Jaco explaining about the grain of the wood in a growing tree.

Jaco discussing the layout of a selfbow.

Clamping the ’boo backing with back set.

Cutting out a backed bow.

Working the handle fades.

Stringing a new bow.

The first shot!

Chris Green, along with several other archery enthusiasts, attended a bow-building workshop at the home of Jaco Wessels.

South Africa had yet to hold a bow-building workshop along the lines of the North American Mojam and its derivatives. Well, this changed when the idea of a group bow-building weekend was first mooted by Chris Botha on Anchorpoint. As interest grew, the need for a venue emerged. Jaco Wessels very generously offered his workshop, tools, materials and expertise. The response was immediate and a date was fixed. Seven people ‘signed up’ and preparations began in earnest. Jaco offered several options from prepared hickory-backed staves, osage and bamboo to simple ash staves. We were also welcome to bring whatever tools or materials we wanted to use.
Jaco lives on a plot at Hammanskraal and works from home, making and selling bows and other equipment. He has a showroom-cum-clubhouse near his workshop, where we camped for the weekend. He also has a target range and a 3D range on his property.

Arriving
We all arrived on Friday afternoon, and after setting up our tents we went over to the workshop where we decided what kind of bow we would make and selected appropriate staves. It was nice to meet new bow enthusiasts of widely differing experience. They were Wolfgang with his two sons, Martin (22) and Robert (18). Etienne Malan came with his young son Benjamin, aged two-and-a-half. Chris Botha (I’ll call him Chris B) is an IT specialist but has a passion for knife-making and woodwork. Gert is a school teacher who teaches woodwork and practical skills to learning-impaired kids. We were joined on Saturday morning by Thomas Rudman.

Starting
At the workshop next morning Jaco formally welcomed us all and set out some very clear rules regarding safety and procedures. The programme would include some valuable basic information about the technical aspects of wooden bows, about the growing process of trees and about their harvesting. Contributions were welcomed and the sharing of information was to be the order of the day.

We started with some discussions about how wood bends and what qualities make a good bow wood, as well as the kinds of growth features to look out for when selecting a tree to cut. Included here was the seasoning of wood as well as procedures to follow to prevent drying cracks, known as ‘checks’. We set off to cut a tree to harvest staves from. Jaco had selected a syringa tree, the exotic invader that has become widespread in South Africa. It is also known as “mak sering”. On the way Jaco pointed out ways of selecting suitable trees and identifying the way the grain grows inside the tree from the appearance of the bark as well as the angle of tilt and other factors, such as available light, that affect the growth characteristics of a tree. Knots and old branch scars are also indicators ofpotential problems in a stave.

Back at the workshop Jaco showed us how to split a stave using a skill saw to start the split along a predictable line and then use wedges to finish it. The ‘top’ stave immediately curved back more, giving a pronounced potential recurve. The ‘bottom’ stave also lifted, but not as much. Once this groundwork was done, our attention turned to the actual work of making the prepared staves into bows. Jaco spent a great deal of time carefully explaining and demonstrating the correct layout of a selfbow. He managed to get everyone going, and from then on when an important step was reached we would be called together to listen to an explanation of what to do next. However, the detailed steps of building bows need not be gone into here. The new bowyers were enjoying the process and had most of the attention, while the rest of us circulated. I was having a good time talking bows and archery to the others.

Working
Wolfgang, Robert and Etienne, being beginners, took up more of Jaco’s time, which was perfectly in order. They were all busy with the layout on their prepared staves. Once done, Jaco cut the initial shape using his bandsaw before they got stuck into wood removal with scrapers and files, carefully following a ‘formula’ to ensure an even removal of wood. We ate lunch ‘on the hoof’, as everyone was reluctant to leave the workshop. Later in the afternoon Jaco suggested we take a bit of time off to go and shoot a few targets in order to clear our minds. We shot about ten targets until the light faded, and then returned to camp. Thomas, Gert and Chris B went back to the workshop and the others relaxed by the fire. Thomas’s bow was out of the hotbox and Gert’s went in so as to be ready to start on in the morning. Glueing time is about three hours with Urac 185. The hotbox temperature was about 60 degrees Celsius.

That evening we had a grand braai and a potjie. The talk went from bows to hunts and travels. Wolfgang and Etienne are former classical musicians and turned out to know my partner from their various performances together. It’s a small world.

Last day
The next morning being the last day, we redoubled our efforts. All the bows were at floor-tiller stage and the aim was to get an even bend with reasonable effort before stringing the bow. By noon it was time for a stringmaking seminar as Robert’s bow was nearly ready to string. The intricacies of making a Flemish string for the first time can make you wonder why you are suddenly ‘all thumbs’. It seems impossible, but by breaking it into small steps everyone was able to make a string for their bow.
By sunset three bows were shooting, Chris B was nearing final brace height and Gert had some way to go yet. There was a lot of final sanding to be done on all of them, as well as finishing and sealing, but the primary objective had been achieved. A shootable bow for two long days’ work. This is a fast result for novice bowyers and we agreed that three days is a more reasonable time frame, certainly in a workshop situation. What was impressive to all was how much one gains from working alongside others. The process is shared and one learns by observation how difficulties are overcome. The patience, experience and knowledge Jaco shared over the three days was extraordinary and I was grateful for the opportunity to have attended.

The bow-building workshop ended on Sunday evening. However, Gert stayed on and he and Jaco worked until 3 am. After rising at eight they continued until early on Monday afternoon before he was finally finished. This was the ‘final tiller stage’ when material comes off in micrometres. How slow you are prepared to go will determine whether your bow comes out at weight, but also whether it is going to be fast and smooth shooting. The tillering is the most vital part after the materials and design. Gert generously shared on Anchorpoint his pictures of his beautiful, finished bow that came out spot on the target weight.

When Chris B suggested a group bow-building weekend, he had started a thread that resulted in a wonderful experience and some new traditional archers. We all talked of doing it again, but I think Jaco is still recovering!