Dallas Makerspace
laser cutting.
Free classes and unbridled enthusiasm
come complimentary (or “almost free,”
depending on the class and materials needed) at both Dallas Makerspace and Tarrant
Makers. Dallas and Fort Worth join a collection of makerspaces across the country,
from Artists in Asylum in Massachusetts to
i3 in Detroit, ATX in Austin to the Columbus
Idea Factory in Ohio, where the communal
approach to creativity with shared ideas,
equipment, space and support seems to
have caught on.
“The whole makerspace idea is taking off
because people no longer want to be consumers,” said Robert Bradbury, co-founder and past president of Tarrant Makers.
“They want to empower themselves to
build things to fit their lifestyle. Want to be
individuals now rather than just accepting
things that fit the mass culture.”
This is a perfect fit with the “can-do” Texan mentality that befits most North Texans.
“In the past, we were building things,”
said Bradbury. “It was a ‘farmer mentality.’ If you didn’t have it, you built it. In the
1970s, when we went to mass production
of things like consumer electronics, it became cheaper to buy something new rather than fix it, when we went to integrated
circuits from vacuum tubes. Now, people
are wanting to take back that ability to create for themselves the products that they
want -- whether they currently exist or not.
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www.ntc-dfw.org
Winter/Spring 2015
Space of Dreams
Dallas Makerspace now exists in a
16,800-square-foot facility in Carrollton full of
the kind of equipment that makes just about
any idea possible. Multiple 3-D printers and
scanners, laser cutters, wood-working equipment, welding tools, wide-format printers,
electrical equipment and much, much more are
open 24 hours a day to paying members, anyone 15 years old or over who pays the $50 a
month membership fee. There are even pinball
machines and a “bio department.” Lots of electrical power and outlets and dedicated areas
provide possibilities and organization. New fiber
In addition to the workshop
space, Dallas Makerspace hosts
events for members and non-members alike, most of which are free.
Drawing classes, robotics events,
and classes in everything from
blacksmithing to brass etching to
building your own processor or
making your own video recordings
usi