This week we are starting something new for the Fab Lab. I am trying my hand at blogging about the days gone by, and the days yet to come. Think of me as one of Ebenezer Scrooge’s ghosts, but one who did not make it to the final edit.
These last few months have been busy for the Fab Lab! We have found the building we want for the Fab Lab’s permanent location, and have been going through the process of securing funding. We have also received some large donations, and had a second successful year at our current location with summer camps.
What donations, you may ask? Well, thanks to Marty Carpenter, we have a second complete wood shop! Those of you who are members have probably seen some of the new equipment floating about in the Lab. Thanks to Jodeane Cancilla and her parents, we have ¾ of another wood shop! That makes around 4 wood shops worth of equipment, and most of it is in storage, due to lack of space. We need to have that building soon!
The Fab Lab also acquired a larger laser cutter, a Boss LS3655! This 150 watt laser has a 3’x5’ bed, and is pretty amazing. If you are not a member, you should really stop in and see it. If you are a member, you should come in and use it! We have also gotten a serger for the craft room, a donation of a Form 2 resin 3D printer (thanks to Tim Wehr!), and we have a new 8’ x 4’ CNC, which I am currently getting dialed in. We are also upgrading the website, so if you have not checked it out in a while, hop on over!
That brings us to the present, so what does the future hold? Classes and events! This October we are cranking up the classes! We have a new teacher, and the return of several of our past teachers. Pam Peters is beginning to teach both one-time and series classes on all sorts of arts and crafts: arm knitting, decorating with alcohol ink, mending clothes using the sashiko method, and more!
Our favorite artist, Assata Caldwell, is back on October 13th for a class on charcoal drawing, Paul will be setting up a soldering class later this month, and I plan on teaching a stained glass beginners class. Marsha will be teaching a two-course class on kumihimo jewelry making, and last but not least, we will be adding a bunch of classes designed to gear you up for the coming holiday season (don’t roll your eyes. To buy a gift you need an hour, to make a gift, you need to get started now. And if anyone ever gives you home-made socks, feel like the luckiest person in the world, because those take days!).
If you are at the ham radio festival this weekend, find us, stop by, and say hi! We will have some interactive bits and bobs with us, and some demos of what we can do with a bit of time and imagination.
Now is the best time to get more involved with the Fab Lab. Our classes, equipment, and friendly staff and volunteers are here to help you with whatever project you need, and soon we will be heading for a larger space here in Iowa City. Stay tuned for more happenings, and I will gab at you again next week!
Kirk Cheyney