Changes for Non-Members

Since we’ve had a new set of directors join us last month, we’re changing a couple of things about when non-members can access the space.

Visiting with a Member

Historically we have had the policy that non-members can only visit the space when there is a director present. This is most to make sure that prospective members get all of the information that they need in order to make an informed choice about joining up. This has led to some difficulty for those who want to use some of our dangerous tools when there are no other members around, so we have decided that each member can bring along one non-member primarily to act as a safety person in case anything were to happen while using those tools.

This has the additional benefit of allowing members to show around family and friends who just want to see what this hackspace thing is that they are always talking about.

We still recommend that people who are interested in joining should come along on an open night where a director can give them a full tour and answer their questions, but members are welcome to show a friend or relative around if they want to see this hackspace thing that they are always talking about.

Open Nights and Social Nights

Due to the availability of directors, we are moving open nights to Thursdays as of the first week of April, while keeping the social night on Wednesdays. Previously non-members have come along for tours on Wednesday evenings 7-9pm, and many members have come to appreciate this as a social evening as well. Since fewer than half of the directors can attend on Wednesdays, we are changing our schedule to move the non-member portion of open nights to Thursdays 7-8pm, but we are encouraging members to continue to come along for a social evening on Wednesdays from 7pm. The social presence on a Wednesday is great and has never required the presence of a director, so we hope that this will continue, and directors will not be constrained to only attend on Thursdays, some of us will continue to come on some Wednesdays.

For existing members, this has very little impact other than having a different night to guarantee a director is present. We are all still as active on the WhatsApp as usual, and we can always make arrangements to meet people on other nights when needed. The main impact is to spread the load of tours and inductions between the directors.

If you are interested in seeing what we do or joining up, please come along on any Thursday night between 7-8pm and we’d be happy to give you a full tour and answer any questions that you might have.

New Directors Elected at our AGM

Last Friday we had our annual general meeting (AGM) to elect new directors and to reflect with the members on the last year of hacking. We are very pleased to introduce new directors: Craig, George and Sam, who have generously stepped up to run the hackspace in their free time. This puts us at 7 directors which is ideal for sharing the load of all the behind-the-scenes work which goes into keeping our community running.

We also thanked Mike for his work as a director over the last year or so as he stepped down, and re-elected Phil and Rory.

Our treasurer gave a quick update on the state of finances, showing that we are in a good position for this year, but we are by no means resting easy on large amounts of capital. with the continued growth of the membership, we are increasing our income, but much of that is being reinvested into the space, or earmarked for a potential move in the not-so-distant future.

On a similar note, we updated members about our longer-term plans to get a bigger and better space than we currently have, allowing us to expand and provide even better capabilities to our members. This may entail a change in our organisational structure, but no firm plans have been made yet.

As always, we are so grateful to everyone involved in the hackspace, for everything that they bring to this community, in both financial and time commitments. Here’s to another great year!

2026 is the Year of the Laser

Our laser cutter has long been one of the most used facilities in the space, only rivalled by the tuck shop, though it has historically had some problems. The laser alignment would often drift and the available power left a lot to be desired.

Last Friday, with only 2 hours notice, we scrambled to assemble a team of volunteers to take delivery of our brand new Omtech Max-1393. Yes, you read that correctly; not second hand, brand new! This is the culmination of almost a year of crowd funding and organising to find the biggest and best machine that we could fit in the space. We owe a huge debt of thanks to the many members who contributed, as well as Spirax Sarco, a local business who generously donated to our appeal.

Preparing for the lift

For those who care about the tech-specs, the machine boasts:

• 1300x900mm cutting bed

• 130W CO2 laser tube

• Automatic focusing

• 600mm/s max engraving speed

An A4 sheet looks tiny on the cutting bed

When we say that this is the biggest machine that we can fit in the space, we aren't exaggerating. With a depth just a few cm shy of a standard door width and weighing a quarter of a ton, we had an exciting afternoon of choreographing every step of its short journey from the curb, into the digifab room. 

Not a lot of clearance to get through the door

Thankfully we had a sizeable and capable team of members who worked like a well-oiled machine to carefully guide the unit through several doorways and perfectly position it in its new home.

Best of all? It's already been commissioned and members are able to be trained to use it!