Enthusiasts from all over the world rely on John Cryderman to make them the perfect boomerang. Every week parcels are sent around the globe to lawyers, doctors and other professionals who have taken up the sport in a big way.

The top floor of the house which serves as Cryderman.s liume and production business is just big enough for two offices and a bedroom. His office is crowded and the walls are full of photographs of his boomerangs including one he made for Prince Charles. A large parcel is leaning against the visitor's chair addressed to someone in Louisiana. It contains several boomerangs. Across the hall his bedroom walls are covered in every imaginable shape and style of boomerang from the commonly known shape to stars and even one in the shape of a tooth. He designed this one for a dentist and has had several more orders for it since.

There are many misconceptions about boomerangs according to Cryderman. The first is the origin of the boomerang. Although boomerangs were found in Australia, there was also one discovered in Poland which is believed to be the oldest in the world at more than 20,000 years.

Another misconception, says Cryderman, is that the returning boomerangs were used for hunting. He believes, through extensive study, that early man started throwing sticks as a means of hunting up to 2.5 million years ago. From then on through the palaeolithic period the throwing sticks were refined and shaped to imitate the wings of a bird or the shape of maple keys. "It's almost anybody's guess how it developed," he said

"A true returning boomerang was never used for hunting," said Cryderman. Returning boomerangs range in weight between three and six ounces. "If you hit a tiger with a three ounce stick he's gonna turn around and get mad at you," he said. He added non-returning boomerangs used for hunting weigh between one and 2.5 kg and are up to a metre in length.

In the 18th century the Lewis and dark expedition to Australia documents seeing aboriginal people using returning boomerangs for recreation. Cryderman adds the young men were trained for war using returning boomerangs by standing several of the boys within a circle. An elder would throw the boomerang and the boys would have to try not to get hit. Lewis and dark also noted the men lighting the tips of the boomerangs in the fire before throwing them at night.

In 1928 boomerangs were also discovered in King Tutankameri's tomb. The early Egyptians, says Cryderman, traded boomerangs among the wealthy. They were a sign of prosperity and were made of fine woods and ivory and were often inlaid with gold.

Today's boomerangs are made from wood, fiberglass, aluminum and various plastics and are priced between $30 and $200.

Cryderman does his manufacturing in the basement of the house. A large assortment of different woods are drying in the greenhouse attached to the basement wall. Several bowed limbs and hooked branches wait to be cut into shape. Some of these will become throwing sticks for a growing following in the United States and others will become competition returning boomerangs.

"The competitors get so picky they have to be made within one mm thickness and two to three grams of weight," said Cryderman. "I've spent two to three weeks with some of them."

Most of his products are made from laminated wood. The • shop contains countless forms and templates used to give form to the wood. The wall of the basement is lined on one side with a huge assortment of files and rasps for the final shaping and on the opposite side are several types of large electric saws and shaping tools, all on wheels so they can be pulled into the cramped work space as needed.

As Cryderman removes a freshly laminated blank from the mold, he explains that this particular design is one used by former world champion Al Gerhard who has given him permission to use his patterns.

The thick blank then has the ends cut off flush before going to the band saw to be cut down the, length into thin strips, each new slice to become a boomerang.

Now the final process of shaping the surface - much like an airplane wing - and inserting weights and tuning the product with just the right amount of a bend from center to tip. "Boomerangs have to be tuned so anyone who throws one