Boomerang

[userofthename]

I figured that the aussie forum members will probably have some experience with boomerangs.

Anyways... I got a cheap plastic one and it took me some time to learn how to properly throw it. Now I'm hooked and I'll be buying a real big one. I really like the big hook shaped ones that go a long distance, are those very difficult to throw? Do you have any suggestions on what boom type to buy? I'd like something in the medium distance range, say 40-60 meters.

Also, does anyone have some experience with making boomerangs?

Yaaay boomerangs!

[Genesis]

Hey man. Cool hobby, when I was younger I usta be right into boomerang-ing. I think I have smashed about 20 nice wooden ones on local footy ovals

Ever seen the 3 armed boomerangs? They flight sweet, east to use, and cause they are made from plastics they will take a fucking beating.

If you are interested in the regular 2 armed type try and suss out a synthetic one. They are cheap and last ages...

As for making them... I can't help... If you find anything let us know, youtube.com?

Gen

[Genesis]

 

Too fucking easy

Gen

[rahli]

I've got two traditional "killer" boomerangs. One was made for me by an old man when I was a young fulla (the one on the left) and has a great big chip out of it where my brother and me were strapping it out trying to make the boomerangs live up to their namesake. The old man made mine out of dark brown wood as I have brown hair and my brothers out of yellow wood as he has blond hair.

The one on the right was given to me by a friend, he got it given to him by an old man also but when he was much older and being a carpenter he added the extra polished finish.

The bark x-ray painting was given to my wife by an old man when she was a little girl. The foot and hand prints are hers sprayed on cave painting style with ochre. On the back is written her traditional name "Yarnmalu" given to her by an old man close to her family (she grew up in the "out" outback). The old people wanted to smoke her to make her strong after she was born as she was conceived witin their traditional estates but her folks didn't think it would be such a good idea. She is still strong anyway.

[userofthename]

rahli, are those non returning boomerangs?

I made a traditional boomerang and it flies much further than the plastic one I have. Range is around 35 meters. It seems to me that it needs to be tuned, since I can't get it to come back without wind. It usually either makes a turn and slowly glides down 10-20 meters to my 11 o'clock, or more often somewhere after it reaches full height switches its orbit to turn away from me and spirals at increasing speed to hit the ground 10-20 meters to my 7 or 8 o'clock. Maybe I throw it too hard, I dunno. Oh, and full height is around 20 meters.

[rahli]

rahli, are those non returning boomerangs?

I made a traditional boomerang and it flies much further than the plastic one I have. Range is around 35 meters. It seems to me that it needs to be tuned, since I can't get it to come back without wind. It usually either makes a turn and slowly glides down 10-20 meters to my 11 o'clock, or more often somewhere after it reaches full height switches its orbit to turn away from me and spirals at increasing speed to hit the ground 10-20 meters to my 7 or 8 o'clock. Maybe I throw it too hard, I dunno. Oh, and full height is around 20 meters.

They are killer boomerangs used for hunting and fighting. I've heard they are not so common in the Topend as there are to many trees in the way. Spears are better at getting around trees.

[userofthename]

They are killer boomerangs used for hunting and fighting. I've heard they are not so common in the Topend as there are to many trees in the way. Spears are better at getting around trees.

That is really cool. I've read of such throwsticks. How heavy are they? Do they really fly straight up to 100 meters? Did you ever manage to hunt something down?

I'd like to make my own one of these days, but I also read that they are really hard to balance and tune, much harder than returning boomerangs. So I'll have to finish tuning this one. I just bent one wing to see what difference it would make.

If you have some extra time it would be really nice if you could measure it and sketch the airfoils along the stick. That would be really appreciated, of course, I would totally understand if you don't want to spend your time on that.

[rahli]

That is really cool. I've read of such throwsticks. How heavy are they? Do they really fly straight up to 100 meters? Did you ever manage to hunt something down?

I'd like to make my own one of these days, but I also read that they are really hard to balance and tune, much harder than returning boomerangs. So I'll have to finish tuning this one. I just bent one wing to see what difference it would make.

If you have some extra time it would be really nice if you could measure it and sketch the airfoils along the stick. That would be really appreciated, of course, I would totally understand if you don't want to spend your time on that.

I'll PM you for a better idea of what it is your requesting of me.

Cheers

[AndyAmine.]

My brother and I used to love boomerangs as kids even more so after watching MadMax2 where the kid has a sharpened metal one that takes off a guys fingers. "Ill catch it, Ill catch it" LOL

So anyway, when I was around 6 or 7 I used to be right into it, no fear and would throw it as hard as I could and catch it again no trouble, so then one day my brother and I were kind of replaying the scene in Mad Max, one would duck down, the other would throw it and as it came into distance jump up in the air and catch it.

This was going well for a while until something went wrong and I copped the boomerang almost dead center into my forehead.....

I was bawling my eyes out for ages and even to this day I have a little dent in my forehead from it.

Unfortunatly after this I could no longer catch them, every time I tried I would piss myself, close my eyes and or run away and this ended up covering anything similar like a lot of ball sports etc which is a shame.

Anyway, I guess I should have jumped straight back onto the horse and all that but such is life.

[devance]

http://www.rediboom.com/englisch/bauplane/albatros.html

http://www.boomerangs.us/

http://www.rediboom.com/englisch/bauplane/index.html

http://www.angelfire.com/nc/conally/construction.html

I think they were developed for duck hunting.

Like if one startle a bunch of ducks in a pond they would fly off and the boomerang would have a 1 in 10 chance of connecting.

The days before shotguns were invented.

Or on the other one can do with the titanium model as in the road warrior feral child.

Don't know if anywhere sold, but not pre sharpened for legal reasons.

Anyway, I don't think a war boomerang would be any better than throwing a rock.

[rahli]

Boomerangs were not meant to come back

30 July 1999

Julia Hinde

Groovy boomerangs were the best fliers, says a University of New South Wales researcher, who suggests markings on traditional Australian boomerangs may have more than a decorative or ceremonial importance.

Ray Nelson, senior lecturer in the school of civil engineering at University College, University of New South Wales, believes the regular pattern of parallel grooves and flutes found along the length of boomerangs and throwing sticks from the central and western Australian deserts may have more to do with enhanced aerodynamic performance than decoration.

"Until now people thought the grooves, which are 5mm wide and a fifth of a millimetre deep and are found on lots of boomerangs, were for decoration or some ceremonial reason," explains Dr Nelson, who normally specialises in coastal and ocean engineering.

Dr Nelson has tested artefacts, collected by his wife, in wind tunnel experiments and has found the grooves are, in some instances, crucial to flight.

"These are non-returning boomerangs used for hunting," says Dr Nelson, who adds that returning boomerangs were very rare and might have been seen as toys.

"A casual observer may think that the boomerang would fly better without fluting, but the grooves actually make them fly better. They make a boundary layer of turbulent air right from the leading edge of the boomerang, which allows the air to stick to the curvature for longer, giving a narrower wake, and resulting in more lift."

Dr Nelson says that this layer of turbulent air would also develop on a flat wing, but normally some 100 to 400 mm behind the leading edge. "Boomerangs are only 50 mm wide, so you need some artificial roughness. The boomerang tests showed that the uplift provided by the grooves on the top surface was, when thrown at more than 30 metres per second, approximately equal to the weight of the boomerang. So,while it maintained its speed, the boomerang tended to travel straight, without dropping. As it was usually made of mulga wood, which is hard and heavy, it could kill a person at 50 metres."

Dr Nelson adds that the flutes, which probably date back several thousand years, are analogous to the dimples on golf balls, which, he says, increase the latters' range by about 50 per cent.

[devance]

Makes sense to me as the grooved, gray whale front flipper design is being patented for a aircraft wing design.

[AndyAmine.]

Anyway, I don't think a war boomerang would be any better than throwing a rock.

Nah man, these things are deadly in the right hands!

I used to live in a town called Moruya near Baitmans bay when I was a little kid, there was/is(?) a large percentage of Aborigines and I have seen some of these guys use hunting boomerangs with killer a accuracy taking down targets from a fair distance and these were just young teenagers.

As the post above says, they would kill a man very easily and with a lot more distance and prescision than a rock.

No doubt there is a reason they progresed from rocks to boomerangs.

[devance]

Correction, a hump back whale, knobbed for the front fluke.

Might be good for a airfoil boat.

Not sure.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0516/p13s01-stgn.html

[rahli]

Killer boomerang design

Hope you can find some sense in all that.

Edited September 2, 2008 by rahli

[userofthename]

Thanks a lot! I'll definitely be making one. I made a triblader returning boomerang and it flies great! The traditional one got broken, oh well.

If you plan cruising Europe feel free to contact me and get your TBM inermis clone to sneak onto your island :D Really, if you do I'll have some ready. Those little monsters need to find their way to your island.

Actually, any respectable member of this forum can do just that. Let's say I'm somewhere around the Adriatic sea, the rest via PM.

Cheers!

[rahli]

Thanks a lot! I'll definitely be making one. I made a triblader returning boomerang and it flies great! The traditional one got broken, oh well.

If you plan cruising Europe feel free to contact me and get your TBM inermis clone to sneak onto your island :D Really, if you do I'll have some ready. Those little monsters need to find their way to your island.

Actually, any respectable member of this forum can do just that. Let's say I'm somewhere around the Adriatic sea, the rest via PM.

Cheers!

Thanks for the kind offer userofthename. I'll let you know if I'm ever heading your way.

Something to add. The boomerang shown weighs 550g just to give you some idea on the density of the wood used.

Goodluck with your boomerang building and I hope your little monsters one day find an escape route.

Cheers

rahli