Maker of the Month is a new program featuring a Maker Works monthly or yearly member and how they use Maker Works' tools and facilities. And though it is now October, September's Maker of the Month was independent engineer & artist Bob Stack. The following is an interview done in his studio at the A2 Mech Shop.

If you haven't been to Maker Works yet, you may be wondering what these 'Check Out Classes' on our Calendar are really about. What do you learn in them, what do you get to do, and who are they for? Hopefully the following photos & words will take away some of that mystery, and also any fear you may have as a beginner maker!

Maker Works has become the 'home base' for 4 different maker-groups! We have a large Class room/Meeting room with a projector and white boards as well as a front Work Station area with tall tables + chairs. Contact Thea (teck@maker-works.com or 734-222-4911) if you are interested in having your monthly maker group meet at Maker Works!

This week Maker Works would like to share some updates with you about CRAFT. This area features sewing machines and also the Epilog 50W Laser Cutter and Roland 24" Vinyl Cutter, which if you combine the tools could steer you in the direction of a mixed media project! 

Maker Works is getting closer every day to officially opening! Our makeshift command center in currently located in WOOD (shown in photograph). This large table is a myriad of sketches, To-Do lists, humming computers, hand tools, material samples, and misc. items such as our first lost-and-found item, which is sort of a good omen and presents another item on our To-Do list! Right now, the tools outnumber the boxes! 

Our first project run through the ShopBot was a success.

ShopBot Sawhorses

Now that the ShopBot is nearing completion, we'll turn our sites on the Tormach!

Tormach PNCN 1100

We've been working on getting the ShopBot online. Here are a few pictures.

ShopBot in the box 

The May GO-Tech meeting is Tuesday, June 14th, 7pm at the new location Maker-Works in Ann Arbor, MI.

Everyone is welcome!

We'll have the usual 5-minute presentations (timed by our Traffic Light of Time), so bring in a cool project to share. Topics have ranged from metal casting to printed circuit board design to web-based home automation and everything in between.

We have a video projector (VGA, composite), wireless internet, copier, etc. If you have an idea for a talk longer than 5 minutes, let Bob or Dale know!

Thanks to everyone who came to check out the Ann Arbor Mini Maker Faire last Saturday. We had such a great time talking about the shop and personalizing bookmarks. The laser was such a hit we ran out of materials to engrave. Hope everyone had as much fun as we did!

A special thanks to A2Geeks for all their hard work making the Faire happen!

Right now we are looking to fill two positions. The Shop Steward is responsible for shop safety, maintaining tools, and guiding members around the shop. The Member Services Coordinator is in charge of giving great service to existing members and finding new members.

Send your resume to jobs@maker-works.com or pass along this info to someone you think would be a great addition to Maker Works.

Maker Works is a fun, dynamic and vibrant member-based organization offering tools and classes for fabrication and prototyping in the areas of woodworking, metalworking, electronics, sewing, embroidery, laser cutting and vinyl cutting. At Maker Works, the future is yours to make.

The Shop Steward is responsible for the safety of members and guests by providing a clean and organized shop, well-maintained tools, and guidance around the shop.

Compensation:
• This is a full-time, hourly position which includes a membership and access to classes

Maker Works is a fun, dynamic and vibrant member-based organization offering tools and classes for fabrication and prototyping in the areas of woodworking, metalworking, electronics, sewing, embroidery, laser cutting and vinyl cutting. At Maker Works, the future is yours to make.

The Member Services Coordinator is responsible for giving great service to existing members and finding new members.

Compensation:
•    This is a full-time, hourly position which includes a membership and access to classes
 
Expectations:

Well this is exciting!  We found this on our loading dock recently. ShopBot Might have something to do with the fact that we ordered it :-)

Sweet!  Our MakerBot Thing-A-Matic has arrived!  It's a wonderful array of bits and parts.  I've been pouring through Thingaverse.com trying to decide what to build.  That is, of course, after I get the Thing-A-Matic built first!

Well here is one of the first tools delivered to Maker Works.  This is a 3hp 10" Professional Cabinet Saw.  What makes a SawStop saw unique is an electronic break that stops the saw blade before it can cut you.  Safety Always!

Well, it's taken longer than I had hoped it would but we finally have an address!  Today we signed a lease for a space in the Airport Plaza Business Park on South State and Elsworth.  A big thanks to Jake Haas for his support and enthusiasm for our project.

This makes Maker Works much more real.

We're reviewing the tool list and placing orders.  Stay tuned for more.  It should come fast and furious now.

Thanks for reading.

Thanks to all the people who are making the A2 New Tech Meet Ups happen!

I had the opportunity to present alongside four high potential start ups and it was a real honor to join them to talk about Maker Works.

Here is a copy of the PowerPoint presentation (http://www.maker-works.com/files/A2NewTech.pdf) if you're interested.

Here is a video stream of the session for your viewing pleasure. (http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/12101818)

We are really excited about the up coming Detroit Maker Faire at The Henry Ford.  Early estimates are that there will be over 15,000 attendees.

Lots of high profile people in the Maker world are expected to be present.  Dale Dougherty of Make Magazine, Jim Newton the founder of TechShop and Bill Young of ShopBot fame just to name a few.

First let me say "Thanks for coming".

The fact that you're here means you're interested in how Maker Works could work for you.

Maker Works was conceived of as a way to create a community around Making.

With this blog I'm going to try to keep you up to date about the progress of the shop and we get ready to open.

If you have thoughts or questions, take advantage of the comments section below.

Thanks for reading.