Episode-1079- Jim Navarro on Hackerspaces and Makerspaces
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Jim Navarro is a founder and Director of the board of Bridgewire Makerspace in Reno/Sparks NV. His group is a community workshop that is member driven and is a non profit. They have been around for 18 months and are growing daily.
He joins us to explain the fundamental of the process they used in setting up their workshop and the hurdles along the way. Plus how they run it during day to day ongoing operations.
Professionally Jim is the Director of Security for one of the Forbes 400 and an NFA consultant and Armorer for a title 2 manufacturer in Reno. Which Jim calls his “fun hobby job”.
Today we discuss how to start a makerspace/hackerspace/community workshop. The hurdles the problems and the positive results. Then after how to run them and handle problems including why anyone should do this in the first place.
We also discuss the entrepreneual spirit within the Makerspace community and how combined with systems like Kickstarter it is chaining the playing field for small businesses in America today. Why be in hock to a venture capitalists (I call them vulture capitalists) when you can be privately funded by people that support your mission? Why spend a fortune on prototyping when you can join a community, spend a few hundred dollars on some classes and dues and produce it yourself? Heck why spend a fortune in bank loans for initial production equipment when you can ramp up using community based equipment?
Resources for today’s show…
- Members Support Brigade
- TSPMint.com
- 13Skills.com
- Join Our Forum
- TSP Gear Shop
- Sawtooth Tactical – (sponsor of the day)
- Ready Made Resources – (sponsor of the day)
- Jim’s Maker Space Facebook Page
- Jim’s Maker Space Website
- News Story on Jim’s Maker Space
- The Pinoccio – Too technical for me but many of you will love it
- The New Walking to Freedom Forum
Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.
I would like to have one of these where I live. I’d pay $50 a month just to go and WATCH people making their projects. But I can think of a few projects I would like to do.
I’ve been curious about using hackerspaces for 80% lower builds.
Holly cow, I am in Reno visiting, I am going to try and make it over to the open house you have on Thursdays, Crazy timing when I read the description and it mentioned Reno, NV.
About the 80% builds , we are planning on a class at our space to do just that. We just need to get enough of them to start it.
This is great. I had no idea this group existed and apparently we have one where I live. However I dont think they have some of the equipment Im looking to learn but, Im going to check it out
wow im jealous….at my local makerspaces i feel like i would get banned for even.talking about making a gun part
Great show unfortunately my local makers club is 100 per month.
The link to Jim’s page is broken.
Thanks.
Hey Jack, what about trying to set one of these “makerspace” groups up to teach self reliance skills! You could have guys teach classes on whitetail hunting, or skinning, or how to build a log cabin, or animal tracking, or a class on making a P.A.L.S. suit, or anything else to do with self reliance, gardening, permaculture. The group could have all sorts of equipment related to these different classes. I believe i am going to get together with some friends that have certain skills and see if we could organize something like this. Jim, do you think hackers.org would list a group like this that is not related to technology or building/engineering trades? This would be good forvadvancing 13 skills as well! Just thinking here anyway loved the show, always do!
Thanks Jack for everything that you teach us! Michael
While I’m waiting for my phone to download the podcast, I wanted to let you know that Fort Worth is on the map with a Makerspace in the works. We still got some hurdles to get over but we are making strong progress. You can catch us this Saturday at Fort Worth Science and History Museum demonstrating at iMAKE program. For more information, visit http://www.fortworthmakerspace.com
Had no idea this group existed, and it’s right here in my own backyard! As I’m writing this now, it’s public night, but I can’t make it, so I’ll come check it out next Thursday!
I checked out Bridgewire, great group there, real friendly talked to a couple guys. Could see this as a good place to build community.
I am adding the TechShop website, http://www.techshop.ws
The San Jose facility is 17,000 sq ft of pure fun, filled with interesting people with “wow” projects. I can’t say enough good things about the place.
Loved this podcast, as this is something that I could see myself being a part of… maybe someday I could be a part of setting up a makerspace in my community. Very much like a continuation of the architecture school studio culture at Virginia Tech where I went, with glorious shops of many kinds.
However, my big question is this, since I never heard it addressed in the podcast: how do you get people to take care of the space? What rules and regs are in place to keep people from leaving huge inconsiderate messes for others, who polices that, and how do you enforce it? I know all we need is more rules, right… I love the inherent liberty in the idea of a makerspace; however, I know from practical experience that people 1) break things, especially expensive machinery, inadvertently, ESPECIALLY if they have not been trained on how to use say a lathe or CNC or LaserCAMM; 2) leave messes behind on shop equipment; or 3) do things that are unsafe for themselves or others around things like shop machines that can really hurt you.
I’m just trying to figure out if I were to set up something like a makerspace the logistics of safety, training, and maintenance of a open shop unless there were a couple folks who were paid or at least volunteered to be shop “guides” to assist with at least technical issues like a broken bandsaw blade or say, “Hey, if you do that you’re about to destroy a $5000 machine.”