Hello Makers, Crafters, DIYers, and Lowell Makes friends and family!
Lowell Makes volunteers have had a busy start to 2023. We’ve got some big updates, fun additions, and exciting opportunities for you to get involved!
State of the Makerspace
Tuesday, March 7th at 7pm in the Lounge
Early each year, the Lowell Makes membership gathers for the State of the Makerspace, where we talk about everything that’s happened in the last year and share what’s coming down the line.This is your chance to hear about all the expected changes for 2023 and learn a little more about how Lowell Makes operates. Where does your membership or donation money go? What are we doing to improve the space? What are the goals for 2023? All these questions (and more) will be answered at the State of the Makerspace 2023.
You might even have a chance to win a gift card from your favorite spots around Lowell!
Attending virtually? The link is posted in Basecamp.
Mill City Skill Share – Call for Instructors
This year marks the 11th anniversary of Mill City Skill Share! This free day of community sharing falls is April 2 from 10:30 am-4:30 pm and will bring people together to share skills and learn from others. We are currently seeking volunteer instructors to share their passions and interests with the community. Whether you know how to perform a dance, cross stitch, perform magic tricks, write a grant, patch drywall, or anything else, we’d love to hear from you. Workshops typically run from 30-60 minutes and a small amount of grant money is available for supplies. The deadline to apply to instruct is March 10.
Not ready to teach anything just yet? That’s OK, register for free tickets to see what it’s all about. And don’t forget to tell your friends and come by Lowell Makes on April 2nd to learn something new!
Mill City Skill Share is generously funded by grants from the Lowell Cultural Council and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Lowell Makes Space Survey
We need your feedback! We are always trying to improve the arrangement of shop spaces to give our members the best possible experience. If you have ideas for how to improve, or just want to help us learn how people use the space, please take a moment to fill out the survey.
Additionally, we have the opportunity to take back one of upstairs locations that has been rented to an outside company since we purchased the building. The Executive Committee voted to create an SLA (a space license agreement that serves as a private workspace) in one of the smaller rooms. The main open space will be kept as a public gathering space, similar to the classroom. Two additional closed spaces, one with windows and one with ventilation are still under discussion. Those of you who participated in the space reclamation process and/or completed the survey have helped inform these decisions. Thank you!
New Tools and toys!
We’re always excited for new tools and this month there are THREE big additions to share.
FAMM welcomed this gorgeous industrial 16-needle/color embroidery machine! It’s perfect for branding or showing your personal flair with patches, hats, t-shirts, jackets, bags, stuffed animals, and more. The Melco EMT 16X has a massive 15.7″ x 16.1″ sew field (our current max hoop is 11.75″ x 14.25″). It can run up to 1500 stitches per minute and features auto-tensioning and laser registration for perfect alignment. We also got professional-level software for digitizing your own designs. Keep your eye out on Basecamp for announcements about training and check-outs.
Coming Soon – New 4’x8’ laser cutter!
Thanks to all your generous donations and a Mass Development Collaborative Workspace matching grant we were able to purchase a new, full sized professional laser cutter. This machine is a beast! It’s high-powered to speed through cutting jobs and it can handle full sheets of plywood. We’re in the final stages of preparing for this new tool’s arrival and classes will be available as soon as it’s up and running.
Coming Soon – New 5’x9’ CNC machine
Thanks to a generous donation by one of our members, Rapid Prototyping has added an amazing industrial CNC machine! All that’s left to do is run electrical and our members will be able to carve and cut full sheets of plywood. Step up your production game with this fully outfitted professional CNC.
New 5’9′ CNC just arrived at Lowell Makes!
Upcoming Events and Classes at Lowell Makes
All events are public unless otherwise indicated.
Meetups and Hangouts
Open Houses – Sign up for a tour!
Every Wednesday | 6 – 8pm | free
Prospective members can stop by for a tour, see what we are working on, or join our makerspace. Please fill out this form so we know to expect you.
Beginner Spindle-Turning Workshop (Members Only)
Saturday, March 11th | 9am-11:30 | $85
For the beginner, this workshop will teach fundamentals of spindle turning that will qualify you for a Level 1 checkout (spindle-turning). These techniques will provide basic skills allowing you to work independently in the lathe shop. Carbide tipped tools will be used to learn spindle-turning.
Homebrew Class – Witbier “White Beer”
Saturday March 11th, 25th | 1pm-4pm | $45
This class will explore making a classic beer style, the witbier! If you enjoy a Bluemoon, Allagash – White, or Dogfish Head – Namaste, then this class is for you. This is a 2 session class, the next session will be 3/25.
CNC Carving for Absolute Beginners
Saturday, March 18th | 9am – 12:30pm | $60-$75
Using Vectric’s Aspire, you’ll create a simple design, generate toolpaths/gcode and send it to the CNC router to carve wood. You’ll learn how to change cutting bits and clamp/secure wood on the machine. This class covers lots of useful material in a short period of time. It’s great for beginners and beyond who want to cut wood, plastic, and foam to produce artistic shapes, useful engineering brackets or simple signs and nameplates. This class will get you to the point where you can explore further on your own.
Ongoing Meetups
Details and RSVPs (where appropriate) are in our calendar.
- Board Game Meetup (Members + Guests) – Every Wednesday at 7:30pm, Lounge or Classroom
- FAMM Meetup (Public) – Second Wednesday at 7pm, Classroom
- Locksports Meetup (Members + Guests) – Third Sunday at 1pm, Classroom
- Electronics Hacker Night (Public) – Third Wednesday at 6:30pm, Electronics Shop
- Microcontrollers Hack Night (Members Only) – New! This new group will meet on the first Thursday of each month. Bring your project or an idea for one using any microcontroller including Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Adafruit Feather, etc.. There will be projects available for you to work on and help for working on your own. Next meeting: April 6 at 6:30pm.