At lat year’s Maker Faire in San Mateo,CA we got acquainted with the folks from the Sawdust Shop, in Sunnyvale,CA. We would build “rubber band racers”and they would help kids assemble them.
Their business is unique;they have a fully equipped woodworking facility where people can rent time on any of their equipment, including a 4’by 4’PRS Alpha Shopbot ! Once someone has been checked out in regards to their competency on the tools they can come to the facility 7 days a week, and build whatever project they choose.
We thought that the facility would also be a great spot to host this year’s Northern California Camp Shopbot so we worked out a time frame that fit for all of us.
It was a good turnout. We had experienced users, and a bunch of “first timers” as well. Some of the Sawdust Shop regulars stopped by, and there were some new and different pieces brought in for the “Show and tell”session.
The majority of these pieces were oriented towards building musical instruments, particularly guitars.Rick Samish (who goes back to the cable drive machine era…) brought in some pictures
which showed how he creates parts for guitars on his machine, and then he brought in a ‘mocked up”guitar body and neck, as well as a fully completed one. He also explained in detail the finishing process which is involved in this type of work.
Then Ed Stutz showed off some professional building jigs he is helping to manufacture for other people who want to build their own guitars. Ed is working with Luthiers Mercantile to help produce these assembly aids, and their ease of use is pretty impressive !
Ari Krupnik brought in one of his “pixel portraits”as well as some VERY small cutouts he is doing from old CD Roms. We used Ari’s project as a discussion point to help develop ways to hold down very small materials while they are being cut. Ari’s work is even more impressive because he is a member of the Sawdust Shop and he rents time on their Shopbot to create his work !
And it was really nice to be able to take an occasional break and then wander through the retail store which is part of the Sawdust Shop so some people went home with more than just literature….
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