More Money More Instruction

DMS General
#25

Instructors can charge fees for their classes, a good example is the Wood Carving class that charges $20 per class for a master Instructor. For the quality of instruction it appears well worth it because the class appears to always be full. This is also how expertise can be brought in to teach. CA has brought in an outside instructor for the letter press in the past and a fee was assessed to covert the cost. Again, they filled up.

There have been some computer programming classes in the past I believe the instructor charged for, supply and demand will determine if it fills. However, if you are going to use a committee area, say wood shop or lasers, and tools to teach your class you should get approval from the Chair before doing it. IMO you can’t reserve tools for your personal profit making class as we don’t allow members to reserve tools which what you’d be doing.

#26

As a welding instructor I worry about that a lot. I can teach a lot of “how not to die” type classes, but then it’s just sort of in the air for the students.

Maybe it is best that way? Just give people enough knowledge to not hurt themselves or others and let their creativity take over? I just personally feel like I do folks a disservice because knowing how to use a saw and glue doesn’t even make someone a novice carpenter. But a personal fabrication course is a killer.

I’ve done a few of them but always make it pay what you want. I get money being tight, I’m not paid up right now because I can’t afford it. We feel your pain new guys!

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#28

Andrew, your feedback as a new member is very valuable. Thank you for posting this.

#29

Tis true! I don’t expect students to come in looking for a career path. Not that it can’t happen.

I suppose some questions like, “How to make sure something is square?” or “How do I un-weld something if I make a mistake?” would be worth answering.

When I started I was completely ignorant of things like that. So I always try to put myself in the boots of someone who just joined Makerspace with lots of enthusiasm but absolutely no idea of what to do next.

I’m on a bit of an article kick so maybe I can write up something like that to post on here. I’d really love to do some sort of group project or have an easy first “I can weld and make a thing!” class.

I just feel like I am a little drained of creative thinking I just build what other people want now. -_-

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#30

Lol. That skill is easy if you make the very entry level stick welding. Just break it off. I’ve seen some welds at many places that I wonder how it still standing.

I.e. Pipe hangers holding 16" & 20" pipe headers.

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#31

Oh, man…when you work in the field for a little while you see stuff that just makes your jaw drop.

Every day that goes by and the world doesn’t fall apart is an unsung miracle!

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#32

If you can become a welding teacher … hint hint … you teach one class a month the Honorarium is $50 and you can pay for your membership. We can use more welding instructors.

Get hold of @dallasmagna or @LeeCJones to make the arrangements.

#33

I could do one on the ninth of next month in the afternoon.

#34

I really would love to see more project classes in a lot of areas, like machine and
metal shop. I feel these would attract folks that are not familer with the abilities of
these
However, that will increase the demand for the mandatory classes.

I think that one reason Woodshop Basics is in such high demand, Many folks
have an idea for a wood project, shelves in the cupboard, or a special bookshelf
or? I have an idea that many of us, especially ladies have less ideas have less
ideas how we can sue metal or machine shop tools on projects,

So one will drive the other,

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#35

Me too. Maybe a project idea thread would be nice? People could browse it and see what’s possible.

I’ve got quite a few things I’d always hoped to weld “someday.”

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#36

I see some neat things on line made of welded horse shoes, I have not idea
if that is some thing that one of our welders can do

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#37

It is. Just about any of the welding machines you see in the shop can fuse horseshoes together.

Another fun thing to do is find old chain. I had a classmate in school weld a guitar stand out of chain, used MIG to do it.

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#38

My goodness. I wonder where I’ve heard that all before?

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#39

I want to see more of our ladies in metal shop and in machine shop
We just dont know the neat things we can do there

The same is true of getting more guys involved in some CA thins,

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#40

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11893985_686314051503713_6294252542266257075_o.jpg2048×1152 185 KB

I threw this together in a few hours before I hopped on a plane to deliver it to a friend in Canada. Hand cut the letters with a plasma cutter, polished it with an angle grinder, weld it with a little MIG machine.

I was in such a hurry I got the N backwards!

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#41

That is neat, that is what some of us need to see, so we want to learn
the fancy 'guy; tools

#42

Somewhere out there, some poor horse named Tripod is having to go barefoot…

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#43

Understood. What I mean is to add it to the tools wiki if something requires training. For example I’ve never seen Multicam NOT be a $50 class. Plasma also tends to have a standard fee as well as HASS. It’s to replenish the bits and well justified, but if that tool was the only reason I joined I could see being slightly peeved I didn’t know that in addition to my $50 membership I also needed more money to get access to the tools I want or finding out I’d need to wait a month or so before I could access them. I don’t remember the tool cert fees being mentioned on the tours and didn’t see it on the website is all.

#44

Can’t speak to others that give tours, but I do go through fees and material costs.

“No Show Fee” is a $5 fee that is on classes where people would sign up for class or classes and not show up or cancel. This is on classes that like Wood Shop Basics and Plasma Cam because of excessive no-shows

The Only tools I know of right now that have class fee associated with them (add to this list anybody)

  • Multi-cam: $50 one time fee covers training and testing, no cost to use tool after that.
  • Auto-lift: $20 one time fee covers training and testing, no cost to use tool after that.
  • Haas $75 Three separate courses, paid in stages, one time fee covers training and testing, no cost to use tool after that.
  • Wood Shop Basics One time $5 No Show fee, no cost to use tools
  • Welding *,
    … Stick One time fee, (Not sure, don’t see recent class), no cost for machine use. You will probably have to provide consumables
    … MIG $30 One time fee. There is a consumables fee to cover gas and wire, $1 for 3 minutes of run time.
    … TIG $40: One time fee. Not sure if the course fee provides you with a spare electrode or anything else. You may have to provide your own consumable electrode and welding rod. No current charge for gas that I know of.
  • Laser No fee for class, $1 for 5 minutes of run time, pays for life limited laser tube (consumable)
  • Plasma cam $5 one time fee, no cost to use tool. I suspect $5 is a No-Show fee
  • Wood Carving $20 fee per class session. This is a fee the instructor collects, you are paying for expertise. This is also NOT a Training Required class but advanced skills.
  • Dye Sub 101 $5 Class material fee, we sell same amount for $5. No cost to use heat presses, consumable fee for printer is included in transfer paper cost.
  • Vinyl Cutter No cost for class or use of machine/ Materials Consumable Fee for Vinyl and transfer paper is $2 per foot if you use DMS materials.
  • Creative Arts No cost to use tools, only a rare occasion is there a fee for CA classes to cover an outside instructor. CA classes may and often do have a materials fee for the item you are making.

The rest of the class fees I know of are directly related to materials cost associated with the class and you walk away with something. There are occasional classes that do charge to cover an instructor’s additional cost.

If there are other classes that have recurring fees, please let me know, maybe we can compile a list and make it a handout for the tours.

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#45

I went down this road about 6 months ago and was widely derided by the “regulars” on this forum. Apparently, it’s too much work to require committees that require training on their tools to maintain a list of the training required tools and the fees associated.

https://dallasmakerspace.org/wiki/Additional_Costs

I’m not willing to put up with the kind and level of vitriol that gets leveled at people who challenge the status quo, so while I wish you the best of luck, don’t be surprised when people are so rude it’s easier to just give up and watch from the sidelines.

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