative, it is fashionable to use paint);
- jigsaw (you can use a jigsaw if you have one).
Also during its manufacture you will need a plane for the initial processing of wood and sandpaper of different grain sizes. As an alternative to PVA glue, it is best to use epoxy. To apply paint or varnish you will need a brush. Also during its manufacture you may need a knife and a hacksaw.
The manufacturing process does not take much time and effort. At the initial stage of production, you need to make a sketch of the product, while observing its proportions natural size, as well as forms. To do this, the drawing must be transferred to a sheet of cardboard. The cardboard should be dense and of small thickness.
Making your own boomerang out of wood, which returns at home on your own, is quite simple task, which will not take much time and will not cost much effort. All that is needed for independent production of this product is its drawing (diagram) and that’s it necessary tools, as well as consumables.
It is worth noting that when choosing a drawing, you need to take into account the fact that not all boomerangs are designed to return back to the original point of their launch. For example, the fighting or heavy models that were used by the Australian Aborigines for hunting do not return back to the person who launched them. Some homemade models made from wood with your own hands can only return if they were launched against the direction of the wind.
Raw billet
Cutting boomerang material
Once the drawing of the product has been found and its dimensions have been established, you can begin making the boomerang. For example, it can be made from 3 ordinary pieces wooden slats. The lath can be made of pine or birch. At the initial stage of manufacturing, it is necessary to make all measurements and cutting drawings on the slats, as well as their subsequent connection.
Then, along the previously drawn lines, you need to make cuts using a hacksaw, ½ of the thickness of the slats. It should be noted that the cuts must be without distortions, on both sides, both above and below the slats.
At the cut points, using a knife, you need to carefully, being careful, break out parts of the wood. As a result, you should get a groove with a depth of less than ½ of the thickness of the rail itself. The broken areas must be processed using a file. The surface of the wood must be perfectly flat.
Output of wing profiles
After the materials and individual elements of the product have been prepared, you can begin to assemble it. Then you need to use a knife to give the boomerang blades an aviation wing profile. It is very important not to confuse the sides of the product.
Bending boomerang blades
During the manufacturing process, the blades of the product need to be given a slight bend. It should be noted that it should be on the convex side of the blade. It is worth noting that the bend affects the speed at which the boomerang returns to the original point from which it was launched. Simply put, the greater the bend, the faster it will return to the owner after launch.
To bend the blades, place them in a container of boiling water and wait a few minutes until the wood begins to soak and become flexible and soft. The blades can then be bent. It should be noted that the bend should be small. To give the blades the necessary bend, you can use cylindrical objects.
Painting and varnishing
Before painting, the boomerang must be assembled and its surface carefully treated with sandpaper so that there are no burrs or irregularities on it. It can be varnished or a special impregnation for wood that has no color can be used. It can also be painted using ordinary paint in any color. To do this you need to use a very ordinary brush.
To ensure that the product dries without the layer of applied paint being smeared on its surface, you need to use a special stand. An ordinary sheet of plywood with three nails hammered into it can serve as such a stand. It is necessary to carefully place the product on these nails so that the paint on it dries and does not smear.
Video on how to make a boomerang from wood
Wood is the most popular material that is most often used in the manufacture of boomerangs. This is due to the fact that wood is light, durable and at the same time available material, which you can easily find in your home or buy at the market or in a hardware store. There are many different models of boomerangs made from wood. To get acquainted with them, as well as with the main nuances of their manufacture, circuit drawings, dimensions and pictures, you can watch a video posted on the Internet.