Boomerang Dave's Boomerang Journal

How can anyone have reflections on testing boomerangs? If you don't already throw, you probably can't understand the feeling of throwing a boomerang and having it return accurately. It is even better when the boomerang is something you made yourself.

When I first started making boomerangs, some 16 years ago, I tested each and every one I made. I didn't feel real comfortable selling a boomerang that I wasn't positive that it worked. After 5 or 6 years, a fellow boomsmith (someone who makes boomerangs) told me he stopped testing all the booms because he thought after making several thousand, that he was pretty sure everything worked. I did the same thing, until I started getting some boomerangs returned by customers, because they didn't perform well. I don't know what I was doing wrong, but at least I could remedy that situation. Now I again test everything I make.

I managed to make some boomerangs on Saturday but hadn't been able to test them due to lack of time, and clear weather (besides, the field was wet and muddy). Sunday after church I headed out with Saturday's creations to test. One particular model happened to be a small offset omega made from French Okoume plywood. This plywood looks like mahogany but is quite lightweight. I had forgotten just how easy this boomerang is to throw. It doesn't require much effort, just lots of spin. Range is 20-25 meters and it works in a dead calm, which was good because that was the conditions Sunday. I had 9 of these with me and really enjoyed tossing them.

I moved on to a half dozen reversible boomerangs in two styles. Both work really well, although I would have liked a little breeze for better returns. Reversibles require a bit more testing since you can throw them with either side up. They had better work both ways. I then tried a several copied of a broken Herb Smith boomerang I received recently. (see attached photo) The shape is probably what you would call a flat top hook. The original may be 8mm thick and I made mine in 6mm plywood. The flights were not the best but I wondered if the lack of wind affected that. They had a range of nearly 40 meters. The last booms tested were a set of interlocking boomerangs, or two which are different shapes, cut out so that the lower edge of one is the upper edge of the other. These were not doing well at all so I headed home to the shop for modifications. I did a slight bit of undercutting on both wings of the interlocking set, and also a bit on the dingle arm of the flat top vees.

Monday after work I stopped by a field to retest the modified boomerangs. It was 87 degrees and I was in long pants, a long sleeve dress shirt and dress shoes. This is not my preferred style of dress for throwing boomerangs, especially in the heat. There was a slight breeze blowing so I was happy to do a real test. I threw the first flat top and was too far to the right of the wind. I threw the second and had much better results. The third throw looked real good. I stood there watching the boomerang, not planning to chase it down and noticed it had a great flight. I was sort of expecting it to drop to the ground right in front of me. What I didn't count on was the bit of additional lift it had at the end of the flight. As I stood there, like a target, the boomerang lifted a bit in its final approach and hit me square in the stomach. I never even tried to stop it or catch it. I was both quite surprised and quite pleased. I was also feeling a bit foolish for not thinking to catch it. A little adjustment in my throwing angle had the first two flying equally well. The interlocking set was still not up to snuff, but working better. A little more modification in the shop will take care of that.

With a craft show rapidly approaching I have to knuckle down and get some boomerangs made. I managed to get about 20 blanks cut out and sanded, with most needing a trip to the field to test fly. I found a stack of offset omegas from Okoume plywood and sanded them up quick, since they get clear finish and no paint. That increases my stock quickly. I also made 6 boomerangs with reversible airfoils. When thrown one way, they go further and lower, flipped over they go shorter but higher. Really interesting to see. I must think of a really cool paint job.
 
In addition to boomerangs I made some Aboriginal like clap sticks. These are sticks, about 12 inches long and 1 inch in diameter, which have tapered ends and are struck like a clave to produce sound for rythmn. The aboriginies either paint them or burn designs in them. I made six sets from white ash, a hard wood with excellent tone. I paintd them, making a solid band of color and adding dort art similar to the Aboriginal style.

I also decided to paint a few larger boomerangs with faux dot art. One boomerang is a Alberto Sabal designed Predator Hook, which was made by Rob Stewart. Rob had trouble with the boomerang and traded it to me. I fixed it and have now painted it in a dot art patten to represent a King Snake. The black, yellow and red pattern is striking. I can't wait for Rob to see how I painted it.

More boomerangs to make today, after church.

Photo: Dots being applied to Predator Hook.

Dave, Barb, Vince and Terri tailgating before the Houston Texans vs the Philadelphia Eagles game at Reliant Park in Houston. The Eagles won: 24-10

It's New Years and we sleep in a bit before heading over to see the opera house up close and personal. I don't know if we are tired from all the walking, or just tired, but it seems very warm this day and we start to seek some shade. We take plenty of photos of the opera house and start to wind our way back. I stop at a shop called Booms & Didge and try out some didges. The storekeeper is amazed at my attempts to play. I can't really play but get superb sound out of several bloodwood models. I am not convinced that these are priced very reasonably so move on to a store we passed the previous evening. Stopping there, we not only find nice sounding bloodwood ones, but they are priced less, and on sale! I eventually get a beautiful one and pay to have it shipped home. The shop owner can play and demonstrated several models he recommended. I selected the one I liked best, which was not his first choice, but he did say it seemed better suited for me. He also gave me additional beeswax to make or adjust the mouthpiece.

We headed back to the hotel and donned our swimsuits for a trip to the beach. We find that we cam get a train to the famous Bondi Beach and head on our way. Much to our surprise, we end up with the train stopping one station early, and then being bussed to the Bondi station. From there it is another bus trip to the beach, in a bus crammed with bodies! We finally arrive, and the beach is very busy. Barb takes a swim but I think the water is too cold so opt out and lay at the beach. The beach is really beautiful, although crowded, and features great waves, many surfers, and many bikinis! We catch all our transportation back to the hotel and can now say we have been to Bondi!

Photo: Manly men at Manly Wharf

It's now New Years Eve Day and downtown is hopping! We grab a ride on a train over to Paddy's Market; which is now much further from our hotel. It's time for us to get new hats, additional goodies to take home, and to shop for produce. The produce market is going big time now and we see a wide array of items we are not familiar with. We pick up some lychees, since we tasted them on Christmas, along with other fruits and veggies. We also stopped at the grocery store near the hotel and got a bargain on ready to eat lasagna.

After a quick stop for lunch we head to the Rocks area of Sydney with its numerous shops. I was still looking for a new didge and Barb shopped again for opals. She did well and got a necklace and pendant. We also found our didge performer, from the Northern Territories Center, working at a store called "Spirit of Downunder". Again we talk of boomerangs and didges; then the store owner challenges my knowledge of boomerangs. Surely a "Yank" can't know more than the average Aussie about boomerangs. To prove my worth, I cut a flicker boomerang from a business card and flick it off the back of my hand, catching it on return. This starts a scene outside the store were everyone wants a chance at playing with the flicker rang. Barb and I do a little shopping there and bought tablecloths from fabric with aboriginal artwork and a boomerang. We wandered around the area a bit more, stopping in several aboriginal art galleries. We were rather amazed at the number of stores in the area that not only sold aboriginal art, but also loads of boomerangs (not sure how many actually worked) and didgeridoos. It seemed like there was a major boom/didge shop every block.

We headed back to the hotel to eat supper; then it was back to the harbor to see the fireworks at 9pm. We walk into the harbor area and find a sea of people. We continue to try and get a better vantage point and at a certain point all forward progress stops. It is here were we make or stand and wait for the show to start. The people around us were very nice but as soon as the fireworks start, Barb discovers that a very tall person is directly in front of her view. To top that off, everyone is holding their digital cameras over their heads, trying to get fireworks photos. We do manage to see most of the show and it was exciting to see the fireworks burst over the opera house. As soon as the show is over, a lot of the people head home, only to be replaced by the crowd coming in for the 12 show. We walk back to the hotel and proceed to snack and have sparkling wine, as we watch the midnight fireworks on TV. It was interesting, as we were just a few blocks form the harbor. We opened the doors to the patio and could hear the fireworks from our room, although this was a few seconds after seeing them on TV.
 
Phot: Flicker rangs outside the Spirit of Downunder Shop

It's December 30 and we return to Sydney today. We packed up our stuff and head onto the dune behind the hotel for a few more photos of Uluru and Kata Tjuta, and an attempt at tossing boomerangs before the temps got really hot. We have learned that there is not much in open space out here, with the desert floor covered in scrub brush and spinaflex plants. The only clear areas were the tops of the dunes, and they were cleared for viewing areas. We get out last photos and go in search of brekkie. After waiting a bit for the shuttle to "town", we discover it is too early for shuttle service and end up walking to the shopping center. We find a place open, which is serving breakfast and get some food. We do some last minute shopping in the stores; then we head back to the hotel to wait for our shuttle to the airport.

The flight back was fine, and after getting our car back from airport parking ($$$) go off in search of luggage. We had stored some of it at the previous stop and after picking it up, headed to our new hotel. We have some trouble finding it, as it is well downtown, on a side street and not well marked. We arrive and find out that there are no arrangements for parking our car. After some discussion, we finally get a spot in a nearby garage at the additional cost of $30 a day. My, the surprises keep coming, don't they? It's starting to get late so we head out for supper and find a wonderful Irish pub a few blocks from the hotel.
 
Photo: Dave tossing a boomerang from the dune. Kata Tjuta in background

After our nap we head for some lunch at the grill. They list burgers in many varieties. I see a kangaroo burger so decide on that. I am more than pleasantly surprised to find my burger is really several slices of grilled kangaroo fillet. It is delicious! Properly recharged, we head out for our next adventure to Kata Tjuta, or the Olgas as the Anglos would say. It is here where we learn how the two formations were formed and the differences in them. Although Ayer's Rock is more famous, the grouping at the Olgas is much larger and higher. Our first hike is to the "Valley of the Winds". This hike is much harder than the hike around Uluru. The trail here is on an incline and the trail is rougher underfoot. The trails around Uluru are very smooth, due to the fine particles that makeup Uluru. However, Kata Tjuta is made up of larger material (rocks) and this makes walking harder. We continue up the path to the first lookout point and must stop. The trail is closed beyond this point due to extreme temperatures. This cuts our hike in half and after a photo stop here, we climb back down the trail to the bus and move on.

The next stop is at the Walpa Gorge trail. This hike will be about the same length as the last one but by then my ankles were in pretty bad shape and the heat was getting to both of us. Barb and I sat at the base of the trail and waited for the group to return. Then we were all bussed to a place to view the sun setting on Kata Tjuta and sip sparkling wine before being transported off to supper. This tour group was a bit smaller and maybe closer knit. We sort of hooked up with an Italian couple who were great fun to talk to. Our tour guide and bus driver tried to make things real fun for us. For the second night we dined under the stars, but this time it was at picnic tables and the food was not quite like the previous evening. We had noticed by this time that except for salads, veggies were not very evident at many meals. After another star gazing opportunity, we were taken back to the hotel at 10:30, ending a very long day. On the way back to the hotel, the group decided to present Barb and me with the extra bottle of sparkling wine, since we had actually made this trip as our 35th Anniversary celebration. We were flattered and thankful.
 
Photo: Barb and Dave at Kata Tjuta