How to Make a Two Wing Cardboard Boomerang

It's easy to make a cardboard boomerang.

Boomerangs are objects that are thrown either for sport or as a weapon. Boomerangs date back to the ancient Egyptians and have been used by many cultures including Native Americans and Australian Aborigines. There are also many different boomerang shapes, from the six-wing asymmetrical boomerang, three-wing boomerang to the traditional two-wing boomerang. Traditionally, boomerangs are made out of wood, but you can easily make your own two-wing boomerang out of cardboard. A cardboard boomerang works best when thrown indoors since a breeze can blow it off course.

Things You'll Need

• Empty cereal box
• Scissors
• Protractor

Instructions

1. Lay the protractor on a piece of paper, which will serve as a pattern for the boomerang.

2. Mark out a 80-degree angle using the protractor as a guide. This is the angle of the inverted triangle your boomerang will form.

3. 

   This is the shape of the classic two wing boomerang.

   Draw two wings off of the 80 degree marks indicating the inverted triangle of the boomerang. The wings should be of equal length. Now you should have something that is the shape of a boomerang.

4. Cut out the pattern you drew on the paper.

5. Cut a cereal box open using scissors. The thin cardboard of a cereal box is the ideal material for making a boomerang for indoor use, since its lightweight allows the boomerang to gain significant loft.

6. Lay the paper pattern on one of the large panels of the cereal box, and trace the shape onto the cereal box. Cut out the boomerang shape with scissors.

7. Crease the cardboard starting in the middle of the wing going all the way to the tip.

8. Crease the boomerang again by folding its wings up at the center. This new crease should be perpendicular to the previous creases made down the wing. Folding the wings slightly upward will help the boomerang return to you after it has been thrown. Don't fold the cardboard too much. You just want to crease it a little by gently pinching.

Tips & Warnings

• Give your boomerang enough room to fly and return to you. You should test your boomerang in a large room where it won't end up hitting a wall.

• The key to getting a boomerang to return to you is by flicking the wrist to help the boomerang gain an elliptical course of flight.

References

• Boomerangs.com: History of Boomerangs
• Arnaud Amiel: Cardboard Boomerangs
• Boomerangs: Boomerang Types