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Ask Slashdot: How Should I Build a Maker Space For a Liberal Arts College?
XxtraLarGe writes: I work for a small liberal arts college, and have been asked to research makerspaces. I have done a bunch of initial research which tells me a lot about equipment being used, as well as location, etc., but what I'm not finding are what to know before you start, or what it takes to make the effort worthwhile.
I'd be interested in hearing from other educators, staff, students and other maker community members on Slashdot that had makerspaces at their schools or community — can be any level — and what was the experience like? 3D printer, 3D scanner & Laser cutting machines seem to be a given, so I'd like to hear what kinds of think-outside-the-box equipment/materials did you have? We are considering putting it in our library, which seems to be a popular choice with most schools. There's also the possibility of having it somewhere in town that it could be more accessible to members of the community, maybe even as a co-op.
I'd be interested in hearing from other educators, staff, students and other maker community members on Slashdot that had makerspaces at their schools or community — can be any level — and what was the experience like? 3D printer, 3D scanner & Laser cutting machines seem to be a given, so I'd like to hear what kinds of think-outside-the-box equipment/materials did you have? We are considering putting it in our library, which seems to be a popular choice with most schools. There's also the possibility of having it somewhere in town that it could be more accessible to members of the community, maybe even as a co-op.
It's been called a WORKSHOP or some close equivalent in various languages for something like 2000 years now! Why the heck do we need to make up a stupid name for it?
mock up a fast food counter or burger station
Build it with other people's money
I work at an art school. The equipment you choose is important, but not as crucial as the level of commitment from your institution. Building a space isn't just picking and buying the equipment. The institution also needs to look at the cost of staffing the space with knowledgeable, dedicated staff who can help manage expectations and keep things running. Layman think that laser cutters, 3D printers and CNC machines are like laser printers, they're not. There are safety regulations to consider, as well as proper ventilation and dust filtering. In academic spaces, "maker" devices get beaten to hell and are constantly breaking down. Grad students can only be expected to do so much. If your school is committed to "making," then then need to commit an annual budget to build an appropriate home as well as staff and maintain the facility with at least one full timer who can train faculty, and manage grad students and work study.
Advertise it as being socially responsible, and something that will empower poor, "developing nations" womyn.
"I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
If the idea is to make it available to students, then it should be on campus.
It shouldn't be anywhere near the library, because it will be noisy if it's any good.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
"think-outside-the-box equipment/materials did you have"
No, you need the conventional tools that have been developed over the centuries, augmented by whatever 21st century stuff you want. But a hammer and a saw and a drill and a chisel will be far more use than most things that plug into a computer. having said that, you might buy a big box of Arduino clones and see what people do with them. They cost about as much as a nut and a bolt. (seriously, I just paid $2.80 for a nut and a bolt, the same as an Arduino Mini)
The solutions should be outside the box, do you really think you can invent or even need a better hammer?
You need a good supply of hand tools, work benches, raw stock to fool with (wood, metal, plastic). You need an enormous selection of fasteners (machine screws and nuts and washers from #0 or #2 up to 3/8"). You need adhesives (epoxy, contact cement, Spray 77, etc.)
You need consumable supplies (shop towels, sandpaper, dykem, pencils, etc)
You also need conventional power tools: band saw, hack saw, sanders, grinders, drill press, a lathe, a vertical mill (preferably with CNC capability, or at least digital readouts). A welder and a plasma cutter are quite useful.
AND, you need someone who can teach people how to use all this equipment without maiming themselves and spraying blood and body parts around the shop. that's a special skill: a lot of machinists are not well suited to the task, because they tend to be perfectionists and want to do it "just so"; they tend to be "here, just let me do it". You need someone who says "these things in the rack are called collets, and you need to pick the one that matches the size cutter you are using. Tighten the drawbolt using this wrench, and for gods sake, remember to take the wrench off before starting the machine."
"Uh, tie your hair back before starting the lathe, unless you want to be gruesomely scalped."
Some other poster suggested finding a shop teacher, and that's ideal.
Find yourself a shop teacher, and let them tell you what kind of stuff you need. (I would think that 20-40k would probably do it, if you buy decent used machine tools. You're not doing production work to a gnat's eyelash, so almost any 48" Bridgeport with readouts and drives would do.
I've been involved with my local makerspace, Tangle Ball in Auckland NZ, for about five years now. The most important thing we have done has been to focus on the social aspect: we're mostly interested in how members and guests behave and relate to each other. So, obviously no discrimination, abuse or other bad behaviour is allowed. We do not focus on any particular technology or tools or activity, but instead think about how we run the place, who gets to make decisions (anybody can take part in debates, no committee with any real power) and who has access or doesn't. We don't exclude any particular activity, anything is permitted so long as it doesn't monopolise any of the resources, discriminate or exclude others.
That said, there are a wide range of activities, mostly around physically making things:
* Sewing
* Boat building
* Electronics
* Robotics
* Art
* Debate of social issues such as democracy, privacy, capitalism, urban development
* Software development
* Car painting
* Tool tutorials and safety
* A co-housing group
* A cycle repair group - tumekecyclespace.org.nz
* Cooking and baking
* Collectivism
There is a 3D printer, but suggesting a makerspace must have one is an odd and rather arbitrary decision: why would you focus on that one technology, it's terribly limiting? Why not sewing or brass casting or something else?
The question is this: what are you trying to achieve, and why? In our case it was to provide a social space for members, who then provided whatever resources were required. The tools or whatever will follow from there; trying to predict what members and users want will straight away close down what can and can't be done.
A quick Google(makerspace) brought me to the Wikipedia:
A hackerspace (also referred to as a hacklab, makerspace or hackspace) is a community-operated workspace where people with common interests, often in computers, machining, technology, science, digital art or electronic art, can meet, socialize and collaborate.
I'd like to highlight the entire quote. It explains concisely how a makerspace is a particular kind of workshop in terms of what kind of work is focused on and especially the community aspects of socialization and collaboration. The distinction is important because people are encouraged to come to makerspaces to participate and socialize while workshops in general tend to be closed to the public and usually won't even lend you tools.
A car analogy would be you complaining about the new-fangled term "ATV" which refers to certain kinds of vehicles and you suggesting the older and more generic term "vehicle" be used instead.
We don't see the world as it is, we see it as we are.
-- Anais Nin
Not better than this one, no:
http://www.vaughanmfg.com/shop...
You are welcome on my lawn.
I'll offer a list of components I dearly missed when last using a shop.
0.01" permanent markers, very useful for drawing fine lines to cut or marking places to drill.
Thread gauge, because people will drop bolts and screws and get confused about which bin they go in.
Hot knife for cutting plastics, especially if it's hut enough to cut Teflon.
Velcro ty-wraps, especially those that come in the cheap big pre-perforated rolls.
Furniture clamps, for gluing bulky items.
Ziploc bags for keeping components together when people leave the workshop.
Voltmeter, one that can safely measure 120 Volt, and fuses for it when unskilled people misuse it.
Good pair of diagonal wire cutters.
Dremel tool.
Bins to put different projects in, rather than leaving them out on the bench.
If you have an art department, they probably have a basic wood shop, and basic metal shop (welders, small foundry, etc.). If you have an engineering department, they may have small (or large) CNC machines for prototyping, solder stations, etc.
Maybe just open these up certain hours of the day / days of the week to people outside the departments?
"what I'm not finding are what to know before you start, or what it takes to make the effort worthwhile"
No one can give you the answer to this until you can communicate what you want the space to accomplish. Think ahead one year, five years. What does your space look like? Who does it serve? What key points can you identify that tell you it's successful?
Write that down. Make it realistic, and make sure it excites you AND others. Start working back with what it takes to get there. Share this. Work on it with people that would be using the space.
Starting a shop is one step, keeping it up and running is another story. Hopefully this is still relevant:
1. How will it be maintained? This is different than a personal workshop, or one shared with just a few people or a company doing production. Tools in makerspaces often get repeatedly used by people who know little about them, this is a GREAT thing, but it can be brutal on the machines.
2. Is the goal to train people to use the tools? If so, how will you accomplish this effectively?
Misc. comments:
Artisan's Asylum and Maker-Works have both offered makerspace boot camps. These are more geared towards how to keep a space running/maintaining it rather than how to start. But they're both great learning opportunities (though not cheap, and full disclosure: I work for Maker-Works)
Eastern Michigan recently opened: https://www.egr.msu.edu/ecesho...
This group is doing some research into makerspaces & education: http://catlab.gatech.edu/
Awesome, it looks like this still gets updated: https://wiki.hackerspaces.org/...
Bilal Ghalib. If you have a budget to pay someone to get you started, hire this man. http://bilalghalib.com/
Most importantly, involve the community as much as possible.
I would be happy to chat more, feel free to shoot me an email: joshdont gmail
You should talk to my wife, Private message me for her info. She works in the Instructional Technology group at Wellesley, based out of the library, and she has been managing the creation of their makerspace for a couple years now. They have two 3D printers, and 3D scanners, a makerspace "toy box" that they can bring around campus and setup on the fly. They have Kinects and Raspberry Pi's and even things as simple as Little Bits to get across ideas to students who have zero exposure to electronics.
There are several other universities she has interacted with that have similar setups, like Brandeis, Wheaton, and North Eastern. Ping me, she would be happy to talk with you to give you some info on how it has worked out.
Is this the end yet?...How 'bout now...how 'bout now...how 'bout now?
Are you being asked to do this because it's the hip thing to do, or because the school wants to turn out more well-rounded graduates who can actually do things with their hands?
The determined Real Programmer can write Fortran programs in any language.
Someone will want to print ABS and that stuff stinks. You'll need something to pull fumes from the vicinity. You could just supply PLA, but even so, ventilation would be helpful.
Consider a sewing machine.
Workbench with a vise, and several panavise-like or third-hand-like holders.
Nostalgia's not what it used to be.
Sounds to me like you (or whoever you are doing the research for) need to figure out what you want to do first, If it's going into the library "because that's a popular spot" or "maybe in the community", it sounds more like buzzword chasing than education.
I've been involved in a couple of maker spaces. One with a lot of machine tools and heavier machines. I've also toured a couple of hot metal oriented shops. My observation is that you really need to let the community guide the build-out and growth. Several reasons: 1. It's hard to predict what people will want until people start using it. 2. You need to have teachers for every tool. 3. Insurance issues will constrain some of your dreams. 4. You want things that people will actually use, because space for tools is a finite resource. 5. Your community may have different tolerance for tool learning curve.
You will find once you start that people will say: "Let's bring in an X." You should ask: Have you used one? Are you expert enough to teach others to use it? If not, can you find someone who is expert enough to teach it? Then after you have a potential teacher, you need to understand from that person the particulars of that machine and whether or not it is a good fit for your community.
Changing topics, here are some things I have seen at different shops, not all in the same shop:
CNC mill, CNC plasma cutter, small injection molding machine (these are all high-learning-curve machines requiring specialist insructors).
manual knee mill, metal lathe, wood lathe.
CNC router.
Sheet metal brakes/punches/english wheel -- surprisingly easy tools to get working with that enable very interesting projects.
Vacuum forming -- simple and versatile.
Hot metal casting -- simple, but needs specialist instructor and special spaces.
Industrial sewing machines and surgers -- enables really cool projects with heavy materials that would kill a home sewing machine.
vinyl cutter.
fiberglass/carbon fiber work set up.
powder coating, paint shop.
glass melting and glass blowing furnaces.
electronics shop for working with surface mount components.
screen printing.
wire welding, mig and tig welding.
I'm sure I'm forgetting some.
Finally: One of my favorite machines is the popcorn machine. I learn a huge amount just by hanging around in the lounge and asking people what they are working on and how they are solving their fabrication problems. You want to build in some space that facilitates interaction.
Triggers as in firearms components that are apparently shoddy and not well executed, or triggers as in something people overreact to because they want to feel special by claiming more is wrong with them than's wrong with everyone else?
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
If you're going to equip a public space with a table saw where any moron who thinks he knows what he's doing might try to use it, you need to buy a Sawstop. That's going to set you back considerably more than $400.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
Currently in charge of a machine shop at a university, and biggest advice would be to plan for expansion/future. Make sure the space has proper ventilation, make sure space has plenty of outlets, is prepared for 3 phase machinery, and attempt to be as close as possible to a loading dock.
Machinery wise
The basics everyone will want in a hacker space
-3d printer
-Laser cutter
-Drill press
-Bandsaw
What a machine shop/hacker space should have
-Mill
-Lathe
-Paint booth
-Grinder
-Welding equipment
-CNC mill
All the listed equipment/machinery asides from the laser cutter+ 3d printer is fairly cheap to buy used and also may be able to get a machine shop to donate older used equipment for tax write off purposes or just to get it out of there.
(Sorry for any spelling errors, etc Haven't slept for about 30 hours)
Can be, if you're not careful.
I use the oven.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
This has got "The dean spoke to someone at a conference ..." written all over it.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
...so all you need to do is buy a few boxes of dried macaroni, white glue and some colored construction paper.
And maybe Play-Doh for the advanced students.
The liberal arts college I teach at is a little further along in this process. What matters most is community. You need to focus less on physical hardware, and more on finding faculty (and don't forget staff!) with hands-on skills, getting them committed to the space, and sucking in a critical mass of students to make it self-sustaining.
The fact that you were asked to do this by the administration is not a good sign.
And re putting it in your library: talk to your HVAC guys. Ventilation and noise are serious issues.
Wow, this is Slashdot. Isn't somebody going to suggest a healthy supply of arduinos and/or raspberry pis with lots of accessories and computers to program them? How about an Oscilloscope and a fully stocked electronics workshop.
I would have all kinds of material on hand that people check out with a form of some sort that is then used to prepare an invoice to the users as well as an order list for replenishment.
Set up some kind of library of how-to documents to get people started quickly using the resources you've made available.
For popular resources you'll need to set up a reservation system of some kind.
I would think a quiet library would be incompatible with loud construction activities.
Greed is the root of all evil.
I'm one of the community directors at Louisville, Kentucky's community LVL1 Hackerspace. We're a 501(c)3 w/ a focus on education and outreach, and we're not tied or beholden to any specific school, commercial entity or large sponsor. I don't have the time this exact second to answer something this in depth thru the comment system here, but I'd be happy to provide any info I can if you want to reach out to us thru the email addresses or google groups listed at lvl1 dot org. Given our several year history, we've seen a lot of what works and what doesn't as well as ways to speed up involvement and to help explain the results of various compromises over the years.
Sean McPherson
Try pens, paper, the occasional reed flute, and some random business/marketing mags.
I was a member of the Techshop maker-space here before it folded. The thing that did them in was a lack of casual accessibility, as well as an overambitious start, I think. The way they structured it was to charge large fees for "training" classes to clear you on the use of the various pieces of equipment, after which you were free to use them so long as you were a current member. But it would take several classes and hundreds of dollars to get even a small project off the ground, simply because of the way they mapped out the different class certifications. They were a business so it's expected, and the need for proper safety training is undeniable. But it meant that it took a serious investment before you could accomplish much, and those dedicated enough to do so would generally rather spend the money on their own tools. And on top of that they opened their doors with everything from CNC mills and 3D printers to automotive decal printers to SMB circuit board ovens to metal casting; in other words far more expensive equipment than their user-base actually needed or used.
At the end of the day, there are two things to strive for, and they wont be easy.
The first is variety of tools and workspaces. It needs to be a place where people come to tinker and to get some idea out of their heads and into reality. So it needs to offer access to whatever it is that the actual local users are wanting to use. If they want metalworking, get a welder and a few milling machines. If they want woodworking, get some drill presses and chop saws. But dont invest it the cutting edge of everything up front. I recommend some kind of request system, so it can organically grow in the directions the users want. If they see the space is responsive to what they feel they are lacking, it will also go a long way to keeping them coming back, even if they dont have every little thing at first. This will be a balancing game between responsive acquisition and responsible budgeting. Fundraising drives can help, just like a high school that needs a new scoreboard, etc.
The second is casual Accessibility. Dont make them spend a hundred bucks and take a class that won't be held again for two weeks, just so they can drill a single hole. This is another balancing act between responsible safety and easy access, and the first solution is staff.
It also really helps to have a large scrap pile for free (or free-ish) materials.
Common Sense isn't as Common as people think...
The solutions should be outside the box, do you really think you can invent or even need a better hammer?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H...
Given the sheer range of both manual and mechanical hammers with different properties, I'd say yes.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
It the risk of coming across as being really dense, what are people gong to make in this here space or shop or whatever? If they are just going to modify some ill designed plastic stuff, then a couple of Dremels, a selection of bits, eye protection, and a vice may be all they need. If, OTOH, they are going to build a CubeSat http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C... They possibly need some sophisticated metal working stuff and some basic electronic test equipment..
I'd start off by surveying the potential users if you can find any and see what they want to do that they can't do, and aren't doing, in their dorm rooms right now. You might also survey the teaching staff and see if any of them will actually send users to the "space" to do stuff somehow connected with the college's perceived educational mission.
You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey
You could just call it a workshop and hire an actual you know shop teacher that is a master in the trades. They would actually know how to set it up and teach people how to use the stuff safely.
their space is typically nasty. scultping clay and cement. sand molds, and a furnace to melt old pistons and boat engines to cast aluminum into those molds. flying stone chips from sculpture. gobs of paint all over from "experimental" and "experiential" work. forges and anvils and hammers, oh my.
so there is a "makerspace" of traditional tools. your maintenance and boiler plant folks have similar dungeons that keep the joint operational. go ask them what they'd want to do small projects in.
I'd think a wire flux welder, drill press, cabinet saw and sander table, the usual small power tools, point and SMD soldering stations, possibly a 3D PCB printer or etcher would all find use. 3D printers are no use without 3D scanners and CAD/CAM software design stations.
if this is supposed to be a new economy, how come they still want my old fashioned money?
Most of the hackerspaces have the "gearhead guys" / "aggressive geek guy" vibe. "If you don't know what you're doing, then you shouldn't be here." This turns into a self-reinforcing culture. Bad. Too many guys and all of the prickly personality type. Bring in sewing machines as well. Invite the theater dept / dance dept costuming people to use the facilities. Get the medieval reenactors to make their clothes there. It will change the entire culture, soften it and make it more approachable. Women will actually show up (and stay). Gardening. Do a permaculture installation like a raised bed or spiral garden. Those things as well as all of the standard hand-tools, electronics, metal-working things. Do events like Open-House and holiday parties. The social aspect is what changes it from just a tool room to a "space".
If there is a TechShop location in your area, I'd go on a tour and see what they offer. It would give an idea of options and how much real estate things take up in real life.
Laser cutting and even 3D printing can be smelly operations. If you want to do some wood working, or have a metal shop, things can get pretty noisy. Forget about forges and blacksmithing. Aside from the noise, makerspaces can be pretty dirty- a lot of what goes on makes dust that might not be good for the contents of a library.
The book Woodworking With Your Kids http://www.amazon.com/Woodwork... has a misleading title. The kids in question are actually kids in his community and his school. The author set up a community and school workshop back in 1970 on a shoestring budget. He was teaching kids to make some pretty impressive furniture before they were old enough to drive.
We have additional tools now, but the same approach to setting up a maker space would still work.
Easy Online Role Playing Campaign Management
I worked for several years during and after college at The George Baker Workshop which was in the Art Barn in the center of Occidental College. It has since been returned to the building's original purpose - food service. We built kinetic sculptures driven by motors, wind and or water. George Baker also taught all the sculpture classes out of the building.
Since it was the only space on campus outside of the physical plant department where people could go to work with metal, plastic and wood it became what is now referred to as a maker-space.
This was in the late 80s and early 90s when a CNC mill would set you back many, many thousands of dollars. We had two drill presses, a band saw, a belt and radial sander, a table saw, two standard anvils and one custom metal shaping anvil that George Baker designed and several oxy acetylene setups with cutting and welding heads which were available to everyone. Along with a healthy collection of hand tools.
We had a 3 inch lathe, a 10 inch lathe, a 5 ft break, a pneumatic punch, a plasma cutter and a TIG welder with a full station (metal table, etc.) and a set of very nice hand power tools. These were only for the sculpture fabrication team but we were happy to to help people with small projects and teach people how to do things.
Here are a bunch of things that might not come to mind but are SUPER helpful.
That's all the time I got. Hope this helps.
I would also put up a big sign that says, "Trigger Warning - Cisgendered fasteners and the language necessary to discuss them are used in this space." I first thought of this as a joke and then realized that, sadly, it's not a joke.
Every rule has more than one consequence.
I held a director level position at a nationwide chain of makerspaces for several years, and have worked with big tech companies building their own makerspaces. I'm not boasting, but I have more experience is setting up maker spaces than all but a handful of people in the country.
In some respects, the tools you select don't really matter; all you need to do is buy robust enough tools so they won't immediately fall apart, without blowing your entire budget. That part is easy. Honestly, the difference between a MakerBot and their competition isn't that much, and the same is true of most tools.
The thing that will make or kill your lab is training and maintenance. This is the most important thing you will read all day; ignore it at your own risk.
If you put a few 3D printers on a table, expect people to use them correctly, and have somebody add "printer maintenance" to their job, you will fail. In a month, you'll have broken printers, irritated users and overworked staff. You simply must have a system for training how to use the tools in the space, according to your set of rules and expectations. You need a system to keep un-authorized users off the machines. You must have people on hand to answer questions, and help your users, post-training. You must have dedicated maintenance staff. If you have a collection of perpetually broken tools, your users won't respect the space or tools, and it'll will turn into a nightmare.
There's a reason that makerspaces aren't an easy way to make money; it takes a large, competent staff to keep them from turning into a disaster area of broken tools.