The Dublin Hackerspace
Following on from my recent post and post on building a CNC router. We just received a new toy today.
Many thanks to Anthony for giving TOG this old Contour Minor CNC Milling Machine. The mill is in good working order, though it does rely on some old MS-DOS based software (I’ve already checked that it works with FreeDOS), I’m hoping we’ll be able to get it going with LinuxCNC.
We are running a new class on learning how to program using Python, for complete beginners with no previous programming knowledge. The course will cover basic programming skills, which will also give you a better understanding of how computers work. At the end of the course you will know how to write simple programs, and you should have enough understanding of the basics to move on to either more complex programming tasks in Python or learn another language if you wish to. Python is the perfect first language because it is simple yet powerful, and extremely readable.
The course will begin on August 23rd and will run for 5 weeks every Monday from 7.00pm to 9.30pm. The cost will be €30 for non-members, and free for members.
Please note that this is a course for complete beginners. We are thinking of doing a Python crash course later on, for people already familiar with another programming language.
If you are interested in attending, or if you have any question about the course, feel free to post a comment or use the contact form — we’re happy to answer any query! You must sign up if you want to attend, as the space is limited to 7 people.
If you’ve been following along very closely you’ll know I’ve been working on the design of a CNC Router for TOG. In recent weeks I’ve actual started experimenting and prototype some parts while collecting various materials, components and tools.
The prototype is shown below.
August 10th, Tuesday, from 7pm, we’ll be crafting again, and we’d love for you to join us! If you intend on coming, please send us a message through the Contact Form below.
(Sorry about the mis-information in the last craft-post, as you can see the call for booking places is one week, not two, from the next one.)
Interest does seem to be ebbing, what with Summer, and general life stuff, so if you’re worried about scheduling feel free to check back Monday, or Tuesday, we’ll let you know if there’s still room.
See, I can do short posts too 🙂
Continue reading “Crafting here, Crafting there, Crafting everywhere!”
August 1st was the two month anniversary of us receiving the keys to our new space on Chancery Lane. During these two months we’ve undertaken a huge amount of work renovating the building, making it habitable and suitable for our members and visitors. Below is a series of videos we’ve recorded since getting the keys which hopefully provide an idea of the work we’ve undertaken.
*EDIT Two places have just opened up for this event use the contact form below to book.
First off, we want to say a great big Thank You to the people who came to the first Craft Night. The vibe was very good, the chats fun, and I loved seeing what everyone was working on. I, for one, had a great time, and hope everyone else did too 🙂
Secondly, sorry to all the people that wanted to come that didn’t make it! But, you might be interested in the third point.
Thirdly, we’re going to do it again! The response was phenomenal. Clearly this is something the community has been needing for a long time. So every second Tuesday (from Tuesday, 27th July, until further notice), from 7pm until late, will be Craft Night at TOG!
However, we are still limited on space. For the next few weeks we will have to restrict the numbers, and keep the process whereby you contact us via the Contact Form below (*EDIT* Contact Form removed because this session is full. See below for details.) to book a place. The number 12 seemed to work well, so we’ll keep it. Please only book a place if you’re sure you can come. (And if you end up not being able to make it, that’s okay, just send us an email/text/SMS and let us know so we’re not worried about you.)
Third-and-a-half-ly, the demand really is rather high, and as more people hear about it, more people get interested. This is great, truly, but may mean that in future we’ll have to think about splitting the event up into different types of craft. For example; Sewing, Knitting, Jewellery, etc. Indeed, if there’s specific interest in one area we’re happy to do this (already starting to plot some workshops/courses), but I think it will be nice to keep the general Craft Night as well. At the very least it may mean spreading out into a couple of rooms, but is something we’ll have to come back to in the future.
For now, rejoice! More group crafting lays ahead! Once again, any kind of craft is welcome! So book your place quickly, looks like we’ll fill up fast! Remember, this post is for Tuesday, 27th July (we’ll post more for the other events). And we look forward to meeting you all (eventually)!
(P.S. We do have a photo or two somewhere that prove people came, but have yet to track them down…
P.P.S. Because we like to be in with the cool kids we have a twitter you can follow if interested: http://twitter.com/TOG_Dublin. Also, email crafty@tog.ie for general crafty stuff, not booking places.
P.P.P.S. I forgot to mention, we’re currently looking to compile a good list of places where people can get crafting supplies. If you have somewhere you’d like to mention please feel free to email us, tweet us, or use the form below.)
*EDIT*
Once again, bitter-sweet news, we’re full up! Sorry if you can’t come again this time. But please note: The notice/sign-up for the following craft night (10th August) will go up after the next one (27th July). So, if you want to make sure you’re signed up, make sure to check back here on the 28th!
Okay, because of the popularity we’re trying to think up ways of enabling more people to craft together.
One suggestion is how about a weekend session in addition to the Tuesday one? We need to know numbers of people interested, and whether Saturday or Sunday would suit better? Morning, afternoon, evening?
Also, we understand that people are having trouble knowing if they will be available on a given day (until rotas are done out, etc) until a day or two beforehand.
So, we could do a delayed release thing? Like, have early-bird spots like now, but also keep back a few until the day before? While more fair to some people it’s less fair to others.
Another idea is for the weekend session, not having to book a place. It would be nice if you could let us know if you’re going to try to make it, because having 30 people show up won’t lead to any fun for anyone if we’re not prepared.
We’re very interested in hearing your opinions. Seriously, only hearing our own voices just leaves us talking in circles. Let us know what you need. You can leave a comment here, or more privately an e-mail to crafty@tog.ie