FAQ and Links
What’s a maker space?
Check out these links:
See what others have already done in Toronto – or go to their open house nights and see for yourself what it’s all about
See how popular the maker fairs and festivals are in was in Toronto:
Or try searching like this: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=amazing+makerspaces
A maker space? Are you people out of your minds?
Perhaps. But that’s part of the fun. We don’t want to turn off the voices because they’re so entertaining.
Why can’t you just use space in this school/college/building/company?
Maker spaces are for the members, and accessible whenever members can do stuff. Late evening and weekend access is a must, and can be difficult to achieve.
Shop space where you can generally make a mess and a lot of noise is generally not available in these locations.
Can’t you just get someone to donate space?
If you know someone, rush over to the contacts page. Quickly.
Can I donate some equipment/tools/furniture?
Yes, but please check with us first. Some times it’s stuff we already have. Sometimes we just don’t have room.
Can I pay you to come in to use a piece of equipment?
We frequently get two types of requests:
- Can I pay you to come in and use your equipment for day or a job?
- I have a lot of experience with this particular piece of equipment. Can I come in and use it?
99% of the time, these requests are for use of our laser cutter.
Ylab is an all-volunteer organisation. None of us are paid for this. We have day jobs. We do this for fun and education a few evenings a week. In short, we are amateurs in the true sense of the word.
We have somehow managed to fund the equipment we have, so we are particular about its usage.
- We do not allow commercial jobs on our equipment. If you plan on making stuff to sell, there are commercial shops around. We can recommend some excellent local places for professional 3D printing and laser cutting. You can even tell them that ylab sent you. We do have a possible exception for one-offs and prototyping.
- Other than as a member and at member times, you cannot pay to come in and use the equipment. As mentioned above, we have day jobs. Good day jobs. Our time is precious to us. You would have to compensate us for our time to come in, open the place and supervise your use of the equipment. Paying for our time to do this would be far more expensive that getting your job done at any commercial site.
- As a member, you must complete our training class appropriate to the equipment to use it. Our gear is expensive and delicate. No, we don’t trust your prior experience.
- Since we do this part time, our hours per week are limited.
On the other hand…
If you just have a small job? Come in on an open house night with your material. We are glad to help.
Visiting us on an open house night is the best way to find out more. Open house and class schedules are posted here on meetup. Registration required.
What about the children? Won’t someone think of the children?
This is not for kids – or at least not the maker space.
Where kids are involved, organisations require people with training, police background checks, insurance, safety and other considerations that make this its own special challenge. We know about this – some of the people involved with Y Lab are Scout leaders, and as members, we’ve made stuff for the kids.
We’ve also participated in maker days at Richmond Hill, Markham and Vaughan Public Libraries.
I’ve heard that this college or that university is trying to set something up. Why not work with them?
Yes, we’ve heard of those as well, and have been in touch with some projects. There are initiatives under way to get funding for various facilities. In these models, equipment and space could be tied up for specific industry teams, projects and objectives. They are usually focused on the students and staff of the school. This is different from a member-supported maker space.
