Stationnnn! "Excellent!"
Pumping Station: One is a powerful idea
in self-education, a location full of tools owned by the membership
and a robust membership full of people who know things and like to
share what they know. It is a shockingly inexpensive concept that is
driven by the idea that you bring the materials and the desire to
create, to learn, and they probably have what you need to learn,
someone to show you, and people who would like to help.
The opportunities for personal
development are considerable at Pumping Station: One. They have an
extensive wood shop, including a large CNC-controlled Shopbot (which
is magical to behold), MIG and TIG welders, a forge, precision
metal-cutting and metal-shaping tools including a Bridgeport mill
(and a second, CNC-controlled Bridgeport on the way), a cutting and
etching laser, precision small-scale metalworking tools, an extensive
kitchen that includes brewing equipment, CNC-controlled 3D printers,
a well-supplied electronics/robotics/computer lab, an extensive arts
and crafts lab including a 1/2-horsepower industrial sewing machine,
a meeting area/lounge with a great deal of entertainment equipment
(musical instruments, projection television, video game systems,
board games, a bar, etc.), and much, much more. This list suffers
from my own lack of familiarity with much of what Pumping Station:
One has to offer; I am authorized to fuse metal, but am yet to become
authorized to use fire, for example.
In fact, the Station has recently
expanded, taking over the remaining space in the building and giving
them the opportunity to revisit some equipment interests that have
come up, such as the possibility of adding a CNC-controlled plasmacutter and expanding the forge area to include metal-casting
equipment! It's a sign of how well they're doing, that they can make
and act on such plans, which just means they have even more they can
offer members seeking to expand their skill sets! It is interesting
to note that the concerns involved in this expansion mostly revolve
around just how much more new equipment they can obtain for the
space; they're like kids in a candy store, except the candy can
remove your arm but the kids are very well aware of that, and
exercise caution.
Permissions
They have a proper safety-oriented
authorization process in place, out of concern for both the safety of
the members and the proper treatment of the equipment. Authorizations
are a combination of set-up, use, maintenance, and shut-down
procedures combined with entry-level training, that prepares the
member to properly begin using the equipment for their own projects.
As a general overview: anything more complex than a soldering iron
probably requires documented authorization. For some equipment, this
authorization can be performed by anyone that is already authorized
and comfortable doing so, and so some authorizations can be obtained
piecemeal as people are available. Other equipment, however, has more
involved technical concerns in operation and involves more
problematic maintenance efforts if something goes wrong, and so
authorization can only be done by qualified members in specific
classes. Once a member is authorized, their name is added to a list
of authorized users and they can proceed with their own projects as
the equipment is available.
It is worth noting that education does
not have to end with the authorization process! Chances are, a member
will want to do more and so have questions and concerns, but other
members are usually available to contact... in person, or via the
mailing list, or by other means... to provide further relevant
training and information. Pumping Station: One is, after all, a
not-for-profit educational facility, and plenty of its members are
ready to help you learn more as you achieve new ideas and better
realize just what it is you want to learn!
Maintenance and Experimentation
Most of the equipment is maintained and
repaired in-house, meaning it falls to volunteers among the
membership to maintain their own equipment; they ask members to use
equipment safely and simply notify the mailing list if something
breaks that the member cannot repair themselves. Each area has a
budget, and accidents happen; Pumping Station: One doesn't worry
about having to replace a saw blade, they just want members to be
safe if something happens. Fortunately, with such a large membership,
someone is usually available to do repairs, and this also opens up
interesting additional opportunities for members that are willing to
take ownership of their choices: some of the equipment at Pumping
Station: One can be “hacked”, or modified experimentally with
care. They have a labeling system for their equipment that lets
people use a QR Reader to look the device on the Station's wiki for
further details (such as authorized users, authorizers and
procedures), and these same labels also include information on device
ownership (some of it is on loan) and whether permission is granted
to hack the device. However, some equipment at the station is so
complex that the membership able to properly support it is limited
(or non-existent, which means outside help must be hired), and, for
obvious reasons, these devices are usually “do not hack”.
Groups
Because of the sheer volume of
opportunity available at Pumping Station: One, it follows that groups
would form around specific interests, which welcome new hobbyists and
provide mutual support for each other. Visitors are also encouraged! There are a number of these,
such as:
NERP (Not Exclusively Raspberry
Pi): A group formed around designing embedded computer
control (CNC) systems using open-source technology. They use low-cost
computer components like Raspberry Pi, Beaglebone and Arduino to
create a variety of projects, such as CNC control for 3D printers,
little robots, household device controls and more.
CAJOO (Cable Access Jammers Open
Office): A loose musical workshop, where practiced musicians
help hobbyists and the casually-curious become comfortable with
making music. Jam sessions will happen.
Bicycle Clinic: A bicycle
building, repair and maintenance workshop that's open to the public.
SIGBOT: A group that
focuses on robotics technology and building robots.
SMOO (Small Metals Open Office):
A group for small-scale metalworking, such as jewelry smithing, glass
fusions and fine etching work.
Fusion 360 Meetup: As an
educational not-for-profit organization, Pumping Station: One makes
Autodesk Fusion 360 easily available: in fact, Autodesk provides
members a free three-year license! So this group focuses on helping
members learn CAD (Computer-Aided Design) and troubleshoot CAD
projects using Fusion 360!
Python Open Office (yes, yes...
no): A group for practiced and aspiring programmers alike.
Python is popular, but the group doesn't limit itself to any one
language!
TOOOL.us (The Open Organization
Of Lockpickers): A group to educate the public about the
internal workings of locks and locking mechanisms, so people can make
wiser choices when selecting security equipment. Yes, the name is
also their website.
Beer Church:
A brewing interest group! There is a brewing supply store about a
block away, which provides a certain spontaneity for this group's
operations.
Analog Game Night:
A group that plays games... but without televisions or computers!
They use radical new technologies like “dice”, “cards”, “game
boards” and “game pieces” to bring the novelty of playing games
fully into three dimensions by playing them in the real world! This
group often plays newer, more unusual or less-known games, so you're
less likely to play Monopoly and more likely to play Settlers of
Catan, or Give Me The Brain!
Pumping Station: One also likes to
celebrate. Pretty much anything. A number of members are also food
enthusiasts, so events happen and, because events happen, food also
tends to happen. Rather often.
Drawbacks
Pumping Station: One does suffer its
drawbacks: being entirely member-driven, there is little central
structure that has to be recognized when it comes to following up on
abuse, except for the board and its subcommittees, that are all empowered by the membership; members
can come in and leave piles of dishes in the sink, snowdrifts of
sawdust around the bandsaw, or piles of scrap wood in the loading
dock, and there's really not much that can be done except for other
members to volunteer to clean up their messes and ask them to not do
it again. They're also dealing with an evolving sexual harassment
policy driven by the desire of women to learn these same things... to
weld, to work wood, to build robotics, to learn and develop skills...
and the unfortunate presence of a few people who think those women
belong to or must respond to them, even in this environment. With a
membership as large as theirs, it is an unfortunate truth that these
issues are going to arise more and more often as they continue to
grow... but they are making a concerted effort to address such
problems. It boils down to the membership empowering the board to
make and enforce these decisions, and action by members to establish
and enforce appropriate behavior.
