Fellow Fabbers,
We are a day late this week, but things keep moving ahead at the Fab Lab. Donations continue to roll in, and we are so full we have had to rent more space to hold all of the equipment. This week, we got a surprise donation for our teaching kitchen! Two industrial gas oven/stovetop units! We also received office supplies, cubicles, and lots of storage spaces (shelves, filing cabinets, etc). Our progress continues in securing our new space, and we will keep you informed as things develop.
We are also moving ahead with a few new services at the Fab Lab. We will be posting details about hours for our new tutoring service, which will be both drop-in and scheduled hours, for STEM field classes, such as algebra, physics, engineering, biology, science, chemistry, and Calculus. Our tutors are primarily U of I engineering seniors, and we are bringing in more as the word gets out to University students who want to help. Our second service is small engine repair and maintenance. If you would like to tune up that snowblower for winter, or get your mower spring-ready, we can get it humming again. Blade sharpening, tune ups, and maybe even get it washed and waxed. Details will be on the website on how to get it to us, when we are starting, and the price list for the services.
This past Saturday, we hosted Girl Scout Troop #5172, as they took care of their woodshop badge. They spent a few hours learning woodshop safety, and built birdhouses from scratch in the shop. It is hard to believe some of these girls had never held the tools before, and some of the best moments in the Fab Lab are teaching a new generation skills that will last them a lifetime.
Keep an eye out for classes which will help you during the upcoming holiday season! Arm Knitting, stained glass, electronic Christmas trees and Menorah soldering classes, tie dye classes, and of course, ‘Make me a Holiday’, our gift-making open house for those who want to create some lasting memories will be held at the beginning of December.
But for now, it is still Halloween season for almost 30 more hours! Enough of this holiday babble! Send us pictures of your home (or Lab) made costumes and decorations! We will put them up on the website and show off your abilities to everyone! We will post them on November 2nd, to give all the goblins a chance to wake up from the candy coma.
Enjoy your week, and I will gab at you more next Monday. (Promise.)
Kirk Cheyney, Fab Lab Director