By Nelius Mostert

I met Chris du Plessis, a businessman from Pretoria, some time ago while I was looking for more information on black powder and muzzle-loading for ABH&A. We met for coffee and what should have been an hour’s business interview turned out to be several hours’ conversation on much more than black powder.

Chris was a carpentry teacher some time ago, and when I spoke to him about ABH&A, he told me that he was building two bows for his nephews, Pierre (12) and Robert (10). What struck me was that he said both would only cost R40, excluding the tools, and even they would not cost an arm and a leg. I asked him to take some pictures of the whole operation and explain how he did it.

Chris decided to use bamboo for the two bows because the material is cost-effective and very resilient. He bought a 2,5 metre long piece for R20, with a thickness of about 80 mm, enough for two bows of about 1,5 metres each.

The tools he used astonished me as well, and included the following:
1 handsaw
1 rasp
1 pocket knife (his own)
2 sheets of sandpaper (60, 80 grid)
1 pencil
1 measuring tape
2 x 150 mm x 38 mm x 38 mm pine brandering
1 nylon rope (2,5 m x 4 mm)
1 screwdriver
8 wood screws (10 mm x 3 mm)
1 x 50 ml tin of teak varnish

This is how Chris described building the bows:
“First you saw the bamboo to the right length, in this case it was 1,5 m. The rest can be used to build your quivers. Mark with pencil and saw the bamboo right down the middle.

“Measure and determine the middle and mark it with a pencil, then measure and mark both ways 75 mm or 100 mm. This is where your handgrip will be fastened later on. Draw a line from tip to tip to determine the middle. Place the brandering piece to fit in the marked area and mark the sides, leaving about 5 mm spare both ways.

“Measure 10 mm both ways on the tips so that you have a 20 mm wide tip when you have finished working on the limbs. Next mark the limbs in a straight line, from the corners of the handgrip marks to the tip corners.

“Bamboo is soft and very easy to work with. Use the rasp to work both limbs off up to the lines. Round it off nicely so that there are no sharp edges that could cut a careless hand when picking it up. Also work the inside to get rid of all the joints until it is flat. Flatten the part where you will insert the handgrip so that they fit perfectly.

“Now mark and saw the gap in the middle for the arrow rest.

Remember to determine if it will be a left-handed or right-handed bow. A right-handed bow has the arrow rest on the left side and vice versa.

“Work the handle with the rasp to give it the feel you prefer and, using a little liquid glue, screw it into place from the front with four screws, then clamp for at least an hour.

“Next cut the slots for the strings around the tips with a pocket knife, or use the rasp. Now finish the bow off with sandpaper, first using 60 grid, then 80 grid. Varnish and leave to dry.

“I only measured these bows afterwards, and both were around 35 pounds. If the child is still young, you could work the limbs off with sandpaper and measure the pounds as you go before varnishing the end product.

“Both nephews had a lot of fun with their bows and have already ‘ordered’ stronger ones, as their dream is to hunt in the wild with their ‘weapons’.

“I want to thank ABH&A for this opportunity to share my experience and my wish is that you all have plenty fun with this idea.”Well, Chris, I for one will try this before this article is published. Thank you for all the trouble and I believe we will hear from a lot of people who have tried their hand at it. So, guys, now it is your turn to make a loved one smile If you want to contact Chris du Plessis for more information, you can do so on 083 778 7214 or e-mail him at dce@lantic.net