Thursday, October 19, 2017

Maker Space


Even our small town has what is called a Maker Space.   I have been driving by ours for years.   They have a sign, they have some model rockets hanging from the window.   I just figured it was some kinda hobby store.  Frankly, I was worried if I went in there I would be assaulted by scrapbookers.  I hate scrapbookers!  So I have driven past.   

It wasn’t until this past Sunday night I had ever given it a second thought.   Talking to The Wife, who is Scoutmaster for one of our town’s Boy Scout troops.   She and her committee are always looking for activities for the scouts to do and it was suggested there was a real nice woodworking class taught in The Maker Space.  I asked her, “They have a shop available there?” she whipped out her trusty Scoutmaster iPhone and gave me the full list of tools they have.   …And I mean to tell you, it was full.  The light went on in my head and I realized what these places really are.

Two nice table saws with full outfeed tables.

During my workday yesterday while in the process of waiting for something to finish happening, I did a little research.   My big city has two such places.  Both of them advertise their laser cutter ownership.   One of the web sites did have a notice posted saying the laser cutter was broken.  There were no pictures on the broken laser cutter place, but there was on the other.   The place looked huge and extensive.   Both places offer tours on specific nights and tonight was the night for the broken laser place.

It took me about an fifteen minute drive via mostly freeway to get to the place.   It is located within a small (~five square city blocks) older, industrial development inside a very desirable neighborhood on the south side.  Just exactly the type of thing that never works out if you are playing Sim City, and yet here it is working in real life.  —Who’da thought. 

This Maker Space is a older, single story building.   It looked a little rough on the outside. I walked in and the tour began.  Inside the front door the seedy 1950s era offices are hoped to one day become a computer lab.  —They had a ways to go.  In the corner there is a ham radio station. The basement is an art area with some big tables, drafting table etc.  I noticed a 3D printer.  A sewing room with a dozen vintages of machines.  There were a couple of other areas like this, I can’t remember it all.   

The reason I am really here.  Critical to the
building of a tabletop!

Then upstairs.  Walking into the shop it was split into four bays.   Maybe eight thousand square feet total.  One bay was storage where I would be able to keep a plastic tote nine of materials.  One bay was a welding shop.  One bay a machine shop with three metal lathes (one of which my guide guaranteed worked.) two vertical mills.  One of the mills was named Bridget. :-D Metal band saw, bending equipment, etc.   I don’t know that stuff well so maybe I am easy to impress.  I thought it looked good.   

Then the wood shop.   Two big table saws with full out-feed tables.   A nice looking Jet jointer (the tool that actually set off this search for shop space) along with a wide planer and two smallish lathes.  They had a CNC machine that was currently broken down.   I don’t even know what that is, I am just passing on what they told me.   They didn’t have a wide sander, which would have been a really cool thing for one of my planned tasks.  Otherwise it seemed like a very well decked out shop.  

The wood shop equipment was the newest in appearance the table saws in particular.  The other equipment, to me, looked pretty old.   But stuff looked well maintained.   My tour guide described the place as like a big crazy extended family.   It is volunteer run.  It sounds like some members are around a lot.

The welding shop.

Here is what really seals the deal for me.   This Maker Space is $55 a month, 24/7 building access.  The other place with all the nice pictures on their web site is $200 a month, three month minimum commitment.   Not a job shop.  I really can’t afford to spend that kind of money.   I don’t need high tech stuff to build a table and a few other custom van parts.  I really *wish* this was a drive-in shop so I could get the van inside for some of my stuff but the expensive place doesn't have that ability either. 

I think I will sign up and meet with the shop foreman next week.  Before I can work I have to attend an orientation. He wants to show me where everything is, and also I am sure, confirm that I am a low risk hazard for myself or his shop.


Ok and here is another aspect to the whole shop.  It is the corner lot of an industrial dead end street set in the middle of a nice safe south side of town residential block.  A place where a cargo van would be totally invisible.   Interesting.

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