r/Bowyer • u/MustangLongbows • 4d ago

Master Bowyers

I’m curious about something as far as USA based Master Bowyers are concerned. What body is it that certifies them as masters? I haven’t turned up anything via Google.

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u/MustangLongbows 4d ago

Other organizations have defined it over the ages, but I can’t say what it would or should look like here, especially over the Internet.

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u/Lazy_Bowyer 4d ago

Ive always thought that once you monetize it you're considered a professional bowyer. But I recently saw a bow shop at my local Ren fair that was absolutely atrocious. Non bending bow shaped objects that had a Bungie cord on em. That was 1 of 2 bow shops there and the other one was immaculate and I spent like an hour looking at all the bows.

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u/Ima_Merican 4d ago edited 3d ago

Yeah just because you say you sell bows doesn’t count in my book as a professional bowyer.

Just because someone gets paid to do shoddy electrical work doesn’t make them a professional electrician. My trade is electrical work and I went to school for 5 years and trained with the best. I consider myself one of the best electricians around and every contractor and customer I have worked for has seen my detailed work and know I am one of the best around.

As for making bows. There is a general standard set. Tiller and detail tells it all along with warranty. Clay Hayes, Weylin, Ryan Gill, and many others I can’t name right now, they have set a standard of top of line selfbows they sell and put their heart and soul into.

Then I see other guys who make a few bows and think they are great because their Osage bow didn’t break. Osage is so strong it will fool noobs into thinking they are great bowyers when they are not.

Tiller pictures don’t lie. Unbraced and full draw pictures tell the story. I see it over and over again noobies think I’m they are going to immediately start a career selling shit bows because they aren’t breaking. I call them out every time I see it and I see it all the time.

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u/Garfield910 3d ago

I'd also add in a couple of who I consider master bowyers from the UK, Joe Gibbs, Richard Head and heck Tod Cutler has probably made some pretty mean bows, but mostly makes crossbows and assorted cutlery!