How to Make Boomerangs Out of Wood

A boomerang is a weapon invented and used by the native Australians and is a curved stick of hardwood, Fig. 1, about 5/16 in. thick, 2-1/2 in. wide and 2 ft. long, flat on one side, with the ends and the other side rounding.
One end of the stick is grasped in one hand with the convex edge forward and the flat side up and thrown upward.
After going some distance and ascending slowly to a great height in the air with a quick rotary motion, it suddenly returns in an elliptical orbit to a spot near the starting point.
If thrown down on the ground the boomerang rebounds in a straight line, pursuing a ricochet motion until the object is struck at which it was thrown.

Details of Three Boomerangs

Two other types of boomerangs are illustrated herewith and they can be made as described. The materials necessary for the T-shaped boomerang are: One piece of hard maple 5/16 in. thick, 2-1/2 in. wide, and 3 ft. long; five 1/2-in. flat-headed screws. Cut the piece of hard maple into two pieces, one 11-1/2 in. and the other 18 in. long. The corners are cut from these pieces as shown in Fig. 2, taking care to cut exactly the same amount from each corner. Bevel both sides of the pieces, making the edges very thin so they will cut the air better. Find the exact center of the long piece and make a line 1-1/4 in. on each side of the center and fasten the short length between the lines with the screws as shown in Fig. 3. The short piece should be fastened perfectly square and at right angles to the long one.

The materials necessary for the cross-shaped boomerang are one piece hard maple 5/16 in. thick, 2 in. wide and 30 in. long and five 1/2-in. flat headed screws. Cut the maple- into two 14-in. pieces and plane the edges of these pieces so the ends will be 1-1/2 in. wide, as shown in Fig. 4. Bevel these pieces the same as the ones for the T-shaped boomerang. The two pieces are fastened together as shown in Fig. 5. All of the boomerangs when completed should be given several coats of linseed oil and thoroughly dried. This will keep the wood from absorbing water and becoming heavy.
The last two boomerangs are thrown in a similar way to the first one, except that one of the pieces is grasped in the hand and the throw given with a quick underhand motion. A little practice is all that is necessary for one to become skillful in throwing them. —Contributed by O. E. Tronnes, Wilmette, Ill.

Excerpt from the book:
THE BOY MECHANIC
VOLUME I
700 THINGS FOR BOYS TO DO
WITH 800 ILLUSTRATIONS
1913, BY H. H. WINDSOR CHICAGO
POPULAR MECHANICS CO. PUBLISHERS