Tools and equipment
What's in the shop, what it does, and what you need before you use it.
The shop is organized into zones, each looked after by a volunteer lead. Members can use any tool they’ve been trained on, 24/7. Visitors can try the basic tools on Thursday nights and get a demo of anything else. Detailed operating guides, settings, and maintenance logs live on the member wiki.
Training: tools marked training required need a sign-off from a zone lead before you use them alone. Training is discounted for members and usually takes an hour or less.
Laser cutter
80-watt CO₂ laser for cutting and engraving wood, acrylic, leather, and more.
The laser cutter is the most popular machine in the shop, and the one that brings the most first-time visitors through the door. It cuts and engraves by focusing an invisible infrared beam onto the …
Training required Try it on a Thursday
Details
CNC router
Computer-controlled router for carving wood, plastic, and soft metals.
The CNC router turns a drawing on a computer into a carved part. A spinning cutter moves over the workpiece under computer control, cutting profiles, pockets, holes, and 3D reliefs with a precision …
Training required Try it on a Thursday
Details
3D printers
Fast, reliable Bambu Lab printers with multi-color capability.
3D printing is the easiest way to go from an idea to a physical object, and our two Bambu Lab printers make it nearly foolproof. Both have an AMS (automatic material system) that holds four spools, so …
Open to members Try it on a Thursday
Details
Metal shop
Manual milling machine, metal lathe, welders, and the tools to go with them.
The metal shop is where the heavy iron lives. A Bridgeport vertical milling machine and a Clausing engine lathe let members make precise parts in steel, aluminum, and brass: shafts, bushings, …
Training required Try it on a Thursday
Details
Metal casting
Turn a 3D print into a solid metal part.
Casting is the shop’s newest capability and one of its most satisfying. Print a pattern on the 3D printers, invest it in plaster, burn out the plastic in the kiln, and pour molten metal into the …
Training required
Details
Electronics bench
Soldering, testing, and repair, with people who've done a lot of it.
The electronics bench is the most beginner-friendly corner of the shop and the one visitors can use right away on a Thursday night. Temperature-controlled soldering stations, a hot-air rework tool, a …
Open to members Try it on a Thursday
Details
Woodshop
Table saw, sanders, and the hand tools for everything from shelves to fine furniture.
The woodshop covers the basics well: a table saw for ripping and crosscutting sheet goods and boards, a miter saw for quick accurate cuts, a band saw for curves, a planer, a router table, sanders, a …
Training required Try it on a Thursday
Details