Hammonton Makers tour Warehouse 15
On July 5, the Hammonton Makers had their July meetup at Warehouse 15. The goal of the meeting was for members of the club to show off some of their projects that were made in Warehouse 15, and to possibly make new friends. Some people came out to the space to check it out, and see what was going on with the Hammonton Makers as well.
The owners of Warehouse 15 and creators of the Hammonton Makers, Tracy and Steven Carr, were present at the meetup. The two welcomed any new face that dropped by at the space, and helped out members during the July meetup.
One of the members who dropped by at Warehouse 15 was Nelson Brown, who had been working on a few projects with the club. Brown was kind enough to show The Gazette around the space, making sure to note all the tools used to accomplish his projects. He mentioned the woodshop, and how he learned how to use the tools to make a project for his grandparents.
“I’ve never done woodworking before… Steve was showing me how to use it,” Brown said.
Brown said that he doesn’t have a lot of free time, however, he comes to Warehouse 15 on the weekends when he can. He explained that he enjoys using the tools such as the 3D printers, due to the fact that they had such fine detailing capabilities. The process of making the 3D printed models for Brown is an easy one he said, as he drops off a flash drive with the Hammonton Makers, and the models print overnight. Depending on the 3D printer being used at Warehouse 15, some may take longer to print than others. With options of resin or filaments, the Hammonton Makers have a variety of different ways to make 3D printed models.
“You can build anything,” Brown said with a laugh.
Steven Carr also gave The Gazette a tour of Warehouse 15, starting at the woodshop and walking through the building to eventually reach the lounge area. Steven Carr explained that the concept of the Hammonton Makers is to provide tools that are hard to access, and let the members learn about those tools. No one is allowed to use the tools unless they can pass a test that solidifies their knowledge with the desired machine.
“We have to know that you are able to safely utilize the tools,” Steven Carr said.
Some of the tools are on loan from other people, which also makes a test a good idea for interested members using the tools.
The makers have around 12 members currently using Warehouse 15, coming and going as they need. Steven Carr explained that he and Tracy would like to see more people interested in the Hammonton Makers, so they can build a community of like minded people. At some point, Steven Carr discussed having a movie night for some of the members in the future, as well as a meetup every month to showcase the different projects at Warehouse 15. He said that anyone was free to drop by at the warehouse to check it out, and learn about some of the tools housed at the location.