San Damiano Makerspace

Rebuilding the Church of the World, one Broken Chair at a Time

Vision

Rich relationships between people, tools, things, and God.
An end to the throwaway culture; a rise of repair culture.
An end to specialist-technocrat worship; the layman entering into relationship with the created world once more.

Mission

Help people without the tools or know-how repair their own things.
Make a space for those with know-how to skill-share.
Provide access to tools that are not justifiable for a person to buy for only a few uses, such as a mill or lathe.
Build the kingdom of God by repairing rather than replacing - as He does with us.
Begin to reverse the capital-drain of people not owning tools, beginning with at least knowing how to use and revere them.

Values

Repairing things deepens our relationship with them and their context - deepening relationship with things disposes us to love God and neighbor.
Those who have technical expertise should act as good shepherds, not as technocrats.
It is better to teach a man to fish. (Though, it is hard to fish when you are starving.)

People Served / Serving

The general community who has broken things
Poorer individuals who would especially benefit from repair
White-collar / Info-Tech workers who want to grow in prowess with their hands (could be some good synergy of the rich-meeting-the-poor here)
Elders with skills to give (even if they aren't seasoned tradesmen, just decent homeowners)
San Damiano School of the Trades (see next)

Value Proposition to Trade School

The College of St. Joseph The Worker started with The Workshop: https://www.steubenvilleworkshop.com/

While having a space all to oneself allows flexibility to use that space fully, it can leave certain aspects neglected.

For instance, if a metalworking lathe was only used a few times a year by the college, it may not be in good repair when it would be time to use it. Active use of tools - keeping the dust off and keeping them in good working condition, motivated by auxiliary use - can, if properly managed and monitored - help the general upkeep of a shop, rather than hinder it.

Bringing in a parallel use of the shop can also bring in more knowledge and varied perspectives, helpful in exposing students to more fields.

Starting a Makerspace can also help build momentum - getting the dust off an old space and breaking loose the rust on hinges (both literal and metaphorical) that will need to be done.

Funding

Donations: Monetary donations from companies and individuals are useful. In-kind donations are often surprisingly easy. I have received welders, thousands of dollars of power tools, and more just by sending a simple ask to the right person. See errata for some other thoughts on procuring donations.
Grants: Have not looked into this in detail
Member dues: These may be necessary/useful, but don't let this turn the space into a member-only environment. Members might be afforded special privileges (such as 24/7 access, or access to certain shops), or simply considered patrons- more of a recurring donation with a fancy title.

Tools and Capabilities

Basic Repair Shop

This would allow basic repair of most furniture, repairable appliances, and some automotive work (replacing components).

Typical hand tools: hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches, etc.
Common power tools: drills, sanders, dremels
Diagnostic tools: OBD-2 scanner, voltmeter, tape measures, squares
Glue, clamps, chisels
Workbenches
Paints and finishes
Hardware assortments
Air compressor, nail/staple guns
Grinders
Welder(s)
Drill press
Bonus: 3D printer (these can be highly helpful to making small parts and don't take up a lot of space)

Extension: Machining

Machining can be a little more 'niche', but allows the production and modification of more precise and intricate parts that otherwise would be difficult to repair or replace.

Metal lathe (already at the shop - uncertain of condition)
Mill
Toolbox with ample tooling (mills, fixtures, measuring tools)

Extension: Woodworking

It would not be hard to expand the scope of the shop to do hand tool woodwork. There is a resurgence of interest in doing woodwork without power tools - just hand tools. This would be in line with the vision of rich relationships, and would not be expensive to outfit such a shop for many people to use simultaneously: hand tools are, comparatively, cheap. They also are quieter and less of a safety risk, and thus lend themselves more to conversation and community-building. We need not be 'purists'; power drills don't subvert these benefits too much.

Hand tools:

Planes
Chisels
Auger bits
Spoke-shaves
Mallets
Workbenches
Sawhorses
Squares & Tape Measures

There are already some power tools in the shop as well that would be helpful:

Table saw
Drill press
Miter saw
Jointer, Planer
Bandsaw

Other Extensions

These don't immediately fit into the initial vision, but could, in fact, over time. These could lend themselves towards people seeking to build their own technology, not just fix what exists.

Blacksmithing
Sewing
Automotive

Erratta

Build relationships with existing interest groups in the area (e.g. woodworking, blacksmithing).
Ask parishes to contribute to a "tool/material pantry" - might be surprised how much you get.
May be able to get tools from estate plans?
Re-sell decent tools (at no cost to those who need them). There's an amish tool place (Colonial Homestead) in Mechanicsburg, OH that has something like this.
Open a broken tool drive.
Build good relationships with replacement part suppliers and building material companies - may even be able to secure a discount!
4H / Extension could be helpful, even if just as a network to find the right people and grants.

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