A note from the owner and bowyer, Dylan Bruce:
I grew up in the Green Mountain National Forest, endlessly exploring the natural world around me. I fell in love with traditional archery at an early age, and as an adolescent I was first inspired to build my own bows by master bowyer Jim Duclos, founder of Green Mountain Longbow. After college in central New York and graduate school in Colorado, I moved back to Vermont to pursue a career as a statistics analyst. My background in empirical research directly transfers to how I design, test, and hand build Ironwood Archery’s bows and arrows.
I'm very careful about the materials we use, the saw mills we source from, and the environmental impact we have. You can read more about that below.
I welcome any questions or outreach from potential customers or interested parties.
All my best,
Dylan
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Our Roots - The “Ironwood” Namesake and Company Values
Nearly every culture has at least one tree species referred to as “Ironwood.” The common element in such woods is exceptional density, durability, and tool-worthiness. These trees are the namesake for Ironwood Archery. Here in Vermont, our Ironwood is the American Hop-hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana; aka. “Hardack”). Where these trees were once valued for tool handles, they are now harvested solely as a high-BTU firewood.
Ironwood Archery is named in appreciation for naturally occurring materials. Our logo is an arrow passing through an anvil and growing into our local Ironwood tree, the American Hop-hornbeam. While synthetic materials are a necessary and important part of modern life, we believe that the only way to grow a more durable and sustainable future is for manufacturing industries to pair their expert craftsmanship with renewable natural resources.
Company Values
1. Materials Matter
Sustainability is our top concern! We work hard to reclaim scrap hardwood before it’s burned, find old stock piles in barns, and select lumber from responsible local sources. Our goals are not only focused on continuous design improvement, but also in minimizing the environmental impact of our operation. While we do sometimes use recycled or 3rd party certified exotic woods, we promise that locally grown Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacif) is as rot-resistant and stronger!
2. Total Transparency
As a small operation, we sell individual handmade bows rather than offering a stock of identical models. While we will never sell a bow that isn’t 100% functional, price will reflect bows that are aesthetically perfect vs. those that are perfectly functional. You are always welcome to ask about a particular product, a design, or our sustainability efforts.
3. Future Mindedness
Ironwood Archery is a small but growing business. As we increase our operation, we must address the dark side of manufacturing. Currently, our greatest concern is the fiberglass used in our laminated bows. Fiberglass is a fantastic synthetic material due to its durability and countless applications. However, the environmental costs of making fiberglass, as well as disposing of it, are high.