- Learn - Make - Connect -
As I started the drive to Cruces Creatives, my thoughts could have only been summarized as this: a long string of panicked words that all just so happened to consist of the same, single letter – A.
It had started with an email from my work-study supervisor asking me to come and finish some paperwork. It was a bit short notice; they wanted me to come in that morning, and I had already signed up for the Basic Wood Shop Safety Training at Cruces Creatives as well. However, since the training started at 10:30, I thought I could make it.
I could not make it—especially since, when I double-checked the email confirming my registration for the safety training, I realized that the class started at 10:00.
It was 10:40 when I finally walked into the building. By the time it had taken to go from the front desk to the woodworking room, I had gifted a string of frantic apologies and rushed excuses to two separate people, and I certainly gave the same string to the instructor.
The three men at the woodworking station were Gary, Dave, and Richard. Gary was the course’s main instructor, and Dave and Richard added to the course with the occasional comment as well as through their examples.
The woodworking shop had a comfortable atmosphere, brightened by the soft smell of sawdust floating gently through the air, that helped to still the frantic balls of string unraveling in my mind until they rolled back up into functional thought in the few moments before the class began. The class went by quickly, the panic that had previously settled my lungs quickly being replaced with a strong curiosity for the shop’s equipment and a genuine enjoyment of knowledge that would be old and common to anyone with experience in woodworking but new to me.
My only previous experience in wood working was a one-time encounter with a compound miter saw, so my knowledge of woodworking was limited to vague notions and descriptions of fictional characters whittling in books. Although this training would not make me anything more than a beginner, it certainly corrected misconceptions and taught the more important principles to safe woodworking.
I learned many different rules for maintaining safety regulations, most of which connected back to these four main points:
If you used a tool without making sure that the fence (a part of certain saws; a slab of metal that moves up or down that can both help keep the wood where it needs to be and keep the blade safely covered) was down to where it needed to be or whether the guard was positioned correctly (etc.), there was a risk that the wood might jump up or slide along with other dangerous errors that might result in something worse than just damaging your project. In example, when working with the table saw, Gary emphasized that if you weren’t careful to use it properly, a piece of wood could shoot back, potentially hitting you or someone else behind you, resulting in likely injury. Gary, understandably, emphasized using the table saw properly.
I was taught about various tools, starting with routers. Gary showed me the hand routers, but we mainly worked with the table router. Explaining that these tools were used to work on the edges of wood, likely for ornamental purposes, Gary demonstrated how to use the table router before letting me have a turn. I also was told about different bits that could be used to create a different effect on the wood and was shown how to raise and lower the bit in order to make a deeper or shallower groove.
The next tools shown to me were the band saw and the scroll saw, which could both be used to make an angled or curved cut to different extents, with the band saw making wider curves and the scroll saw being able to make much sharper angles and turns.
The scroll saw was particularly fun. With Gary’s help, I learned how to use it to make sharper angles and more detailed cuts that could make turns and circles, as well as how to lower the guard to ensure that the wood didn’t jump. This was a tool that Gary had in his home as well, and he said that in his own time to make things like puzzles. Once I’d used the saw for the first time, he congratulated me, saying, “You’ve made your first jigsaw!”
Once we moved on to the table saw, it was particularly impressive simply for its size as the danger around it kept me a bit wary. I was told that it was not necessary to fear it so much as have a good amount of respect for it, and to make sure to use a pushstick, a tool that could be used to push the wood into the saw so that one’s fingers could be kept far away from the blade. Gary gave the tip to use a long brick of scrap-wood as a second pushstick to keep the wood pressed up against the guard when necessary. After we had used it a couple of times, Gary emphasized the importance of making sure to lower the saw completely when you were done with it, and to push the guard over the blade once lowered.
The drill press was a piece of interest to me if only due to the importance of having what the three of them called “sacrificial wood,” or a slab of wood kept on top of the metal plate to ensure that once the drill went through the piece of wood one’s using, the metal plate isn’t hit and damaged.
Some tools were shown but not practiced with, possibly due to time constraints, such as the planer, the sanders, and the lathe. I was also given a tour of where they kept some of the smaller tools that did not have a stationary position in the shop, all items having a place to call home once they were done being used.
Another important lesson was taught in the training, though perhaps not on purpose: wood-shop etiquette. When about to use a tool as an example, Gary sometimes picked a piece of wood from the table as opposed to the scrap-pile. Whenever he did so, however, he would always make sure to ask whether Dave or Richard were using the wood for a project. When they were, Gary would immediately put it down and find an unclaimed piece. Similarly, Gary also made sure that neither Dave nor Richard were using a tool before he showed it to me. Their unanimous movement to make sure to respect each other’s spaces and projects whenever possible definitely seemed to contribute to the shop’s pleasant, convivial atmosphere.
Although Gary was the main instructor, I have a good deal of gratitude for Dave and Richard, who both made sure that all of the tools were running smoothly before we got to them. The compound miter saw and the table saw were both experiencing slight problems which Gary said were likely attributable to too much sawdust or a small wood chunk getting stuck somewhere in the saws’ interiors. Richard and Dave made sure to fix the two saws quickly and cheerfully.
The wood-shop meets many visitors who use it, both in classes and out. With so much use, the tools can more quickly need maintenance to keep them working properly and safely. Every tool in the shop was donated to Cruces Creatives, and we are all so lucky to be able to have them available to the community so that beautiful and fantastic projects an continue to be made. As such, there is incredible, deserved appreciation for everyone who ensures that the wood-shop continues to run the way it should by keeping the tools running well.
I had the privilege of seeing some of the objects that had been made at the woodworking shop, including a bowl Gary had made and another bowl he was in progress of finishing with the lathe. Other projects made by the three men were picture frames that had been cut with the compound miter saw, a wooden figure of a hand that had been cut with the band saw, and a beautiful Christmas ornament in the making.
I still regret having been unable to take the full two-hour course as I can only imagine how much better it would have been to have had that extra forty minutes to get acquainted with the various saws and drills. However, the time I did have was a fantastic introduction of concepts and tools to a complete beginner, setting up a solid foundation for any further learning in the future. If you, like myself, have an interest in woodworking but have never learned about it and perhaps don’t know where to begin, I would recommend this course and similar trainings.
I would also give the advice to arrive on time so that you don’t miss out on learning something. Not only is punctuality kinder on the instructors who take time out of their day to provide you with information, it will also make sure you learn the most possible information you can along with ensuring you avoid the stress of being late.
Everyone involved in the course at Cruces Creatives was very kind and patient with me despite my tardiness, however, so if you find yourself in a similar circumstance, you can find comfort in knowing that Cruces Creatives will do what they can to make sure you make the most of the time remaining.
VHS-to-Digital Converter Set Up in Computer Lab
Want to preserve your VHS before the tape falls off the reals? Come in and use the VHS digitizer that’s now set up in the main room computer lab! It’s free for members, and instructions are provided.
Another Way to Support the Makerspace
The “Donations” page of the Cruces Creatives website now supports recurring donations, Patreon-style! If you like what Cruces Creatives is doing, you can help with $1 a month, $5 a quarter, whatever feels right for you.
Everything helps. Especially while Cruces Creatives is growing the programs and memberships that will provide a stable financial base, your contributions can really make a difference for your community makerspace! To set up a recurring donation, visit https://crucescreatives.org/donate-money/.
Art Ramble/MESA Art Show this Friday!
This month’s first Friday Art Ramble is a big one! Thanks to partnerships with the MESA Project, the University Art Museum at New Mexico State University, and Friends of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks, as well as generous funding from ArtPlace America, Cruces Creatives is hosting a multifaceted, interactive, themed art show on the intersections between agriculture and the environment. The evening features:
Wood Shop Power Automation Coming September 6
To help keep people safe in the wood shop, Cruces Creatives uses a lock-out system on tools that should only be operated by people with appropriate training. Until this Friday, you would have noticed padlocks on the power cords to tools like the table saw, which the back monitors unlock only for people with appropriate safety training. On many tools, the padlocks are going away—but the safety isn’t.
As part of a transition to a more efficient card-swipe system—in which people with safety training on a tool can swipe their Cruces Creatives RFID card to unlock that tool—IT Officer Jeff Moore has created an electronic system that back monitors can use to control power to several wood shop tools. Instead of going to a computer, checking the safety training status of people wanting to use a tool, finding the appropriate key, and then unlocking a tool padlock, back monitors can now use a tablet or a specially configured phone to confirm the safety trainings of everyone in the wood shop and electronically lock or unlock tools. After this new system for electronically controlling tool access is successfully piloted, we can move toward a card-swipe system, in which safety training is confirmed electronically and the safety locking/unlocking system for tools is automated.
Cruces Creatives Job Shop Officially Launching!
A makerspace offers the tools, training, and community to make practically anything—including projects for hire! That’s where the Cruces Creatives Job Shop comes in.
The Job Shop--as part of Cruces Creatives’ missions to promote economic development, advance science and technology, and promote practical education in Doña Ana County--connects individuals or organizations who want a project made with members of the Cruces Creatives team who can make the project happen.
From a soft opening with pilot projects that started in November 2018, the Job Shop has already grown to a major program, with multiple projects worth over $55,000 completed so far. This work helps local organizations and individuals make their visions reality, all while enhancing the local economy, providing internship and education opportunities for a 21st century workforce, and serving as a major source of support for Cruces Creatives and all its charitable missions.
With the success of the soft-opening projects, the Job Shop is leaving the pilot phase and officially launching!
To learn more or start a project, visit http://www.crucescreatives.org/Job-Shop. Also, if you know someone who has a project that could use some additional skills, help spread the word!
Enclosure unit for Electronic Caregiver's virtual nursing assistant, Addison Care (TM)
Interactive children's museum exhibits for Ngage New Mexico
Drop in anytime tomorrow between 3pm and 6pm, Tuesday Aug 27th, to experience letterpressing with Power & Light Press, a traveling letterpress truck who's in town for one day only!
Hope to see you there!
-CC Team
Super Special First First on September 6
This upcoming first Friday will be a mighty special one! It’s an interactive art show on the intersections between agriculture and the environment, featuring
The event is hosted in partnership among Cruces Creatives, the Meetings for Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture (MESA) Project, Friends of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks, and the Art Gallery at New Mexico State University. The evening is funded through a grant from ArtPlace America.
To RSVP, visit http://www.crucescreatives.org/event-3477210.
Paint-by-Numbers Community Mural Update
From 711 votes, we have a design choice for the paint-by-numbers community mural! It’s the bright, stylized design by Eugenia “AO” Carmona, and the organizing team is in the process of scheduling free workshops/painting parties for the mural in September.
More Mural!
We’ve got all sorts of wonderful murals on the outside of Cruces Creatives now—but what about the inside? Well, as part of the MESA Art Show on the intersections between agriculture and the environment, Cruces Creatives will be getting a pattern of prominent local crops as break room mural, designed by artist Victor Beckman.
Vacuum Press for 2D Art
Thanks to a donation from Reviver Printing, Cruces Creatives now has a 4’ x 6’ vacuum press! This tool allows mounting, laminating, and texturing for 2D artworks, and it’ll be a great complement to the 2D art classes at the makerspace. Watch the event calendar for training in how to use this tool.
Special Announcement:
Educational Programs for 4th-5th Graders and 3rd-6th Graders
Later this month, two exciting educational programs are launching at Cruces Creatives! STEAM Team Saturdays STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) Team Saturdays offer project-based, hands-on learning for 4th and 5th grade LCPS students over the course of the 2019-2020 school year. In alignment with and enhancement of common core learning standards, topics for the program include coding, electronics, sculpting, measuring, working in wood, using a drill, learning to iron, conductivity, using vinyl, hydraulics, and much more. This program is funded by the New Mexico STEM Outreach Center, and it’s free to 4th and 5th graders attending the Las Cruces Public School system. For more information or to register, visit http://www.crucescreatives.org/event-3511978 Homeschool Science and History Classes For 3rd-6th grade homeschool students, the upcoming Homeschool Science and History Classes will offer hands-on projects and learning! For participants who are not members of the makerspace, the program is by donation; for makerspace members, the program is free. For more information or to register for the science classes, visit http://www.crucescreatives.org/event-3511282; for history classes, visit http://www.crucescreatives.org/event-3511300.
Later this month, two exciting educational programs are launching at Cruces Creatives!
STEAM Team Saturdays
STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) Team Saturdays offer project-based, hands-on learning for 4th and 5th grade LCPS students over the course of the 2019-2020 school year. In alignment with and enhancement of common core learning standards, topics for the program include coding, electronics, sculpting, measuring, working in wood, using a drill, learning to iron, conductivity, using vinyl, hydraulics, and much more. This program is funded by the New Mexico STEM Outreach Center, and it’s free to 4th and 5th graders attending the Las Cruces Public School system. For more information or to register, visit http://www.crucescreatives.org/event-3511978
Homeschool Science and History Classes
For 3rd-6th grade homeschool students, the upcoming Homeschool Science and History Classes will offer hands-on projects and learning! For participants who are not members of the makerspace, the program is by donation; for makerspace members, the program is free. For more information or to register for the science classes, visit http://www.crucescreatives.org/event-3511282; for history classes, visit http://www.crucescreatives.org/event-3511300.
STEAM Saturdays Launching!
Starting on August 31, the Kids' Classroom is going to be bustling each Saturday morning with STEAM education projects: conductive, interactive ajebrijes; hydraulic arms and mazes; Rube Goldberg machines, and powered flying machines!
The participants, twelve 4th and 5th graders selected by the New Mexico STEM Outreach Center, will be learning through hands-on projects every Saturday through the 2019/2020 school year.
Cruces Creatives Survey
Cruces Creatives is now just over one year old! If you haven’t already, please consider sharing your input through a quick survey to shape the next years’ growth! To fill out the survey, visit https://forms.gle/pNAx3nJidfoJKtqNA.
