The comfort of a good maker space

Yesterday I finally attended the member orientation, registration and wood and metal shop certifications at our new local maker space in Calgary, Fuse33.

I quit the previous maker space (Protospace) but don't feel any ill feelings or resentment, I just think this new space is a better fit.

Now, I will probably write more about what is there and why I like it, and more than likely do a video walk through, but for now I thought I would explain what you should look for in a space, no matter which business model they use.

Maker Space Business Models

OK so what are the types of space first?

1. Community run / volunteer spaces - These spaces have no staff. They are run and maintained by the community. Volunteers do everything from the accounts to cleaning the toilets. The nice thing about this model is everyone is in it together, nobody is (in theory at least) superior. The people who train you on one tool might be a student in your class when you teach a different one.

2. For-profit / managed spaces - The other end of the spectrum are spaces that DO have staff. They probably have investors, even though they might be partially funded by grants. Rather than hobbyist focused they tend toward attracting a startup or "prosumer" member. Training is usually by professionals or highly experienced people, not necessarily members, and while your membership will cover certain perks, there might well also be significant per-use costs.

It might be easier to think of it like web hosting - you could host and manage your web server yourself, and people do enjoy that, or you can hand over the management to experts and pay a little more, but have the peace of mind that it will all be working and available no matter what.

Why move?

Which brings me to my move.

I went from a type 1 space to a type 2 space. Why?

• Community / volunteer run often means things do NOT get done. If you are familiar with open source projects you will recognise what happens. The fun, cool, sexy work gets done and the dirty, difficult, tedious and frustrating work does not. Mess gets left and other members are expected to clean it. Someone continually blocks the toilets.

• Gatekeepers - When you have to be trained to use a tool and a cool new tool arrives and a small group of people hoard access to it. I got trained 3x over a year on the new laser at Protospace but was not allowed to use it because each time it came to do the practical the machine wasn't working. The Tormach training happened twice per year and had a lot of prerequisites so I was never able to get certified in 3+ years so I bought my own CNC machines.

• Disincentive to grow - Related to the previous point, there are a bunch of people who would rather a small, quiet space, where they know everyone and where there are no newbs. You might recognise this from a gym member mentality. They would rather their club teeter on the edge of bankruptcy so that a piece of machinery is available when they need it, and no unfamiliar faces are around.

What to look for

• Maintained space - The space should be clean, spacious, safe, professional and welcoming.

• Maintained tools - Tools should be working well and, again, safe.

• Equipped - There should be the right tools that you need, especially the ones you can't keep at home.

• Friendly - It is intimidating walking into a new club, and even more so trying to integrate.

• Educational- You should be able to grow as a maker without pestering fellow members to drop their project or plead for training.

• Drama-free - the main reason I left the old space. My anxiety was supposed to be helped by having a hobby, not made worse.

• Fair - At Protospace I was made to feel guilty for not attending the "cleaning up after dirty members who do not contribute anything in return for some crappy pizza days". Hahaha NOPE.

Bottom Line

By joining a space you should learn, have fun, and have access to way more than you could ever have at home. My new maker home checks each box, and I am more optimistic about my future maker projects now than I have been in years!