What should a new member expect

DMS General
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I have been pondering the value proposition of DMS. So the question comes to mind, “What should a new member expect to receive, have access to or be provided by Dallas Makerspace?”

I am interested in realistic constructs e.g Email account, classes (for free or for a fee), access to tools, provided consumables?

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Access to required tool training classes at no additional cost besides the membership.

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  • Friendly place to gather
  • High speed Internet
  • Food & Drink availability along with disposable tableware
  • Quiet places to have meetings
  • Comfortable seating
  • Clean work space areas
  • Opportunities to meet others with similar interests such as scheduled events
  • Classes available to learn
  • Self paced instruction (online or offline) with office hours for questions
  • Consumables such as blue tape, pens, pencils, white board markers
  • Concise and understandable rules
  • A easy way to find what you need and get consistent answers about the space
  • A way i can check a unified bill for consumables, membership, storage
  • Personal/Project storage that is paid and managed like other storage places
  • Clear ways to volunteer through HR or a volunteer coordinator
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I’m not completely sure that the “no additional cost” is a legitimate expectation. We’ve been doing that, but many other quasi-similar groups charge for classes. If we keep the costs low, that would likely fall within the new members’ expectations. Providing the classes – that is a definite expectation that we need to make sure that we meet.

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My belief is that the biggest benefit are our community of makers who are willing to collaborate, help or educate you. This is a very valuable asset to being a member of DMS. $60 is really in the noise when you think about it. How much do you spend on Starbucks in a month? or a nice movie night? or filling up your car? Go rent a tool at Home Depot some time.

The truth is that we can only offer what we offer due to the millions of hours of our volunteers. They are the true heroes of DMS and our greatest treasure.

I’ve told literally hundreds of people about DMS. I used to work at Rockler and I’ve told everyone about DMS. I bragged on the tools, of course, but the people most of all. Just this last weekend I went to a Farmer’s Market and told a young lady there who made cute signs and wanted to use a CNC about DMS. She was incredibly excited because she literally lives 10 minutes away.

Just learning a CNC at a commercial class would be hundreds of dollars. DMS is a bargain.

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I’m going to approach this from two perspectives. Also approaching from a very basic level and not getting into the weeds of things for each department.

Expectations:
Reflecting, if I were to be a new member today, I would expect further clarification on the department I’m most interested in. I remember my tour which was years ago and left not knowing what to do. I navigated through, but ultimately left because the environment/people (side note: I guess this is why I’m amused when people currently think the place and/or Talk is “toxic”). I watched some of the tours last year come through the space and feel like it isn’t entirely clear on what to do when you’re interested in a department. I still struggle with this in certain departments.

I hate to say hand-holding, but I think it’s important for the customer experience. In most areas in my life I am a self-sufficient person but I am also a person who follows the rules and takes pride in taking care of my items as well as others’. So at a very basic level, I guess I expect members to be provided more guidance regarding a department, if tools require training and how to get signed up for training or put on a list to get trained on equipment.

I guess I was lucky in that I am self-sufficient enough I figured this out for the items I’m now trained on but it should not have taken as much research as it did imo.

Nice to haves:
Classes (whether free or paid - I have no quarrels paying for something I feel is of value to me, but of course that is subjective)
Supportive/helpful community (by the way of events, online space, information on how to volunteer etc)
Storage space (free or paid)
Basic writing utensils (pen, paper)

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I will be doing a video soon for Machine shop to address the “how to get involved “ area as well as the generics governing rules of our shop. Ive written part of what I want to say so I dont end up out in the weeds. Ultimately I expect it to be changed as things change in the shop. I want things in Machine Shop & for Machine Shop to be perfectly clear & concise. I want others to become involved. Ultimately thats what kills committees is people do not want to be involved for whatever reason or another.

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When I joined, I expected access to tools. Really, that was all. I’m glad I found community to help/get help from and I would put that right up there next to tools as a top priority, but I didn’t expect classes, food, consumables, or storage to be honest.

I’ll echo @thefinal, when I showed up I was very confused about the organizational structure of DMS. What anyone was allowed to do and what took special permission was the most confusing part. It took me months to get involved in any committees or groups.

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Tim, I will pay to rent one of those old blue tuxedos and a top hat for you in this video.

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LOL, I might take you up on that. Tilt the top hat slightly & wear a monocle…
I needed a laugh.

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I think many may expect something like this … @slinkygn

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And who could blame them - for having a lot less space than we do, that place is still pretty damn cool…

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I agree, I think the knowledge that members have and are willing to share is what I usually talk about when I discuss DMS.

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Here are a just a few fond memories from my first 2 years as a member at DMS. In no particular order.

  • Had a lunch/dinner at a DMS members catered lunch and had a blast talking with people I didn’t know
  • Took a cool class on machine learning with a group of people eager to understand and discuss the concepts of ML
  • Used the spot welder in the electronics room to replicate a nicad battery pack out of my Black and Decker handheld vac that had been on the fritz for a long time. Never had access to a machine like that before.
  • Volunteered to put help put some tables together for Glassworks. As I began to help one of the nice ladies I soon learned that she’s an Aerospace Engineer working on guidance and re-entry systems for a company that will be sending supplies to the ISS in their vehicles. SO COOL.
  • Took several fantastic arduino classes from a college professor that teaches at a university in Turkey but comes home to Dallas in the summer and teaches classes at the DMS. Wonderful guy and a wealth of knowledge
  • Changed the oil in my car (standing up) for the first time in my life. I took the car lift class and have serviced my car a number of times now. So easy and convenient.
  • I can weld now
  • I can machine parts out of metal (lathe and mill classes)
  • I cut many of the parts for a home built Bandsaw and Pantorouter on the Multicam in the Woodworking area.
  • I cut foam RC Plane plans on the laser cutters
  • I got to know a fellow father of daughters and we bonded over a number of similar heart aches we both were going through with our girls.

Wow, that was fun and that’s just the tip of the ice berg. So many great experiences.
Here are just a few pics from these projects.

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