2015 Primitive Archer bow trade works in progress

[bubbles]

Rather than grading the bows it might be easier to group the bowyers and put them in trade groups of equal skill level. So you would be trading only with guys at your skill level.  Have three tiers, advanced, intermediate and beginner. Still getting a bow made just for you, by someone in a similar state of bow making ability. 

[blackhawk]

Instead of offering up a bunch of worthless rant of meaningless words here that wont solve this issue,then lemme offer this:

Lemme know if yins need a make up bow sent out....nuff said.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Just be sure they are safe Bad Chris

[Onebowonder]

<snip>Lemme know if yins need a make up bow sent out....nuff said.

It's so kewl when y'all yankees say 'yins'.  I can hear the western PA accent of my cousins ringing in my head when y'all do that.

...and good on ya Chris for offering a solution.


Onebow

[E. Jensen]

It was just an idea.  You could just have all the bows in a general range, 40-60# for example.  I don't know about left/right.  All my bows are ambidextrous so I forget about that one.  Maybe a better idea is like you said and make sure people are regular participants.

[PEARL DRUMS]

We tried post limits, time in the saddle and a few other metrics in the past. It doesn't matter or work. Id suggest just swapping with friends. Im sure most of us have noticed birds of a feather flock together around "here". We all have our cliques, crews or factions we belong to. Swap amongst yourselves and enjoy a relaxing swap.

[E. Jensen]

I like Bubble's last idea.  But inevitably someone will be hurt they are not intermediate or not advanced.  What a pickle.  I've done enough swaps to know you've got to go into it knowing you could send something out that is much better than what you receive.  Just the name of the game.

[paulsemp]

I did it for 3 years and enjoyed it. Now ive been doing only personal trades and like it more. No deadline, no drama and more personal. Its sad that is how i feel but it is the truth. Hope you all figure a way to finalize.

[Chadwick]

I am definitely a guilty one, on this, my first bow trade.
I sent out a bow that I really liked, but didn't package it well enough for the rhinoceros at UPS and they broke the hell out of it. I should have known better for international shipping, and now I do. Mikekeswick, bless his heart, told me to not worry about it and just chalk it up to learning this year, and maybe he could still salvage something from what was left in the package. I don't intend to leave it at that, so I'm working on it.
And then, on top of my recipient receiving a busted mess, I received an awesome bow from Sleek.
Regarding the "grading" of bowyers or their bows: I'd rather see it happen the way it did, with a risk of receiving a clunker. If it's open to all comers, then there's risk for the veterans, but they can handle it. If they don't like the bow they receive, they can always build one they like more. The trade is about building community for me, more than banking on the bow I'll get. There's a reason why this thread has more than 35x the 'views' than the posts... It strikes a positive chord in many of us.
Sleek, thank you man.
Michael

PS: Thank you so much to the organizers of this event!!

[JoJoDapyro]

This is my point with the whole deal though Bruce, Just because you get a bow that isn't as good as you can make, doesn't mean it wasn't the best bow that your builder could. That is why we need to not expect the world from a trade. My complaint is that we seem to have a large number of people who, instead of taking it up with the person who made their bow, went to the person who ran their group. I don't know about the other two, but dealing with people dropping out, and not hearing from people on shipping has been a chore. I know I signed up for it. Let the person who sent your bow know. They might be mad, but they will at least not have to wonder about your honesty.

[bubbles]

I guess ideally in a tiered system you would not be informed of which level the organizers slotted you in. You would be judged based on your body of work already presented on the site.

[lebhuntfish]

Maybe we should not have the trade a secret. Maybe we should have it out in the open like the arrow trade was. Where you list all the names and your victims name is the one after yours. That way everyone knows.

By the way, Chadwick, you have remained my respect sir. I'm sorry I felt the way I did. But I never made one comment online or to anyone. Patrick

[JoJoDapyro]

In the end we all need to remember that what we think is awesome may not ring someone else's bell! No matter what I get, I am going to be happy. Someone spent a lot of hours making something for me. As I have said, I plan on building another bow for Bruce, fair is fair. A lot of folks said right off the bat to not take the trade lightly, and I suspect that a lot of us still did. As many of us have seen first hand, Stuff happens. Bows break. Plans A through D don't work. i think there has been some awesome bows, and to be completely honest, some guys have really turned it up from what I thought they would put out!

[JoJoDapyro]

Bruce, please tell me where there is any fiberglass on that bow? I can wait, and you will find one small 1x1 piece on the butt end of the top limb. I'm sorry you are disappointed, I am sorry that someone didn't give you the very best bow in the entire trade. I put hundreds of arrows through that bow. If you didn't feel safe shooting it, why did you?

[JoJoDapyro]

Also, by the looks of the photo you didn't have the top limb seated. There is no need to be ugly Bruce, You said you didn't like it, I said I would send another, I don't know what beyond that you wanted. Trust me when I say it was a disappointment for us both. I spent many many hours on that bow, If I hadn't shot it, and knew it would work, I wouldn't have sent it. And on that note, i'm done. If you want to keep going on about it, feel free.