Hi, i'm James(E) - thinking of jumping ship from another space

#1

Hi everyone my name is James and im a member of another London hack group but am thinking of moving my membership over to the south London makerspace. I’m interested in CAD, CNC, Laser Cutting and electronics- I mostly work with acrylic and LEDs on PC modding but am also interested in coding and Arduino.

I have been along before to an open day and liked the space a lot, however, decided to go with another group as they had a few more tools and a bit more space- a bit of a mistake to be honest- there are a few things I’m not very happy with at my current space- could you answer a few questions about south London Makerspace for me?

  1. inductions- at my current space laser cutter and CNC inductions only happen about once every 6 months- are the maker spaces more frequent than this?

  2. Atmosphere- I don’t find the current space im at very friendly- there are a number of toxic individuals on the mailing list and a lot of arguing and personal insults- this isnt very helpful or accommodating to a newcomer. How is the atmosphere at the maker space?

3)Longevity- I have only just found out that my current space is likely to close in around 6-8 months due to the lease being up. Is the south London makerspace a bit more stable?

Many thanks!

James

#2

hi James,

The techs for each kit/area are best folks to give info on upcoming inductions, I’m sure they’ll pick up the message and someone will reply.

The atmosphere is very friendly, nice mix of ages, I see kids on the weekends, group and single activity, beginners to very experienced, male and female, though I understand theirs still efforts to make the latter more balanced. the monthly membership also gets you a mandatory implanted behavioural modifier michrochip, its great, works outside the space too, at home and work life too, you’ll notice instant improved harmony at home and in the office ; )

Shame a makerspace is closing, without meaning it in a predatory way, but do you know what will happen to all their equipment?

#3

Thanks for your reply Afshin!

Its the North London Hackspace- I’m not sure what exactly will be happening, the lease is up in 8 months and they are only just starting to look for a new location but as far as I’m aware it is looking likely that the project will end when the lease is up due to internal disagreements within the group.

James

#4

James,

@welcome to Makerspace.

Some answers to your questions:

  1. inductions- at my current space laser cutter and CNC inductions only happen about once every 6 months- are the maker spaces more frequent than this?

This is always a bit of a sticking point in all maker/hack spaces - we’re reliant on volunteers to keep these moving, but traditionally we’ve been quite fluid on these. I know that for example the laser cutter has a few inductions lined up, and we’re training some members to become inductors on that machine in the next week, so you shouldn’t have to wait too long. The wood shop has a bit of a backlog at the moment, but in both cases there are almost ALWAYS members that are willing to help out, and our techs will try and accommodate you where possible.

  1. Atmosphere- I don’t find the current space im at very friendly

Makerspace is committed to making a safe and friendly environment - as with all groups, there is the possibility of friction, but on the whole, we’ve always had a nice environment for folk from all background and levels of ability. We heavily moderate and discuss with the involved members our online space where things go a bit crazy or don’t fit with the values we have to be an open and inviting space - I often suggest that Makerspace is a community first, and we just so happen to also run a workshop.

3)Longevity- I have only just found out that my current space is likely to close in around 6-8 months due to the lease being up. Is the south London makerspace a bit more stable?

We’re in this for the long haul :wink:

Best Wishes

Pete

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#5

Haha @naxxfish wave two of LHS members?

#6

Thanks, Pete

That all sounds brilliant and I will look at transfering my direct debit over after work tonight.

I understand that inductions can be a sticker and that it can be difficult to sometimes get the list moving- the problem at the hackspace is that there are only 2 people who can train on the laser cutter for example- one is now away on business and unavailable for the foreseeable future and the other doing a lot of work over time- both are resistant to train anyone else to maintain or train for the cutter so indications can’t happen for the foreseeable future. I’m absolutely happy to wait for induction its just that whole above situation appears rather nonsensical to me.

#7

We have 6 people cleared for giving laser inductions, with 2 more coming soon :slight_smile:

#8

As some who’s been a member of both SLMS and LHS for less than a year, I would say SLMS has a far faster and better planned induction rate, and more of a community spirit. But then I do only live 10 minutes from SLMS, so am around enough to get to know people a bit! LHS does have a lot more space however - both for working on projects and permanent storage.
PS - I agree with all the comments above as well!

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#9

Hopping on the discourse thats the impression im getting- i only live 5 min from the south london makerspace too so a lot more convenient for me to visit.

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#10

Great stuff - look forward to seeing you down at SLMS sometime soon.

#11

Welcome! Hope you like it here :slight_smile:

#12

Thanks for all your help. Looking at sorting the swap over shortly.

Couple of final quick questions (couldn’t see a firm answer to these anywhere) :

  1. Hackfuel (aka coffee)- is there any coffee making facilities in the space?
  2. How long should it between my direct debit coming though and being able to use the space?
  3. Is there any member storage available for small items (e.g. my dremel and a few bits of ppe)?

James

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#13
  1. We have a bean-grinding wooshy-sound-making espresso machine, thanks to @lewisss’s generosity and repair efforts :slight_smile:
  2. Direct debit takes a week to go through from setup date. Your membership starts when the payment is processed. You’ll need to get a key fob to access the space.
  3. Small amounts of storage space are available on a per-project basis. We don’t have any members’ storage like that found at LHS. We just don’t have the room for it! In general, if you can bring tools/materials to/from the space, that’s the preferred way of working.
#14

Fantastic new re coffee will bring along some beans to the space then :slight_smile: Sounds like I will see you all next week then! As im mostly going to be working on hacking computer cases and so forth I shouldn’t require any project space and have a car so bringing things in from home isnt too much of an issue for me.

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#15

Just be aware parking is a nightmare on the estate at certain times, if you can’t get in or out ask around the space otherwise go to the mechanics next door who will likely be able to advise who’s car is who’s.

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#16

We have a bean-grinding wooshy-sound-making espresso machine, thanks to @lewisss’s generosity and repair efforts 

This machine eats beans!
At the moment it is been fed by @lewiss (mostly) and me.

If you expect to regularly partake of the nectar, it would be nice to bring in the odd bag of beans.

It eats Sainsbury’s espresso Fairtrade coffee beans at about £2 for 227g

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#17

Maybe a little honesty box or tip jar would be a good idea?

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#18

Tip jar? Far too simple- surely an over coded RFID based monstrosity to track individual caffine consumption is in order?

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#19

This person hackspaces. :ok_hand:

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#20

Lest there is any confusion, we do not at this point have a CNC.

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