Makerspaces!

[red-night]

Okay, so for context, a makerspace is a place where someone can go and use any piece of creative technology the space has for little to no cost. This could be 3d printers, laser cutters, Cricut machines, embroidery machines, etc. etc. I actually work/do research in my uni makerspace!! I've been able to do so much cool work and projects it's insane. Plus, I've been able to help people and that's one of my favorite things ever

So to sum all of this rambling up, I really really really love makerspaces and I wanted to know if anyone else has either been to one or lives nearby to one! Or even if you have a cool story about makerspaces. Or even if you've never heard of them! The possibilities are limitless!!!

[Metropolis]

Never heard of them before! Seems neat        I love the idea of being able to create stuff for little to no money. Places like that encourage people to be creative. 

[LilMunchie]

man i wish i got to go to one of those!!! it reminds me of a story i heard where a town created a library, but instead of loaning out books they loaned out objects! Rolling pins, sewing machines, brooms, printers, whatever! You get to have it for free and then you would return it when your finished using it, When i heard of it I just imagined how amazing the world would be if we had more things like that! plus i cant imagine getting to use a 3d printer, theres so many things ive wanted to make with one that i never got to for various reasons. 

[Horsey Chobunso]

A close friend of mine runs woodshop classes at a local makerspace. I believe he does a basic class on making a cutting board and some kind of intermediate class. I'm lucky to have space at my house whenever I decide to expand my equipment for various hobbies, but I've had my eyes on a space near me that has a full darkroom. I love film photography, but right now I'm stuck on a develop + scan workflow. Ideally I'd have my own setup where I can use an enlarger to do analog printing, but for now I'll have to pay (the somewhat extreme) fee to use the enlargers at this makerspace. The good news is that I've only ever heard people speak highly of this space, so hopefully it'll be good for me.

[inulex]

i have one at my local library and one at my college! i haven't been to the one at my local library, but the one at my college lets you 3d print stuff for free, and has free yarn and knit/crochet stuff! it's completely run by students which is pretty awesome :D

[hunterirving]

I've been working on building a small makerspace/hackerspace in my garage! It's pretty small for now, but I've been making lots of progress on it lately.

Here's a website I made about it:

https://hunterirving.com/lab 

[Limette]

In my area there is an art school that moved locations many years ago, and their old building was repurposed for many things... One of them being makerspaces! Mainly, there is a wood workshop that anyone can use, they only ask for a small donation. There are volunteers there who can guide you through the machinery and show you how to set your projects into motion.

Another thing they have is a space where people can donate and trade for random knickknacks that would usually be considered trash, and then use them as crafting materials. They have a list of specific things they're looking for, like bottle caps or popsicle sticks. I joined a workshop once on how to make storage containers out of milk cartons.

The local library also holds sewing and knitting/crochet workshops, and you can rent sewing machines and other crafting devices there.

I haven't checked out if the university offers anything, but I assume they do. Something I'd really like to find a makerspace for is 3D printing, as there are a few future projects I have that would require printing specific parts.

[Noah_S]

I have never heard of them, but I wish there was something like that here. Can you just.. show up? And make whatever you want? That sounds like a dream come true

[Horsey Chobunso]

I have never heard of them, but I wish there was something like that here. Can you just.. show up? And make whatever you want? That sounds like a dream come true

I can't speak for all of them, but the one near me is a non-profit that works on a monthly or annual subscription to help cover the costs of materials, machines, maintenance, and building expenses. Members get 24/7 access to the building and the equipment, but they're also required to volunteer a little bit each month.

Back when I was in college , there was a small campus makerspace that was free to any students, but I don't think it's open to non-students.

[ashParadise]

I keep meaning to check out our local makerspace, our local university has one that's open to the general public but getting onto campus can be hard if you don't work/go to school there! Such an amazing resource though and I send people there all the time, they even have a small recording booth for recording voice acting or vocals for music

[red-night]

[tart]I've been working on building a small makerspace/hackerspace in my garage! It's pretty small for now, but I've been making lots of progress on it lately.

That sounds so much fun!!! Lmk if you need resources or anything; I did a bunch of preliminary research on starting makerspaces when I was a sophomore, so I'm willing to share!