How to Make a Boomerang

Making a boomerang is simpler than you might think, and you can make one out of a variety of materials. It doesn’t have to be completely accurate to come back to you, but it’s easy to refine and will fly better with each attempt.

What materials do I need to use?

Boomerangs can be made of many different materials. The most common, however, are solid wood and plywood. Some boomerang instructions suggest using what the professionals use, a special grade of Finnish plywood called aircraft birch ply, but this premium wood is too expensive for beginners. Start with 3/16-inch or ¼-inch plywood from the home improvement store. That’s more than adequate.

Shaping your Boomerangs

Your first step is to draw a shape on a piece of plywood. Make sure corners are rounded and that the angle in the middle is about 45 degrees or slightly more. A variety of shapes will work, so you don’t have to use any specific design, especially for your first attempt.

The trick to making a plywood boomerang that comes back to you is getting the contour of the wings right. A properly designed wooden one that comes back to you every time has wings that are sharp on one side and rounded on the other. Here’s the part that most people don’t know, however: If the left wing is sharp on the inside of the angle, the right wing needs to be sharp on the outside of the angle. 

To put it another way, there should be a sharp edge on the “front” of one wing and on the “back” of the other if you want your creation to return to you.

You can sand down the edges by hand, but using an orbital sander will make this job much quicker and easier. Whichever method you use, make sure all edges, corners and transitions between surfaces are completely smooth. The thinner edges shouldn’t be sharp, just thin.

Testing your Boomerang

Don’t paint your handywork right away. You’ll want to test it to see how well it flies. In a large area perhaps the size of ball field, hold it nearly vertical but angled slightly inward and throw it toward the horizon. 

It may not come back to you on the first try. If it doesn’t, it means your wing shape isn’t quite perfect. Sand and shape the wings again, taking care not to leave any rough spots or sharp edges. 

After a few minutes of trial and error and when thrown properly, boomerangs should always return to you.
When yours is perfect, paint and decorate it however you want, just don’t use too much paint. Thick paint will change its performance.

There’s no secret to making boomerangs, but may find yourself becoming addicted to making them. Once you get started, you’ll be certain you can achieve the perfect flight if you make another one just slightly different than the last. That striving for perfection can fill a lifetime.