The Lead CNC is back online and ready for previously-trained members to use once they go through the required retraining materials listed below. It now uses HGR linear rails and ballscrews, making it much faster, quieter, and more accurate. The spindle uses standard ER20 collets, and is capable of...

  Come enjoy a night of board games and comradery. Bring yourself, your family and your friends. They don’t have to be members; all are welcome! Feel free to also bring any of your favorite games and snacks.  (Maybe also bring a chair just in case we run out!)...

Saturday May 6th from 3-5 PM  No one has ever gained instant mastery in any skill or area of life. We all begin as novices (we don’t know what we don’t know) and eventually obtain mastery (precision flow without thought). There are four stages of the learning curve. We...

With yuletide season winter’s greetings broughtA holiday event at the lot Where Makers young and old gatherTo make and tinker, but mostly blather But on this special winter’s dayWere snowflakes of all kinds crafted, (though not of clay) For the space has many things to useLike lasers, and printers,...

After 3 long years, we are happy to bring back snow day. Come join us Saturday December 3rd from 1PM to 5PM for holiday themed crafts suitable for all ages, as well as cookies, hot cocoa, and a general sense of yuletide cheeriness. Crafts will include making snow flakes...

The Area 515 Community Engagement Committee is pleased to announce the success of this year’s Bridge Building competition held on October 2nd prior to this year’s annual member meeting. Makerspace members gathered to design and build popsicle stick bridges with the goal of holding as much weight as you...

Member Ross Sweet used the Lead CNC machine to make a series of toddler tray puzzles. Mathematics fans may recognize the characters – for the rest of us, it’s the common number sets! N – the natural numbers, which are the numbers we use for counting (1, 2, 3,...

In June, members of the makerspace participated in the Red Bull Soapbox Race in downtown Des Moines. The Red Bull Soapbox race is a long-celebrated maker tradition of building the wackiest, fastest, and most creative non-powered vehicle and racing downhill against contestants from all around the country. Working within...

We’ve been quiet on the blog, and the shop isn’t quite as social as we’re used to, but our members are still in the shop making cool projects! With proper pandemic precautions, of course. We have been putting up photos on our Instagram if you’d like to see what...

Woodchips A newsletter from the Area 515 Makerspace Woodshop. Measurement of Hardwood lumber and the grading of common constuction (yard) lumber. by Jason Bentley How much lumber do I get for 4 board feet? What are the grades of lumber, and why is grade B better than grade 1?...