December 6th Meeting Minutes

A total of 26 people attended the meeting; 2 via Google Hangout and 5 guests.

At least one of the guests had seen our poster at MSOE and others had found us through our website, the Make website, or Instructables.

The group discussed the progress of venting of the laser cutter.

There will be an Entrepreneur Meeting scheduled for this Sunday at 1 PM, hosted by David B to discuss business opportunities and ideas at the space.

The Electric Car Club will also be meeting Sunday.

Call for people’s projects to get added to the wiki: Projects

 

November 29th Meeting Minutes

A total of 14 members were present and 2 guests attended the meeting.  We did not have Google Hangout up and running that night.

DIY CNC Day – December 4th

The CNC router has been repaired and Z-axis has been restored.  Come out and join us for the Third Monthly DIY CNC Day.  The event is loosely scheduled to begin noon however work will likely be going on all day Sunday.

Current Project Roundup

The meeting was fairly brief and concluded with members discussing various current projects.  Topics included larger than life winter yard decorations, curing the forge to begin using it, hammermills, electric truck suspension systems, DIY tongue & groove flooring, laser cutter projects, and the RFP for a Bay View Art Project.

November 1st Meeting Minutes

A total of 18 members were present, 3 joined via Google Hangout, and 5 guests attended the meeting.  At least three guests expressed interest in becoming a member that night.

Guest Introductions

After welcoming everyone, some guests went on a tour of the space while other members continued with the meeting.

Second DIY CNC Day – November 6th

Black Friday Hack-A-Thon – November 25th

Ideas for items to make were shared with the group.  Pete noted he has found some pieces to be made on the CNC router and Royce noted the tie-pin boards are on order.

Contacts and Promotion

Adam plans to drop some posters off with MSOE’s Studer Activities Office and Jason plans to speak with his contact at Marquette.  Royce mentioned he visited UWM’s Art and Technology Group last week.

Welding Equipment

Tom has some Hobart welders he plans to bring to the space and convert at least one to TIG welding for aluminum.

Space Clean-Up Day – Last Sunday of the Month

Kevin suggested we either move the day or schedule it later on Sunday to allow for more people to attend.  The group agreed and plans to meet next on November 27th at 1:00 PM.  Tom emphasized that the Clean-Up Day was always meant to be a Clean-Up and Cook-Out Day and we will plan to cook out next time.  Brant and Royce also plan to meet and salvage some of the lists and pages from the old website.  The Clean-Up Task List and Vendor List were among the most important.

New Video Ideas

David proposed doing a series of interviews with members and several people were interested.  Jason also mentioned that he would like to produce some quick “Meet the Maker” segments.

Storage

Ron and others pointed out that some pallets on the top of the pallet racks are difficult to reach safely with the forklift.  It was suggested that members with pallets on the lower racks or floor relocate their work or ensure the pallets are shelved as far back as they can be.

October 25th Meeting Minutes

A total of 12 members and 4 guests attended the meeting.

Guest Introductions

After we went around the room and spoke a bit about ourselves and what we do here, our three guests shared how they found our group.  The responses included Googling ‘electronics clubs,’ attending Electric Car Club Meetings at Tom’s House, finding us on Hackerspaces.org and meeting members at BarCampMilwaukee6.

Chill Out Space Proposed

Adam had suggested we consider building a “chill out space” for makers and guests to hang out, talk, and generally relax.  Our Lab and Library spaces are separated from the rest of the workshop, but still lack adequate space when others are present and working.  Other members agreed and enthusiastically brainstormed possible features of such a space including a couch, a TV, video game systems, a stereo, etc.  The Loft was proposed as likely the best location and immediately following the meeting, Adam, Kevin, Shane, and others walked through The Loft while continuing the discussion.

Skillshare

Earlier this week, Milwaukee was added to the number of cities with a Skillshare website.  The site connects teachers, instructors, and students together for classes and meetups as a sort of non-traditional learning community.  Our group is considering listing our Thursday Night Demos and other events on the site once more are scheduled.  See the website at: http://www.skillshare.com/learn?city=milwaukee

Future Demos

The list of possible demos people are interested in either hosting or attending continues to grow.  Demos and classes mentioned included welding, sweating copper pipes, an intro to AC/DC motors, Processing, Arduino, Blender, and OpenSCAD.

Housekeeping Items

Jason asked to begin considering online financial services for group business and invoicing since our current accounting software is somewhat lacking.  The group proposed that instead of paying for access to an online accounting service, we first check retailers and bookstores for discounted software.  Jason also mentioned that integrating the access control system with our accounting software would be a great item for our Space Wish List.

Matt N. mentioned that he visited a rapid fabrication workshop at MSOE earlier in the week and in his opinion powder systems are too messy and expensive and the parts they make are too fragile.  He recommended that if we want to add a rapid prototyping machine to our Wish List, we should consider the Ultimaker.

Matt N. also asked if the current CCTV system could be make to broadcast to the web so members and visitors could keep an eye on the space when not around.  He offered a $100 prize for anyone who manages to do so.  Obstacles to setting up such a webcam have included our bandwidth and ISP connection, software issues, and firewalls.

Adam noted he spoke with some people at MSOE regarding hanging up posters or distributing flyers and Brant said he would talk to Tom about seeing what it takes to underwrite an ad on WMSE.

 

 

October 18th Meeting Minutes

A total of 13 members and 1 guest attended the meeting.

“State of the Space” Presentation

Jason presented a series of charts and graphs that described various aspects of our group. Membership increased over the last few months with most gains happening after the Grand Opening in April.  Our peak number of members was 26; we had more but not all at the same time.  Some past members have moved away or left the group.  Jason noted that adding different classes of membership for students and part-timers has helped us grow.  Our financial situation is currently sustainable, however attracting new members would help support new projects and provide more of a cushion.  The conversation turned to attracting new members which led into the other discussions mentioned below.

Marketing and Promotion

Royce mentioned that someone from an UWM Arts & Technology group contacted him recently.  They were interested in our group and said we might be interested in theirs.  Royce asked if anyone would be willing to go to UWM in the future and see their group and space.  Matt, Brant, and Rich were interested.  Some other organizations and schools in the area that we would like to reach out to include MATC, WCTC, Marquette, MSOE, MIAD, and Alverno.  Brant and Tom also agreed to work on a potential radio ad or show.  The idea of a membership drive was also discussed.

Class Ideas

Past classes have been successful, however no new ones are currently scheduled.   Ideas discussed included Electric Motors by Brant, Processing by Pete and Jason, Arduino by Royce, Welding and/or Sweating Copper Pipes by Rich.  The group agreed that classes could be organized and scheduled to begin January or February 2012.

Guest Introductions

Housekeeping Items

A toilet in the Ladies’ Restroom was clogged and the floor is dirty from when the drain in the Janitor’s Closet was backflushed recently.  Tom noted that the lack of toilet paper supplies lately could mean others that use that restroom are using paper towels instead and that could more easily clog the drains.  Signs will be posted to dissuade any men from using the Ladies’ Room and any one from leaving a mess.  (On Thursday, Elizabeth posted signs, cleaned the bathroom, and bought a plunger.)

Royce, Tom, and Rich reminded everyone that broken drill bits can be recycled and are usually worth money.  A container will be provided by the drill presses to collect them in the future.