On a Tuesday night, a building in an industrial area off Northfield Road came alive with activity as members of Makerspace Nanaimo gathered to learn how to use a new, safe table saw that can sense when a finger gets too close to the blade and automatically lowers the blade into a piece of plastic stopping it.
René Sloos, vice chair of Makerspace Nanaimo, says training on how to safely use equipment at the community workshop is a major benefit of becoming a member.
“One value is access to tools 24/7 but for me, the other half of the value comes out of meeting and learning from other members who know more than you about certain aspects,” he said. “That learning is huge for me.”
Makerspace Nanaimo describes itself as a mix of a workshop, studio space and social hub for people who want to share tools, resources and knowledge to build all types of things. The space offers everything from supplies and equipment for sewing and 3D printing to spaces such as a metalworking shop. After a decade of operation, Makerspace now has a membership of nearly 100 people who are keen to grow their skills and share them with others.
A ‘completely different’ space
Mark Sadhra was reading the Nanaimo Daily News when he saw a story about an effort to start a makerspace in Nanaimo. He then joined a group of eight people who spent two years looking for a location to open a makerspace. They eventually found a landlord who was willing to rent a vacant building he owned to the group for half of the membership dues, or less than $1,000 a month.
“When we started, we had no tools, not even a cordless drill,” Sadhra said. “This place is completely different now.”
Initially, people brought in their own hand tools, and pitched in for new equipment as the shop has grown over the years.
The space now has a full woodworking shop, a metalworking shop, a space for painting, a large laser cutter, a 3D printing area, industrial sewing machines, a sublimation printer for clothing and mugs and more.
“We have quite a lot of equipment, and the idea is that people come together to cooperate between different segments,” said Bently Born, who runs a Python programming course at the space.
Makerspace Nanaimo also has regular themed nights for members to meet and learn from one another, such as metal shop Monday, electronics night on Wednesdays and wood shop night on Thursdays.
“We’re more than just a tool shop, we’re a community,” Sadhra said. “If you need help with something, there’s always someone here to help out.”
Sadhra said Makerspace has members who are experts in electronics, woodworking, metal fabrication and have even worked on software that is used in space. Some have helped build submarines for billionaires, such as Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.
Sadhra’s personal expertise is in 3D printing and two of the printers in the shop are his. He says the technology is advancing very quickly.
“It’s like a microwave, you just load the file, hit print and it will print,” Sadhra explained of the newer printers. “Before, you had to guess what temperature you are going to print out, what speed and half the time it would fail so you would have a lot of problems. These make it so much easier.”
The makerspace movement
Born was involved in makerspaces in Costa Rica before moving to Nanaimo to be closer to his parents. He said a number of Makerspace Nanaimo members were also involved in spaces in Vancouver.
More broadly, the Maker Movement brings independent tinkerers together to learn, create and share skills. While it started with a focus on technology, the movement has grown to include various creative skills such as sewing, crochet and woodworking. There are even Maker Faires where people can share their creations as well as a magazine dedicated to the movement.
Born said the Makerspace in Nanaimo is more geared towards people who do woodworking projects.
Sloos was also previously involved in a makerspace when he lived in Calgary before joining Makerspace Nanaimo when he moved here three years ago.
“It’s actually an asset for the city to have here because people might come in that are actually looking for a facility like this,” he said.
Sloos said the best way for people who are interested to check out the space is to attend a weekly open house on Tuesday evenings and take a tour where they can see the myriad of equipment and ask questions.
Membership for Makerspace Nanaimo is $50 per month or $500 per year and gives members 24/7 access to the tools and workspace.
