Ideas for next year's BOWSWAP!?

[ordcorpdw]

Would that limit the field to only certain types of bows? I have read these bow swap threads and never dove in because I was learning.....still am. Now I'm thinking what I produced would pale in comparison to what I see the others make....hope to be there someday but still learning. Maybe a newb swap would be beneficial....was thinking of going for it this year.

[LittleBen]

ordcorpdw, I dont think bow type needs to be limited. I received a fairly simple oak bord bow my first year, and frankly it's one of the better tillered bows I own. Certainly the bowyer was capable, and the bow more than functional. So i don't see a need to tell people what they can and can't make. I think most poeople try to do their best and really make somethign which is better than their last one.

[soy]

Sport hunter is spot on it does drive you to build a better bow that is why in my opinion it takes the allotted amount of time because you work on another one another one trying to achieve a better finished product that you can present to somebody With pride

[monterey]

Originally posted by PEARL DRUMS:
How about the latest batch of 3 people from the prior year can facilitate the following years swap? Its an eye opener. Something else Ive noticed, folks signing up and THEN trying to learn how to make a bow. That's just not right.

Procrastinators herding procrastinators!  :eek:  

Seems a bit like herding cats!

[LittleBen]

I agree Monterey, that does not sound like a good plan to me either. Sort of like prison inmates acting as guards ...

[red hill]

Ord, I like the idea that the bow could be any type of bow. That is part of the thrill of the trade. LittleBen is right, the workmanship and craftsmanship is key in the trade.

[ordcorpdw]

Whew!!!!!! I have some ipe, hickory, padauk and olive wood from Bethlehem for my first jump....I'm hoping to get in this go round...been planning for about a year.

[KellyG]

Ok I really would like to remind all of something.


This swap was set up for novice and veteran a like.

If you are new to the hobby and would like to join in do so. Post your work and let the veterans help out.

If you have a bow or two under you belt the swap is for you. If you have never built on it is not for you.

 Again some can build a bow a week other take a lot more time. I broke 2 this year and put out two shooters. One I was proud of and was happy to send it. The other was my best bow to date. Heck my wife even noticed.

But I am new and I know I am not in the same league as 99% who enter but I get better with every bow and shipping one to someone makes me want to build them better then the last and challenge myself to one a bit shorter or different wood. I really want honest feed back on the bows I ship. So I can get better and some day join the 99% and that is what this swap is for.
I have really rambled to much.

Now keep the Ideals coming. And in late DEC I will look at it and see what we can use and what might work with out adding a lot of extra work on my end.

[canopyboy]

Looks like Kelly addressed my concerns in his first 2 sentences.

If you're in this swap to receive a top end bow, then I think you're in it for the wrong reasons.  Requiring people to have a certain level of demonstrated experience before entering kills one of the greatest benefits of the swap in my opinion.  If I were to get a bow that a new bowyer had worked hard on that still amounted to a modified 2x4 with a string, I don't think it would change the the satisfaction I get from participating.  Nor would I want people to feel pressure that they couldn't try to push themselves with a new style of bow or other attempts to up their game during the swap in order to eliminate any risk.  Having a recipient, a deadline, and the comraderie of the swap thread has gotten many successfully started on the bowyer path.

Don't loose track of what's important in the swap.  It's the advancement of bow making on the collective level and the fellowship that goes with that.

The question I think we need ideas on is how to try to encourage people (myself included) to put the level of effort they find in June/July into their bows back in Feb/Mar so that this doesn't drag on.  I don't think limiting participation or grouping people into experience levels does anything in this respect.  And in all other respects, I think the swap is about as good as it gets when using my prior paragraph as an objective.

[goobersan]

X2 -Mr. Canopy. Well said. Exactly why I jumped in, instead of testing the water. I challenged myself with design changes I had never attempted before. And will do the same next year. The brotherhood at tradgang is second to none. That's why we are here.

[monterey]

But I am new and I know I am not in the same league as 99% who enter but I get better with every bow and shipping one to someone makes me want to build them better then the last and challenge myself to one a bit shorter or different wood. I really want honest feed back on the bows I ship. So I can get better and some day join the 99% and that is what this swap is for.

Well said Kelly!    .  My swap bow was the best I've ever built just because it was going to go to another member.  I thought long and hard and tried several different ideas before settling on the build.  When I shot it the arrows went magically to the point I was looking at!  Wanted to keep it for myself.    

Not trying to be a braggart!  The bow still did not come up to some that I see in the swap threads, but the swap inspired me to try to do the best possible.  

IMO, that is what the swap is about.  Could be wrong on that but it worked that way for me.