Hackerspace News

Whittling Class – 10/18

🇺🇸 · Crash Space · Alicen Lewis

This 4-hour whittling class will teach students how to use a wood carving blade to shape a piece of basswood into a handheld figurine. Each step teaches a different type of cut and how to make that cut, skills building one on top of the others to create a full understanding of whittling. Our teacher will begin the class with a lesson on knife safety and handling, and a brief intro to wood grain and structure. Students will also learn to sharpen their blades as they work to maintain safe and effective tools. Once your carving is complete, we will paint our figures and you will learn various painting and finishing techniques. By the end of the workshop, you will walk away with knowledge of all the basic woodcarving cuts, how to execute them safely, the confidence to shape solid wood by hand, and of course your handmade wooden little guy! SIGN UP HERE

Events

Robot combat in the Chamber of Robotic Aggression

🇺🇸 · Columbia Gadget Works

Somebody at this shop decided we needed an arena, so we built one. The Chamber of Robotic Aggression is a member-built battle box: a welded steel frame, a plywood floor, polycarbonate walls, expanded metal over the top, and hazard striping along the bottom rail so nobody forgets what it is for. Here is fourteen seconds of what happens once two bots are in there together. Your browser cannot play this clip. Download the video instead.

New Website!

🇺🇸 · Columbia Gadget Works

The Columbia Gadget Works website has been rebuilt from the ground up. The old site was a handful of pages and blog posts. The new one tries to answer the questions people actually ask before they walk through the door on Grand Avenue. What’s new A page for every part of the shop. The tools section covers the laser cutter , CNC router , 3D printers , metal shop , metal casting , electronics bench , and woodshop : what each one does, what people make with it, and which tools need training first. A guide for first-time visitors. The visit page explains what to expect at Open Hack Night, every Thursday from 6 to 8 pm. No membership, no experience, and nothing to bring. Classes and events in one place. The events calendar lists Open Hack Night, the free monthly City of Columbia grant classes starting in November, and board meetings. Easier giving. You can donate directly on the donate page , as a one-time, monthly, or yearly gift, and membership dues and scholarship options are laid out plainly. Ways to reach us. There is a contact form , and you can sign up for email updates about