Maker Nexus Makerspace
(Information about the Maker Nexus organization's makerspace will be provided here. If you register with this wiki you can click the star at the top right to "watch" this page. If you do this then you will get an email whenever this page is updated.)
New members go to the MN New Member page to get started.
Our Mission
Maker Nexus is a non-profit with a mission to provide education in woodworking, textiles, metalworking, and other vocational skills and hobby crafts, and promote the same in the community. We will do this by providing a community makerspace that serves all experience levels from hobbyists to professionals. Our goal is to help each person improve their skills whether as STEAM/STEM teen, life enrichment, job skill acquisition, or new entrepreneur.
Sometimes officials ask how a makerspace can help their community at large. In response, we have a list of businesses that have been developed in a makerspace.
The Organization
Become a member, pledge your support, and track our progress on our website: MakerNexus.com
Our mailing address (this is NOT the shop address) is 2505 Katrina Way Mountain View, CA 94040-3949
We are a California non-profit and classified by the IRS as a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization. Read our by laws.
Read our officers' biographies.
Position Plans for board members, volunteers, contractors, and employees.
Become part of the team by using our Communication Tools
The Makerspace
Address
234 East Caribbean Drive
Sunnyvale, CA 94089
408.685.2500
Current Status
Regular hours of Wednesday - Sunday, 10am - 10pm.
We welcome everyone to stop by and tour the makerspace. See the machines, look at the media room, feel the carpet under your feet. Look at the future woodshop room
Need a place to hold your maker oriented meetup? Come see our facility and consider holding it here.
We have clean shop equipment available right now:
- an Epilog Helix laser cutter
- 2 Prusa 3D printers
- an electronics bench
- several sewing machines (including an industrial walking foot)
- a vinyl cutter
- a heat press
- a number of hand tools
- tables where you can work on your project
- computers (but our internet speed is very, very limited at this time)
Members will be able to reserve equipment starting April 10.
Without a woodshop, projects are limited to things you can do over a carpeted area. No sanding, no wet work, etc. Right now work is limited to something you might do in your living room (if your living room had a laser cutter and 3D printer!) If you have a question about a project, ask any of our staff or volunteers. Getting certified to use equipment
Next Steps
We are working to bring the woodshop on line. We've learned a lot from opening the clean side and we expect the woodshop to go more quickly.
We are setting up the BossLaser and should have that online by April 15.
Important Information
Maker Memberships
We offer Maker Memberships that give access to the shop. (Different than a non-profit "membership" where you are really just donating to support the mission.) Maker Memberships are not tax-deductible.
Entry Level
- $75 / month.
- Access to workspace, textiles, computers
- No machine reservation
- No access to CNC machines or lasers
- No storage
Hobbyist
- $150 / month
- All of Entry Level
- Access to all machines with some time limits per week
- May rent storage as available
- Most popular level
Family
- Requires one parent with a Hobbyist membership
- Additional children under age 21: $50 / month
- Second parent: $50 / month
Student
- $100 / month
- Requires proof of current full time enrollment
- Largely the same as Hobbyist
- Age restrictions on some equipment
Day Passes
At this time we do not offer day passes to the makerspace. We have considered this but our financial model would require a day pass to be so expensive that no one would actually buy them.
Other Levels
We have considered other Maker Membership levels that would cost more and give access to more equipment hours per week, or access to specialized equipment. We have called these levels "Pro" and "Start Up" but we have not come to any hard decisions. Your feedback will help us design these to suit the community best.
New Members
If you are new to Maker Nexus, welcome. All the communication tools can seem a bit overwhelming at first. Please visit our new member page.
Clubs and Groups
We have a number of groups running within our organization. Read about them on the MN Clubs and Groups page.
How to Help
- sign up to become a member
- spread the word to help us attract more members (Some Sample Text You Can Use)
- make a donation
- help us find corporate donors
- read our wish list and see if you can donate something we need
- sign up to join one of the operating teams
We have a flier you can put up anywhere you think potential members will see it.
More Details
Finances
If you are into finance details, you can see our initial financial model. Now that we are open the model has changed a lot.
Basic Costs
People often want to know what it costs to run Maker Nexus. At the time of this writing we have two full time General Managers and one part time education / outreach manager. The monthly costs below are just approximate. Our financial plan requires memberships and revenue from classes and some donations/sponsorship to keep the door open.
- Rent $14,000
- Wages $13,000
- Taxes $ 800
- Insurance $2,500
- Utilities $ 600
The Takeaway
The slides are packed with information, but for those who need the quick summary:
- Non-profit organization
- Makerspace in Sunnyvale
- Opened April 6, 2019
- Clean part open now; working on woodshop
- Limited paid staff members for support & maintenance
- Rely heavily on volunteers until membership reaches 200
- $150/month membership
- Everyone has to pitch in to make this work
We hope that you, the reader, will join us in growing a healthy makerspace for everyone.