Hi! I’m very new to the Makerspace, and still trying to get the hang of things. Can someone explain to me how access to the wood shop tools is supposed to work? I know there are tools, such at the table saw, that require certification - does that apply to all tools in the wood shop, including the wood lathes?
Welcome to DMS.
This list Tools - Dallas Makerspace does not cover everything, but it is a great start.
Always remember, if you do not know or feel unsure about something, ask someone.
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Carole,
As Bill’s link indicates, training is specifically required to use the jointer, the table saws, and the CNC router. I’ll also add that taking Woodshop 101 is a de facto requirement, so you will want to sign up for a class as soon as convenient for you.
See you in the shop sometime…
That list does help a lot. So to clarify; I don’t see the turning lathes on this list. If an experienced (professional-level) wood crafter comes to the makerspace, what is that person required to do in order to use the lathe?
Teach a class ! 
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The lathe is considered generally more safe than some of the other tools, and generally harder to abuse/misuse, so no explicit training is required.
More than likely, when you come in to use it, Tom Cook (one of the woodshop committee co-chairs) will likely be around, and people usually coordinate with him to get a chuck or face plate or whatever to start their turning, so I suggest that. I hope that all helps you get started quickly!
I probably should have asked sooner; my husband, who is a talented artisan, came in for his first visit this afternoon, after our membership tour last week. He was treated rather abruptly when he began a project in the wood shop. We did ask about the lathes during our tour, and were told they didn’t require any special training or authorization.
I’m not sure who it was who told him he couldn’t use the lathe without training, but they were not polite, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to get him to return. That makes me very unhappy - he was delighted during our tour of the makerspace, and I’d looked forward to him having a place to practice his craft, and possibly teach others.
Here’s a sample piece he did for me a few years ago, to show you what he was planning to start on today.
That piece is tiny, barely six inches tall. As you can see, he’s a skilled woodcrafter. I just wanted to confirm where the communication issue occurred, in case I can persuade him to come back.
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It’s a shame that was his first experience trying to use the woodshop…it is not a typical one.The MakerSpace has a lot of positives about it, foremost being its members, but it is essentially a commune run and administrated by volunteers from the membership. Miscommunications and misunderstandings are therefore bound to happen. One example is I bet only 1 in every 50 people know about the list that was posted above, and it was equally likely that someone might have posted before Bill did saying (erroneously) that no such list existed. It’s just the nature of the Space.
Regarding your husband, it’s obviously his choice whether to return or not, but I hope he does. I am there a lot in-and-around the wood shop during the weekdays, so if he does, it would be great if he looked for me…I’d really like to meet him.
And if he’d like to show me how to make that wonderful goblet, so much the better! :–)
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Carole,
That is a beautiful piece your husband made and I am VERY sorry to hear about the incident. There are a lot of great members here at DMS including @mblatz and I am confident this can be rectified.
I find that when I am angered by uncalled for treatment, it helps to detach for a bit, and then to revisit calmly.
Works every time.
Best Wishes,
JAG “New Member Outreach - Pardon Our Sawdust” MAN
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First I want to say welcome to the MakerSpace.
I am one of the co chairs of wood shop and around most evenings. I unfortunately will be out of town till Sept. 9th. Like Marshall stated before, we do have a required training for the Table Saw and Jointer. The other tools have general rules and we are working on getting more signs in there. Right now they are just B&W text printed out.
The lathe does not require training but it is recommended that a person have either some experience or seek help before starting. We have had stuff come flying off the lathe and it can be dangerous. I would be curious as to why your husband was stopped and what he was told. I tell people to look out for each other because the Wood Shop can be a dangerous place, and I am wondering if there was just some mis communication/misinterpretation. Feel free to PM me the details and I can look into it.
Lastly at anytime a member can file a complaint on another member by email [email protected] with details and times of the events. This will let the board know there is an issue and can look to resolve it.
I hope y’all stay members and keep on making.
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@AlexRhodes; I absolutely understand how miscommunications can occur; I’m the Dallas network director for another non-profit, and have been involved with a community-based non-profit previously. I’ve shared as much as I’ve been privy to, so it may simply have been an overall misunderstanding of situation, skill and intent.
JAGMAN: hubs did the right thing by stepping away until things could be clarified and sorted out. He’s willing to chalk today up to newbie miscommunication - after getting clarification, he’s contemplating trying it again tomorrow.
@mblatz - who shall I have him ask for, if he does come in? (He mentioned a trip to Rockler beforehand, so I may come to regret this 
- he has a thing for the exotic woods, as that purpleheart mini-chalice can attest to. I’ll try to find a picture of the wedding chalice he did, with the rings around the stem - all from the same piece of turning stock.)
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Like you Carole, I’m a new member, and like your husband, my first expereince was not “welcoming”. However, I stuck it out, and since then have met a lot of great people, and feel pretty comfortable in the shop now. I would encourage you and your husband to stick it out a little longer, take the woodshop 101 course, and maybe the CNC router course, and dig in. The 101 course includes a lot of good information, and also helps point out the things that commonly damage the tools as well, I found it very helpful, and it also gains you access to the rest of the woodshop excepting the CNC router, which is a separate course.
At the last woodshop committee meeting, the idea of issuing shop aprons to fully trained and experienced woodshoppers was discussed, as a means to help prevent damage to the machines sometimes caused by new (or more often just thoughtless) members. I think expanding that idea a little, and calling these folks “shop mentors” could address a lot of commonly cited issues throughout the space. Yes, a mentor should have the authority to stop an unsafe activity on the spot (and suspend a member briefly who refuses to comply), or make someone clean up their mess. But I think more importantly, they should be people designated to answer questions, provide guidance, make introductions, and generally be good stewards of the space. Such people would be a godsend for new members, and sometimes not-so-new members as well. I think the principle would work just as well in the other shops too.
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