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It is with sadness that I report that Warren Bumgarner has died.  Warren was a Charter Member of FCW, joining within the first week of organization.

Warren had an MS in Industrial Arts from Appalachian State and taught Machine Shop at CCC&TI, then at WPCC.  He was proficient in both manual and CNC machining, expert at MasterCAM, and was valuable in the Machining area at FCW.  Handy with many things, Warren also helped with the wiring and wall construction at the previous space,

FCW will have an Introduction to RC Aircraft class on Thursday, November 21 starting at 6PM.  Topics include: getting started, types of RC aircraft ( planes, helicopters, quad/hex copters, drones), rules and regulations and use of simulators.  This would be an excellent class for anyone considering getting a drone or aircraft for Christmas, or anyone just wanting more information.  The instructors are Larry and Alan.  For more information, call Larry at (301) 793-8135,  This class is Free and…

FCW will host an Introduction to 3D Printing class on October 24, 2024 from 6 to 9 PM.  This is primarily for those new to 3D printing or are just interested.  Topics include: basic concepts, preparing a model for printing, printing the model, selecting a printer, finding models, and types of filament.  The printers in use will be Prusa i3 MK3 +.

Due to limited printers (10) we wish to restrict the number of groups to 10 (a family will count as a group).  If there is need,…

FCW was fortunate for the first eleven years of existence in that we had no major injuries or deaths in our membership.  Unfortunately, that changed in 2023.  Over the past months we lost four of our members to death, all due to health problems.  What follows is a brief tribute to them.

Eugene (Gene) Chase

Gene was in the first group of members to join after the four founders and became a Charter Member.  Originally from New Jersey, Gene attended RCA Institute in New York, then the…

Note that the 4225 number, which was a Google Voice number is no longer available.  Please use the (828) 212-0930 until further notice.

FCW will be offering an Introduction to 3D Printing class/workshop on Thursday, November 17 from 6-9PM.   Topics include: types of 3d printers, sources for models, operation of the printers,  possible problems, using the slicer software, and things to look for or avoid when purchasing a 3d printer.

FCW has 10 3d printer workstations so the attendance is limited to 10 (unless willing to share a printer).  Additional dates will be scheduled handle any overflow.

To reserve a…

Like many other organizations, FCW scaled back operations during the Covid pandemic. Classes and meetings were paused, but the space was still available for members to work on projects.

One of our members, Colin M., used the time to build a 17 ft. strip canoe. Colin is a recent graduate in Mechanical Engineering and works as a designer for a local furniture company. He is also good at machining, welding, and is our CNC router guru.

Using plans that were…

August of 2021 marks the 10th year of existence of FCW and 4th year after the fire.

FCW will be having an OPEN HOUSE for 3 days to observe the dates.

The OPEN HOUSE Dates are as follows:

• • Friday, August 13 from 4-9PM
  • Saturday,  August 14 from 12 Noon -8PM
  • Sunday, August 15 from 2-6PM

There will be food, activities, and tours of the space.  Also, there will be demonstrations of 3d Printing, laser cutting, wood turning, Ham Radio,…

UPDATE:  Classes continue for the Summer.  Intro to Arduinos will continue on July 15 and August 5 and 19.  Like Unix will be on July 22 and August 26 (Note no meeting on August 12).

NEW Class:  Since July has 5 Thursdays, FCW will have an Intro to 3D printing session on July 29 from 6-9PM.  This session will introduce 3d printing, using the printers, and sources of models.  A future class will be on design.  This class is free and open to the public.

Check the resources link for the specific…

FCW was recently donated a vertical plastic injection molding

machine.  The Gluco VS 25 will handle molds about 8×8 inches and several plastic and rubber materials.  The machine is wired for 460V but can be reconfigured for 230V.  Getting power to it will take some time since it is behind several other projects.  After that, FCW should be able to make molds, then plastic parts.

Thanks to Brad, Oscar, and Colin M. for…