Upcoming Events
Open House/Maker Meetup
Thursday, Feb 9 at 7:00pm
Come check out what’s happening!
Adobe/Autodesk - Users Group will have its first meeting on Monday, Feb 13th from 7-9 pm. The vision for this group is to share tips & tricks and learn from one another. We may work on a project together to facilitate learning. Contact John Buckley with any questions. Interest thus far is in Photoshop, Premiere, InDesign, Illustrator, After Effects, Fusion 360, and 3DS Max. All skill levels are welcome.
Woodlands Astronomy Club will meet on Feb 16th at 7pm. Topic will be on the celestial coordinates system since mastering them is essential to finding objects and thoroughly enjoying the hobby. If you have a star map, plan to bring it.
The Star Party had a great turnout. The MakerBarn is a very good site, good wide view of the sky and good viewing conditions for even small telescopes. If you missed it, there will be another Sat., Feb 25th.
TinkerTime! has 4 weeks left. Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30-6 pm. Students can explore different tools, techniques, and work on small guided projects. Cost is free to MakerBarn member families, non-member students may participate for $10/class. If you're planning on dropping in, please let us know ahead so that we may adequately prepare. info@themakerbarn.org
THURSDAY MAKER LUNCH, 2/16/17
If you are free for lunch, join the Makers at Fuddruckers in The Woodlands, 2290 Buckthorne Place. Noon - 1:30
Look for us in the back room.
... In case you were wondering, the MakerBarn is now up to 74 members. :)
LET's TALK
MakerBarn Discussion Forum
A discussion forum for all MakerBarn members is now available on the MakerBarn website. The discussion forum has multiple boards with various MakerBarn discussion topics. We envision it being handy for sharing ideas, asking for assistance and partnering on projects, coordinating bulk buys, etc. Note that posting to the forum is limited to members only but it will be publicly view-able.
For more information about MakerBarn membership or discussion boards, please e-mail: info@themakerbarn.org
Our Newest Addition -
In 1938, a company in Bridgeport Connecticut started building and selling milling machines. These machines were different than most being built. These machines were designed to be very versatile and fill the needs of small job shops and tool rooms. Over the years thousands of Bridgeport style machines have been manufactured by Bridgeport and others all around the world.
We now have a Bridgeport milling machine at The MakerBarn.
A vertical milling machine looks much like a drill-press. It can be used to drill holes, but it can do much more. Think of it as a way to precisely carve metal. It can make precision flat surfaces and angles. It can cut slots and cutouts. It can be used to bore precision holes at almost any diameter. With the proper tools, it can even make gears. A skilled operator can work to tolerances of 0.001”, or about half the width of a hair.
Our Bridgeport has a table 9” wide and 48” long. The table can move 12 inches in the “Y” direction and 36 inches in the “X” direction. The location of the table is displayed on a digital readout. The quill (which carries the spindle) can move up and down 5 inches, and the knee (the table sits on the knee) can move 16 inches up and down. The machine has a 2 horse-power motor and weighs about 2,200 pounds. It was purchased at auction from Conroe ISD. Like most school machines, it has a few oopses on the table, but like most, has had very little usage over the years so it is in excellent condition.
There are several different types of cutters and other tools used with the vertical mill. Most often endmills are used for cutting horizontal and vertical surfaces. Endmills look almost like drill bits except they are designed to cut sideways as well as on the end. Since, in the course of learning how to use the machine, endmills get broken and otherwise ruined, each user will be supplying their own endmills. A set of endmills can be purchased online at reasonable prices. More about that later.
Although learning to use the mill can be intimidating and it does take some time to be proficient, the effort will be well worth it.
COMING SOON...
Resin Casting! You may have noticed the new "resin casting" cart upstairs. After you make a part on one of our 3D printers you may use this new equipment to make a silicone rubber mold of the part and then cast multiple copies of it using your rubber mold and special casting resin. The equipment is being tested now - see John Buckley if you would like to participate in the test and stay tuned for a demonstration night planned for early April.
REMINDERS:
SIGN IN - Please make sure that you are signing in when you enter the MakerBarn. This information helps us better manage time and resources and also helps to show the impact we are making in the community.
NO SMOKING - Just a friendly reminder. Our Rules and Policies Code of Conduct states: Consuming alcohol and smoking – cigarettes, cigars, vaporizers (also known as electronic cigarettes) – is not allowed anywhere on EE property.
The full Policy is available on the website under the Memberships tab. Please take time to review it.
For New Members
WELCOME !! If you have not filled out an application with an Emergency Contact and Liability Waiver, please stop by the barn and do so. You can also pick up your RFID cards from the barn manager on duty. Most of the RFID secured equipment has safety manuals available to review. George or Greg can direct you in getting checked out.
The phone number at the barn is 832-663-6390. Please remember that this is volunteer/member led program. There is no staff. We currently have 12 volunteer Barn Managers that are keeping the space open per the website calendar. If you would like information on becoming a Manager, contact John Buckley. There's no pay, but there are a few perks. :)
We look forward to seeing you at the Barn!
